Why do we need a routine of exercise before working?
Whether we are sitting all day long or doing physical work, our body is not really meant to be under those repetitive actions day in and day out.
It doesn’t help in the fact that we often don’t have adequate muscle support to be able to handle the long hours at work and our bodys fatigue under the pressure.
The spine has passive and active structures, the passive structures of the spine are: ligaments, joint capsules and discs.
Their function is to keep the vertebrae together and shock absorption, but what happens when we sit for many hours a day or if we do a lot of bending and lifting without the support of our muscles?
The passive structures will become overstretched and deformed over time, which can damage the spine and cause back pain after some time.
This can also affect our posture and alignment.
What we really need is the support of the active structures, the muscles, to make sure the spine is being supported and the passive structures are not damaged.
In plain terms: If you do 5-10 minutes of exercise before going to work, or at work at the beginning of the shift you will be supported by the muscles all day, and you will not have the damaging effects of work on your spine!
When we have been using the muscles to support our posture at the end of the day we feel much less tired than we normally do, because when supported by the passive structures only all day, our body gets damaged and we feel tired.
Here are some great ideas for a pre-work exercise routine:
Back exercises:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPZrxAKoXpY
Shoulder routine:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YHIV4a81Os
Or you can do the ones prescribed by your Chiropractor or physical therapist.
Contact us to find out more about it and how chiropractic can help you improve your health!
Happy exercise!