Have you ever thought "I want to start taking better care of myself but have no clue where to start or what to do?"

Making the step towards healthy living isn't as difficult as you may think. Here are a few steps:

WATER
Two-third of our bodies consist of water. We are unable to function without it because it is responsible for many components of our bodies. My thoughts are, "If I can't function without it I might as well drink it". Don't you agree? Water is responsible for protecting your vital organs, protecting and moisturizing our joints with metabolism, transporting nutrients and oxygen into your cells, and assisting our organs to absorb nutrients better. We should all grab a glass of water just knowing the benefits it has for us. Here, we are not discussing the water used in your soda, coffee, or flavored drink - just plain water. We can live five to seven weeks without food but only five days without water.

Step 1: Reach for water the next time you are thirsty. Our goal should be eight glasses per day. If not, try adding two glasses to your current daily dose and work your way up to eight.

Have you ever thought "I want to start taking better care of myself but have no clue where to start or what to do?"

Making the step towards healthy living isn't as difficult as you may think. Here are a few steps:

WATER
Two-third of our bodies consist of water. We are unable to function without it because it is responsible for many components of our bodies. My thoughts are, "If I can't function without it I might as well drink it". Don't you agree? Water is responsible for protecting your vital organs, protecting and moisturizing our joints with metabolism, transporting nutrients and oxygen into your cells, and assisting our organs to absorb nutrients better. We should all grab a glass of water just knowing the benefits it has for us. Here, we are not discussing the water used in your soda, coffee, or flavored drink - just plain water. We can live five to seven weeks without food but only five days without water.

Step 1: Reach for water the next time you are thirsty. Our goal should be eight glasses per day. If not, try adding two glasses to your current daily dose and work your way up to eight.

Exercise and stretching
Many of the injuries that I see in my office stem from a lack of flexibility which results in poor body mechanics and posture, or the lack of adequate tone to support weight bearing joints like the knees and the spine. Most people who come in with complaints of low back pain are surprised when I explain to them that their pain can be significantly reduced if they were to incorporate a stretching regime and start toning up their abdominal muscles. In order to gain the most benefit from stretching, individuals should do a short warm-up first and then stretch. A gradual sustained stretch is the goal while avoiding quick and bouncing movements. If you stretch a muscle too quickly, it responds with a strong contraction like a knee jerk reflex which increases tension. Each muscle group should be stretched three times and held for 20 to 30 seconds. The goal for each stretch is to reach a bit further than your last stretch without causing pain.

Most patients that walks into a Doctor's office, is there because of low back pain. Statically speaking more than 80 percent of patients will experience low back pain at some point and time in their life and approximately 1/3 of patients that are disabled in the United States are disabled as a result of low back pain.
There are several conditions that affect the lower back. One of the most common conditions is a disc herniation, also known as a slipped disc. A Disc Herniation occurs when the inner material of the disc pushes out and cause irritations to the adjacent nerves and tissue. Disc herniations are usually a result of some form of traumatic injury such as a car accident, slip and fall, any severe back injury or degenerative changes to the spine due to aging or a mixture of aging and a traumatic injury.