TEXT NECK

TEXT NECK

Text neck is becoming an epidemic.  We spend an average of 2-4 hours a day hunched over reading, emailing, texting and using social media.   That is roughly 700-1400 hours a year putting stress on our spines.   Teenagers are even worse spending an additional 5000 hours a year.

The human head weighs approximately 8-10lbs, but as the neck bends more forward and down the weight on your neck increases.  At 30% neck flexion you add an extra 40lbs to your head and at 60% neck flexion you add at extra 60lbs of weight to your head.

This poor posture leads to a number of conditions.

1.     Pain

2.     Inflammation

3.     Muscle strain

4.     Pinched nerves

5.     Herniated discs

6.     Headaches

7.     Decreased lung capacity

8.     A change in the natural curvature of your neck

9.     Depression

10.  Heart disease

11.  Early wear and tear and degeneration

Changing your posture when you are using your devices is critical.   Try to move your eyes-only and not your head.   Home exercises to correct your posture are also important and lets not forget about chiropractic adjustments and ART.   Happy Texting!

DIETING

DIETING…ugh

“diet…eat clean…count calories…no carbs…low fat…count points…high protein…count macros”.  It’s SOOOO overwhelming.   We all want the easy fix…unfortunately it doesn’t exist.   I have done my fair share of diets and ridiculous routines and what I have realized is there is no right or wrong way.  What there needs to be is…consistency.   Whatever you choose to do, you need to do your research and make sure it is a lifestyle that you can maintain.   Jumping around from one thing to another will never work and you will not get the results you want.    I won’t preach what I think works the best because it is a journey you need to take on your own…trial and error.   We are all different and our bodies respond differently to different food.   What I will recommend is that you download a calorie count app ONLY for the purpose of seeing what you are or aren’t eating.  I did this a while ago and I was SHOCKED.  I thought I was eating perfectly and eating all the damn time.   What I realized was, I was under eating and definitely not getting enough protein.   I couldn’t believe it.  I was way off.   So I would track your food for a few days and see where you are at, I would bet that if you aren’t getting the results you want you will find what’s missing just by tracking your food for a few days.   Just use the app as an educational tool.  Play around with it and see what you may be able to change.   If you have specific questions please don’t hesitate to ask.   Happy Eating!