You’ve been there; uncomfortable, in pain, feeling lazy, making excuses, finding other things to do, putting it off into the future at some point. You know that you should move, that moving is the motion that will help your body to reset, that will turn off the signals putting you in any of the discomfort that you have, that will make you feel good about yourself, and most importantly will move your nervous system to prevent any more bad neurological patterns from setting into place.

So then why don’t you? If you are a patient in this office, you have daily home exercises/rehab movements that you should be doing.

Why? These movements a specifically designed to take your current spinal position and move it into a position that will REMOVE the tension and torque on your spinal cord. Isn’t that the reason you started under our care in the first place?

You had a primary issue that affected your life in some way that was undesirable. The root issue was located, and for everyone reading this article right now, a movement deficiency is one part of that equation.

So, get your movement in! Maintaining your movement is the easiest way to never let the old problems of your past come back to be a problem in your present.

Going back to address the reasons you refuse to move and move properly (with the right form and intention) when you should, it is always easier to talk yourself out of something than into it.

So, the best mindset to have – call yourself out of ever missing an opportunity to move; talk yourself out of ever missing doing your home therapies. With this mindset, you won’t ever miss the exercise you want to do.

Getting your Energy Back

If you haven’t tuned into to the AskDrErnst radio show or read some of the other newsletters in our office recently, you know we have been focused on helping your find all the energy that your body needs.

And yes, the energy you have has a nervous system component, it has a metabolic component, it has a hormonal component, and there is a kinetic component, that is the movement part!

Specifically, you have an abundance of stored potential energy that your body is waiting to release! The only way to turn that momentous potential energy into kinetic energy is to move!

Here are a few energy tips from a movement perspective to put you on the right side of your own energy balance:

⦁ Movement creates energy. If you are feeling lazy, lethargic, or lacking of energy, moving your body will stimulate your oxidative and glycolytic pathways to create more energy. Then you can continue to do the things you WANT to do. All it takes is that initial movement to

⦁ Newton’s laws state that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only transferred from one medium to another (kinetic, chemical, thermal, etc.). You cannot cheat your body into getting more energy. So the caffeine kick in the morning, the coffee recharge in the mid afternoon, they do not work – at least not for long term efficiency of energy utilization. Do your home therapy exercises first thing when you wake up in the morning. Go for an afternoon walk, even better if you are barefoot and grounded to the natural earth, for an energy boost to finish out your workday. It can make all the difference.

⦁ If you are in pain, and that is your (Yes I am going to say it) excuse, gentle movement may be the best course of action to stimulate your body to remove the pain signal. Have you ever wondered why when a kid bruised his knee, the parent said to rub it really fast? The movement of rubbing the knee overpowers the neural signal of the pain, thus making the bruise hurt less. Whichever joint is bothering you, take it through a full range of motion. After a minute you may be surprised at the result.

⦁ Keeping your energy in balance. It is so easy apply these rules, or change some things to give yourself more energy in your life, only to overdo it and crash! Meaning that you have expended so much energy that your body has to go back into recovery mode. This is not the state you want to end up in. So to stay in balance, by recognizing when fatigue starts to set in, and slowing down your own energy release. Switch to easier movements, even if they feel like they are doing nothing, there is still purpose as you recharge your batteries.

The best value for YOUR Effort

So, you are motivated to move more, and now just need some movements to get yourself started.

Start with this one: lay on your back, bend your hips and your knees to 90 degrees, so your legs are hanging in the air. Then rock your hips back and forth as far as you are comfortable to open your hips. Do this ten times on each side.

Advance to this one: go on your hands and knees, then push one leg as far up as possible to the ceiling. The further the better. This will activate the entire posterior chain (Glutes, hamstrings, back muscles)! These are the muscles that are supposed to be some of the most stable and strongest in your body, but because they get used less and less in today’s world, have become so weak.

Moving should be fun, and purposeful! I have gotten my movements in today, have you??