Have you ever wondered why your neck and back muscles are always tight? There are a number of factors that contribute to this. Bad posture, not exercising enough and bad nutritional choices are only a few. In this 3 part series, we’re going to talk about the biggest contributing factors to neck and back tightness.

Not exercising or stretching enough or at all.

Your structure, the bones of your body, dictate what your muscles are doing. If you have a poor spinal structure, you will have bad muscle function. Additionally, not exercising will cause your muscles to break down and become useless. There are easy ways to get moving.

• Try Yoga – Yoga is the practice of strengthening and lengthening your muscles. Holding poses and easily moving from one movement to the next will help provide much-needed oxygen to your blood and muscles. Yoga creates long lean muscles and can boost the metabolism.
• Take cues from wildlife – Many of us have animals, dogs, and cats that bring joy to our lives. Besides running and lounging, they do a lot of stretching. Try to mimic your animal for a day. If they stretch, try the stretch they’re doing. You’ll notice that you’ll start to feel more awake and refreshed throughout the day.
• Join a social activity – People who build their social network by participating in shared activities tend to live longer and don’t we all want longevity in life? Find something that interests you. Believe it or not, getting out of the house to attend a group meeting or function will dictate that you walk somewhere and walking is exercise.
• Everything is easier with a partner – Accountability is key to exercising. Having someone you’re accountable to will allow you to keep exercising, especially if that person is relying on you to be their exercise partner. Knowing you have someone to commiserate and rejoice with can inspire you to move more.
• Dance like no one is watching – So you’re not someone who exercises and you’re not into stretching or yoga, that’s ok. Create a playlist of your favorite songs. Fill it with songs that there is no possible way you can sit in your seat for while you listen and dance! It only takes 1-2 good songs a day and you’re on your way to moving and providing oxygen to your muscles.

Whatever you choose just move.

No matter what you do, it’s important to move, not only for your structure and health but for your mental health as well. Doing any of the activities above will help you to forget about your stresses for a bit and that will give you the freedom to want to move more.

What are some ways that you move? Share in the comments below.

For questions on what stretches you can do at home, talk to your Chiropractor and contact Dr. B at [email protected].