2021 is here (thank goodness)! A new year is a great time to start thinking about simple health improvements for your overall health and wellness. For those that know me, I like to keep things simple and start small. Significant changes are great but not always feasible. I will recommend three simple health improvements to start doing daily, which may help you feel and function better. The best news is that they are all free to do!!!

The first simple health improvement is to drink more water.  

My patients have heard me repeat this time and time, and I will continue to do so. Most of us are fortunate enough to have access to clean drinking water right in our homes, so we don’t have an excuse not to be increasing our daily water intake.  

1. • As humans, we are 60% water. “According to H.H. Mitchell, Journal of Biological Chemistry 158, the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are watery: 31%. ” That’s a lot of water!
   • According to the Mayo Clinic, The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is: 
     1. About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men
     2. About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women

Number two on our list of simple health improvements is to stretch and move more.

1. • Take just 10 minutes a day to stretch the body’s tight areas. Many of us have tight lower backs and hamstrings. With many of us sitting at desks all day, our pecs tend to be very tight and pulling. By taking as little as 10 minutes a day, we can do our bodies right and not only function better, but feel better too!
     • For easy stretches, check out our Facebook page, which has videos of both upper and lower body simple stretches.

• • The other thing I am always harping about is getting up and moving. Again, it is imperative to get out of a sitting position with sedentary jobs every 20-30 minutes. I am not saying to take a 10-minute break. I am talking about 30 seconds to a minute to get up, shift the posture, maybe get a drink of water (hint, hint) and then resume your work. When we sit in the same position for 2 hours or more, it takes a toll on our posture over time. Poor posture can reduce energy, decrease lung capacity, and even lead to pain.

The last of our easy and simple health improvements is to ice your problem areas.

Injuries produce inflammation. Inflammation can cause increased pain. One easy and free way to help reduce inflammation? Use an icepack. Fifteen minutes two times per day. It is as simple as that.  

• • Cold helps to constrict or make the blood vessels narrower. This narrowing pushes inflammation and swelling away from problem areas, giving the body a chance to reduce the fluid. This, in turn, can lead to a reduction in pain.  
  • This is particularly important in people with chronic pain. Doing this once or twice a day, especially at the end of the day, can make a world of difference.

So there you have it. Three simple, free, and easy ways to start working on being a little bit healthier this year. Water, Ice, Movement, aka WIM. I just made that up, but I am going with it. I’m going out on a limb, but I believe that you can WIM this year!!!

While these simple health improvements can help daily, seeing a chiropractor for your problem areas may be the next step to get you feeling and functioning better. If you are looking for a chiropractor in Frisco, check out Express Chiropractic Frisco.  You never need an appointment, our prices are usually less expensive than typical copays, and we have late and Saturday hours.  Give us a call at (469) 362-5711 or stop by to see if we can help you meet your New Year’s goals!

To check our hours and availability check out our calendar.