One of the best ways to make self care habits stick is to start small. You’ve already made one great choice by starting on your chiropractic care journey! Now you can begin to add in complementary self care practices to receive even more health benefits.
These types of activities help are essential for improving general fitness, mental and emotional health, and overall supporting health and healing!
Walking
Don’t discredit walking as a form of serious exercise and important self-care. Walking is the perfect complement to chiropractic care. It supports spinal health by increasing circulation, improving posture, supporting joints, and strengthening bones.
Walking is also a wonderful mood-booster, making it an important addition to your self-care routine. Use your walk, whether it’s twenty minutes or an hour, to loosen up your limbs, take deep breaths, and appreciate the sights and sounds around you. During your walk, you might spot a rare bird, meet a new neighbor, or dream up your next vacation! Keep your phone at home (or tucked into your pocket) to make the most of your time.
Massage
Getting massages can help address several types of medical conditions and reduce muscle tension and discomfort. Plus, it’s known to lower stress and anxiety and improve the quality of sleep!
Pairing massages with chiropractic adjustments is a great way to find lasting pain relief while also promoting your own self care. We can help recommend a style of massage to pursue based on your areas of discomfort.
Grounding
When was the last time you walked outside barefoot or sunk your feet into warm sand? Grounding (also known as earthing) is a therapeutic technique that helps lower stress and reduces inflammation and pain. This self-care activity involves making direct contact with the Earth’s surface electrons. The energy is then transferred to your body, resulting in an array of positive physiological changes, from improving circulation to slowing free radical damage to calming chronic inflammation.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art that people of all ages and abilities should consider trying. It’s low-impact and uses gentle exercises and movements that can be performed at your own pace. According to the Tai Chi for Health Institute, “the ultimate purpose of tai chi is to cultivate the qi (or life energy) within us to flow smoothly and powerfully throughout the body. Total harmony of the inner and outer self comes from the integration of mind and body, empowered through healthy qi through the practice of tai chi.”
Tai Chi helps improve balance and flexibility, making it a worthwhile activity to pair with your chiropractic care treatment. Try it out from the comfort of your home through YouTube videos!
Yoga
You don’t have to be a super flexible yogi to practice yoga. There are multiple proven physical and mental health benefits to starting a yoga practice. It can be a very gentle way to build strength, balance, and flexibility, no matter what your current fitness level. It is also a great way to practice mindfulness, breathing, and focus.
Just like any exercise, yoga can be modified to your current fitness level — you can even do it sitting in your chair or lying flat on the floor! We are fortunate to have many excellent yoga teachers and studios in Frederick, all of which have a variety of classes to choose from. Many are doing online classes you can do in the comfort of your home as well!
Mindfulness
If you don’t want to go anywhere, buy anything, or break a sweat, try mindfulness! Mindfulness can be practiced anywhere at any time, and is an extremely beneficial self care tool to teach not only yourself, but your kids, too. By bringing awareness to your feelings or experiences, you can teach yourself to be present, focused, and calm.
The more in tune you are with your body, the better you’ll be able to communicate your needs to your chiropractor, physician or holistic health doctor. You can even practice mindfulness before, during, and after a chiropractic adjustment!
Which of these self care activities are you most excited to try? We’d love to know which practices you find helpful in complementing your chiropractic treatment!