Winter 2019/20 Newsletter

WINTER: Slips & Falls

As the cold weather sends its ice and occasional snow here in Georgia, it can be exciting for the students as they get to miss school and spend the day sledding and throwing snowballs. But for many, it is a nightmare of car accidents and traffic, and plenty of opportunities to slip and fall on that sneaky ice. As we get older, it becomes much more difficult to recover from slips and falls. To help you prepare for those slippery winter surfaces and hold your adjustment this cold season, here are some tips and tricks to protect yourself:
On top of many other health benefits, regular exercise and strength training prevent you from injury during a fall by strengthening muscles that support your body. Strength training also prepares your body to take on the stress of winter sports from skiing to ice-skating! Strong muscles can take some of the pressure of your joints during vigorous downhill sports or when you catch yourself from a fall, preventing a more severe injury. For those over 40, strength training also slows the decrease in bone density over time.

• Stretching will help your body be more elastic and flexible when faced with a fall. A rigid, stiff body us more prone to injury on impact.
• Wear the right shoes! When it’s icy outside, have a set of shoes that have non-slip features and are made to give you more traction. There are plenty of boot styles that not only give you more grip and have good tread, but they also support your ankle to prevent injury! Some of the best ones are also water-proof/resilient, so they are just as comfortable to wear shin dip in the snow as walking the city streets on a cold winter day!
• How you walk on ice is essential. When you can’t avoid those icy patches, or are uncertain if a surface is slippery or not, take short, flat steps and take it easy! (kind of like a penguin).
• Be prepared when you know an ice storm is coming and salt your driveway/walkway. This preparation prevents ice from forming. Kitty litter is also a good substitute for road salt.
• If you DO fall, learn how to fall correctly, to prevent injury! These are some tips on how to fall correctly from Hollywood stuntmen and stuntwomen!
  • First, don’t panic and stay loose.
  • Keep your joints bent instead of rigid. Doing do softens the impact and prevents you from breaking your bones.
  • Protect your head! According to professional stuntmen and stuntwomen, you want to tuck your head to the chest if falling backward and turn your face to the side if falling forwards
  • Try to land on the meaty parts of your body, and avoid landing on the boney parts and spread out your body to prevent any concentrated impact!

Even with a good fall, it is important to get you or your loved ones checked at the Alpha Spine Center to correct any spinal and joint injury that could have occurred from a slip and fall! For tips on exercises and practices that can help you avoid injury and hold your NUCCA adjustments better during these winter months, consult with one of your ASC doctors during your next visit!

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WEIGHT TRAINING AFTER 40:
New Year, New You

Shockingly, only 1 in 3 adults engage in the recommended amount of physical exercise each week. Of those active people, 40 and uppers generally end up getting involved with running, biking, or other cardio heavy exercise, activity clubs, and endurance-based fitness programs. But did you know that Strength Training is the most important form of exercise you can do into your later years?
As we age, we begin to lose muscle, bone mass, and density. In fact, after the age of 30, physically inactive people will lose up to 5% of muscle mass per decade. The term for this loss of muscle mass is called Sarcopenia. It can lead to a slower metabolism, more body fat, less stamina, and general weakness. Another common concern with the aging body is the loss of bone density; known as Osteoporosis. This condition makes the bones in your body more fragile and susceptible to fracture and injury as the body breaks down bone cells faster than it replaces it.

The good news is that resistance training counteracts these natural age-related conditions by preventing the loss of muscle, increasing the body’s ability to maintain and build muscle mass, and keep your bones strong and hard! Resistance training provides these numerous health benefits for those 40 and up:

• Improved balance, leading to less injury and falls.
• Less pain from arthritis, as more muscle means less strain on joints.
• Better sleep and reduced stress
• Decreased risk of Type II diabetes as training regulates blood glucose levels
• Enjoy day-to-day activities with less effort and injury.
• Stronger bones and joint supporting muscles.
• Better posture and less back pain.
• *Stronger joints, bones, and reduced injury allow you to hold your spinal adjustment better!

It’s not too late! The genes in our body are elastic, and lifestyle changes we make such as diet and strength training can allow our genes to be used at their optimal capacity in keeping the body healthy. A study of healthy males has shown that that in just 4 weeks, 3 times a week, of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), there were changes in their DNA that potentially reduced the risk for cancer and blood pressure on a genetic level. 
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Don’t know where to start? HIIT is a great way to work in resistance training with cardio. HIIT involves short intervals of intense anaerobic/resistance exercises with short recovery periods in between. It keeps your heart active, burns fat, and increases strength all at the same time. Furthermore, HIIT can be done in as little as 15-30 minutes a day, and many routines can be done from your home, for those who can’t spend hours in a gym!

So why wait for your New Year resolution to pick up the weights? By taking the time to take care of your muscles and your overall bodily health, you will be able to live longer, happier, stronger, balanced, and energetic lives doing the things you love YEAR ROUND! During your next visit for NUCCA care at the Alpha Spine Center, our doctors are happy to help point out the best way to begin resistance training for your specific age, care plan, and conditions!

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SOURCES:
https://www.consumerreports.org/health/protect-yourself-from-slips-and-falls-this-winter/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/strength-training-builds-more-than-muscles
https://www.livestrong.com/article/241692-the-best-shoes-for-walking-on-ice/
https://highintensityhealth.com/48-high-intensity-exercise-changes-your-dna-with-josh-denem-phd/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351968
https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/resource-center/facts-and-statistics/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/downloads/growing_stronger.pdf
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/guide/sarcopenia-with-aging#1
https://www.care2.com/greenliving/7-reasons-people-over-40-need-strength-training.html
https://upfitness.com/en/article_posts/bodybuilding/training/10-golden-rules-weight-training-40s
https://upfitness.com/en/article_posts/bodybuilding/training/science-shows-lifting-weights-benefits-40s
​https://highintensityhealth.com/48-high-intensity-exercise-changes-your-dna-with-josh-denem-phd/