Chiropractic Blog May 2018

Spring if finally here!Reno has had a few wonderful days of sunshineand warmer weather.  With that said, morepeople are working on their gardens, enjoying the outdoors, and just soaking upthe sun rays.  Whatever brings you outdue to warm weather, it’s important to remember a few things to protect yourspine and body:1.    Wear sunscreen – It’s important to wear sunscreen to protect yourskin.  Did you know that your skin is thelargest organ of your body?  The sun raysfeel good, but they can do damage to your skin cells and can cause your skin toburn.  2.    Ease you way back to your activities – It can be very tempting toride your bike for 3 + hours, but if you haven’t been on your bike since lastSpring or haven’t been active during the winter months, it’s important to easeyour way back into exercise.  Start witha comfortable level with any sport you do and then build up as the daysprogress.  Your muscles and your heartwill thank you for it!3.    Stretch – Stretching is great for lengthening muscles and also improvingcirculation throughout the body.  Keepmorning stretches light and bouncy and stretches after activity can be heldslightly longer.  Check our facebook andYouTube site, Reno Family Chiropractic, for general stretches for the spine andextremities. 4.    Hydrate – Remember to drink water! It’s important to rehydrate your body if you have been outside workingin the garden or exercises.  As the heatincreases and we have more days of sun, your body can easily dehydrate.  A good rule of thumb is the drink at leasthalf of your body weight in ounces. For example if you weigh 150 lbs, drink 75oz. of water. If you are adding exercise or gardening at another 25% of water. 5.    Garden responsibly – It’s easy to forget proper gardeningergonomics when you’re so focused on a project. Remember to lift with your legs, avoid repetitive bending and  lifting and twisting, wear protective gearlikes gloves, lower back belt support, knee braces, and of course a nice wellbrimmed hat and sunglasses!  And rememberto take breaks frequently to hydrate!Just a few tips while we transition from springinto summer!  Make it a great one!