Latest / Staying Aligned with Dr. Kevin Hartung / Staying Active Safely After 40

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Staying Active Safely After 40 · 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 coming to you from right here in Robinson
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  Township. Today we're talking about something
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  that comes up in my office almost every single
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  day, staying active after 40. And I don't just
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  mean surviving your workouts. I mean actually
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  feeling good, moving well, and doing the things
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  you love without paying for it the next morning.
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  So let's get into it. Here's what I hear a lot.
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  Someone comes in and they say, Dr. Hartung, I
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  used to run three miles, no problem. Now I go
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  for a walk and my back is killing me. Sound familiar?
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  You are not alone. And here's the good news.
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  This is not just something you have to accept
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  as part of getting older. Your body is incredibly
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  adaptable. It just needs a little more attention
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  and a smarter approach than it did when you were
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  25. Now, here's the thing about your body after
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  40. Things start to change. Your joints have
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  more wear on them. Your muscles take longer to
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  warm up. Your connective tissue, things like
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  tendons and ligaments, they're not as elastic
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  as they used to be. And your recovery time is
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  longer. That's just biology. But none of that
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  means you have to slow down. It means you have
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  to be smarter about how you move. Let me break
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  this down for you. One of the biggest mistakes
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  I see people make is skipping the warm -up. They
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  go from sitting at a desk all day to jumping
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  into a workout or a jog or even yard work. And
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  then they wonder why something pulls or gets
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  sore. Your muscles and joints need time to get
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  ready. Even just five to ten minutes of gentle
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  movement before activity makes a huge difference.
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  Walking in place, some light stretching, slow
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  arm circles, nothing fancy. Just give your body
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  a heads up that you're about to ask something
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  of it. The second thing I want you to think about
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  is recovery. After 40, your body needs more time
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  between intense activity sessions. That's not
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  weakness. That's wisdom. Sleep matters more.
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  Hydration matters more. And honestly, rest days
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  are just as important as workout days. I tell
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  my patients all the time, the work doesn't happen
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  during the workout. It happens while you recover.
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  Honor that process. Now here's what's interesting
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  about the spine specifically. As we age, The
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  discs between our vertebrae lose some of their
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  moisture and flexibility. That's normal, but
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  it does mean that your spine is more sensitive
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  to repetitive stress, poor posture, and sudden
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  movements. Low impact activity is your friend.
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  Swimming, walking, cycling, yoga, resistance
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  training with proper form. These keep you strong
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  and mobile without hammering your joints. So
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  what can you start doing today? First, add a
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  warm -up to everything, not just workouts. Second,
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  pay attention to how your body feels the day
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  after activity. A little soreness is fine. Sharp
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  pain or stiffness that doesn't go away is your
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  body asking for help. Third, work on your core.
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  A strong core protects your spine. It doesn't
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  have to mean crunches, planks, bird dogs, gentle
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  pilates, movements. These are all great options.
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  And here's my gentle nudge. If you've been dealing
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  with nagging back pain, hip tightness, shoulder
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  issues, or anything that keeps flaring up during
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  or after activity, please don't just push through
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  it. That's when it's time to come see us. At
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  Family Chiropractic Center we look at the whole
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  picture. How your spine is aligned, how your
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  joints are moving, what might be creating tension
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  or restriction in your body. A lot of times the
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  issue is something very fixable. You just need
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  someone to take a look. You don't have to give
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  up the activities you love. You just might need
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  a little support getting your body moving the
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  way it's supposed to. Alright, thank you so much
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  for spending a few minutes with me today. I really
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  appreciate you listening. If you have questions
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  or you're ready to come in and get evaluated,
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  give us a call or stop by Family Chiropractic
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  Center here in Robinson Township. We would love
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  to help you stay active, feel strong, and keep
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  doing what matters to you for a long time to
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  come. Take care and I'll talk to you next time.