Latest / Staying Aligned with Dr. Kevin Hartung / How to Build a Healthier Morning Routine

Transcript

How to Build a Healthier Morning Routine · Staying Aligned with Dr. Kevin Hartung

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  Hey there and welcome back. I'm Dr. Hartung and
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  you're listening to the Family Chiropractic Center
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  podcast. I'm so glad you're here today because
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  we're talking about something that affects every
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  single one of us every morning and that's how
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  you start your day. Now, I know what you might
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  be thinking, Dr. Hartung, I can barely get out
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  of bed in the morning, let alone build some fancy
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  routine. I hear you. I really do. But here's
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  the thing. The way you spend the first 30 minutes
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  of your morning can set the tone for how your
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  entire body feels throughout the day. And it
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  doesn't have to be complicated, not even a little
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  bit. So, let's talk about it. The first thing
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  I want you to think about is movement. And no,
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  I don't mean jumping straight into a full workout
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  before the sun comes up. I mean gentle, intentional
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  movement to wake your spine up. See, when you
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  sleep, Your body is in one position for hours.
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  Your joints get stiff. Your muscles get tight.
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  Your spine needs a little coaxing to get going.
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  What I recommend to my patients is spending just
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  five minutes doing some gentle morning stretches
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  before you ever reach for your phone. Try bringing
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  your knees to your chest while you're still lying
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  in bed. Hold it for a few seconds. Then slowly
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  roll to one side before you sit up. This takes
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  pressure off your lower back and helps your spine
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  transition from rest to activity in a much kinder
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  way. Here's what's interesting. So many people
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  jump out of bed and start rushing around and
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  then they wonder why their back hurts by lunchtime.
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  That abrupt transition from lying flat to upright
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  activity can really stress the structures in
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  your spine. A little slow and steady goes a long
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  way. The second thing I want to talk about is
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  hydration. This one is simple, but most people
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  skip it. When you wake up, your body has been
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  without water for seven or eight hours. Your
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  discs, the soft cushions between your vertebrae,
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  they rely on hydration to maintain their height
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  and their ability to absorb shock. Starting your
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  morning with a full glass of water before your
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  coffee can make a real difference in how your
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  joints feel. Now the third thing, and this one
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  might surprise you, is posture awareness. Before
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  you sit down at a desk or get behind the wheel
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  for your commute from Robinson Township, take
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  a second and just check in with yourself. Are
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  your shoulders rounded? Is your chin jutting
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  forward? These little habits repeated day after
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  day add up over time. Just that 30 -second posture
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  check in the morning can start to wire in better
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  habits throughout the rest of your day. So to
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  pull it all together, here's what a healthier
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  morning can look like. Wake up slowly, stretch
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  gently before getting out of bed, drink a glass
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  of water, and take one moment to stand tall and
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  check your posture before you head out the door.
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  That's it. Small steps, real results. Now, if
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  you're already dealing with morning stiffness,
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  neck tension, or back pain that just doesn't
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  seem to go away no matter what you try, that's
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  your body asking for a little extra support.
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  That's where we come in. A chiropractic evaluation
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  can help us understand what's going on in your
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  spine and build a plan to help you feel better,
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  move better, and your mornings on the right foot.
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  We see families of all ages here at Family Chiropractic
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  Center and we love helping people in the Robinson
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  Township area live more comfortably. Whether
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  you're dealing with a specific issue or you just
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  want to be proactive about your health, our door
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  is open. Thank you so much for tuning in today.
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  I hope this gave you something useful to carry
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  into tomorrow morning. If you have questions
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  or you'd like to schedule a visit, just give
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  us a call or check us out online. We'd love to
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  meet you. Until next time, take care of yourself
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  and take care of that This is Dr. Hartung and
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  we'll see you soon.