Have you ever wondered what our bodies are designed for?   Every part of a machine has a purpose.  Every gear, every wheel, every bolt is there in its exact place for a purpose.  If one part isn’t working right, the entire machine is less effective.  You can deduce what an unknown machine might be designed for based on its parts and how they work.

Now I am no engineer, but I do understand a few things about the human body.

We can tell a lot about a machine based on what happens or doesn’t happen if a certain part is broken.  What happens to the rest of the machine?

Humans have joints, moveable segments in the otherwise rigid structure that gives us our shape.  These joints are lubricated and padded.  If a joint is put into a brace for an extended time and not allowed to move, it degenerates and often becomes painful.

Around these joints we have ligaments and muscles.  Ligaments hold the joint together, but if they aren’t stretched and moved for a long time, they calcify, actually turning into bone causing bone spurs and arthritis.

Muscles require movement and stress to stay healthy.   You can see this if someone breaks a bone and is in a cast for a long time.  The leg that was kept immobile is smaller than the one that did the walking (loss of muscle mass). Early astronauts experienced this when, after only a few days in space they found themselves so weak that it was hard to walk off the ship.  It would take months for these healthy athletic men to get their strength back after only a few days of not using it.

The entire system of joints, ligaments and muscles are fed by nerves and blood supply.  The heart requires stress from activity to stay healthy and strong.

Finally, our metabolism drops if we aren’t moving, causing weight gain.

As I look at all of these aspects of the body, they all have one requirement in common to stay healthy.  They all require MOVEMENT!    Our bodies were MADE TO MOVE.  And to move in a regular, consistent, heart rate raising, blood pumping, muscle stressing way.

I just finished my first ever full 26.2 mile marathon.  I am very proud of finishing.  A friend asked me, “Did you feel like quitting?”  My answer is “Yes, a lot”  Then he asked “When was it, at mile 20?  Mile 15?”   “No” I answered, ” It was on weeks one through 15 of my training.”

Finishing a full marathon at the level of fitness I had at week one of my training, would have been impossible.   After a 16 week training program, I found it easier to finish this full marathon, than I did to finish the half marathon 8 weeks before.

A year ago, I was talking to another Chiropractor friend, encouraging him to start running with me.  He said, “I don’t run, I don’t want to put my knees through that.”  We talked about how our knees pump fluid in and out based on motion and movement.  Movement keeps them healthy. He agreed and started training.  He finished the marathon a full hour faster than I did.

One of the great effects of the chiropractic adjustment is unlocking joints in the spine that are stuck and not moving.  Joints that are not moving are degenerating. Joints that are not functioning properly are often painful.   Getting your spine adjusted restores more normal motion to the spine.  The same holds true for elbows, knees, shoulders, ankles and wrists.   Yes, we can adjust all of these joints.

Now is a great time to get outside and get moving.  After all, that’s what our bodies are made for.

How Much, How Often?

That depends on what you are already doing.  The baseline is 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day.  The American Heart Association considers walking, gardening, running, biking, dancing, house cleaning, and golf to be exercise.

The Challenge

Increase your fitness level by 20 % in the next 2 months.  Example: If you currently walk 30 minutes three times a week, increase it to 36 minutes three times a week or add a 20 minute walk on another day.

You can do it!

Dr. Patrick Lowe is a Chiropractor in Louisville, KY.   Lowe Chiropractic & Wellness is located a 10306 Shelbyville Rd.  Louisville, KY 40223.

www.lowechiro.com (502)  245-7334

Dr. Lowe practices in Louisville, KY.   He is known as The Louisville Chiropractor by his family and friends.  Lowe chiropractic is located in the Louisville East End.  10306 Shelbyville Rd, In Dorsey Plaza    The Chiropractors in his office serve Middletown KY, Anchorage KY, Lyndon KY, Crestwood KY, Pee Wee Valley KY and Louisville’s East End Chiropractic needs.