Summer is the season most people look forward to, and for good reasons. From fun family vacations to late-night ins, summer is the perfect time to take it easy and enjoy life.
The summer season is upon us and that means an abundance of opportunities for travel, outdoor activities, and general fun. However, if you’re like most people, you don’t have the best posture or health in general.
However, whether you like it or not, there are other crucial things you need to worry about besides having fun—and that's your health.
Although sticking to a balanced diet and regular exercise can ensure your overall health and wellness, you need to consider other health aspects as well, such as taking care of your back and spine. After all, who would want to go surfing with a bad back?
With that in mind, here are fun chiropractor-approved activities to try this summer.
Swimming
There's no summer with a bit of swimming. It's a fun activity that lets you cool down in a fun way during the intense summer heat, mitigating back pain while strengthening the muscles along the process.
Everyone knows that swimming is a great way to exercise because it is low impact. It can even help improve your posture and flexibility. Swimming not only helps you maintain good health, but also gives you the chance to relax in a beautiful environment.
The buoyancy of water creates weightless surroundings, reducing some pressure in your back, leading to less pain.
Swimming is a great way to stay in shape and maintain your overall health. Not only do you get an effective cardiovascular workout, but it also helps to strengthen your muscles and joints with less stress on the body than other forms of exercise. Swimming improves blood circulation, increases flexibility, and allows for greater mobility.
Here other fun swimming- or water-related activities to try in order to make your exercises more fun.
- Treading Water - A treading water exercise is a type of workout that people can do to help improve their fitness level. It consists of alternating between swimming and treading water for periods of time, with each period lasting from 30 seconds to two minutes depending on the person's skill level and overall fitness goals.
- Stand-Up Paddleboarding - Stand-up paddleboarding, also known as SUP, is a relatively new form of water sport. Although it’s only been around for a few decades, the addictive nature and its low impact on your body make this an activity that’s great for all ages.
- Pool Sports - Staying active by playing pool sports such as pool volleyball can help improve your overall health.
Yoga
Yoga is an ancient practice that has been around for thousands of years. It involves a series of poses, breathing techniques and meditation to help you connect with your body and mind in order to achieve higher awareness. Yoga can be practiced by anyone without the need for special equipment or clothing, making it accessible no matter where you live.
Although yoga may not sound like a fun summer activity, many studios ramp up operations during the summer months, leading you to find yoga classes from anywhere like the park or in the center of the city square.
It’s no secret that yoga is a popular activity for people of all ages. But, what if you have physical conditions such as back pain or arthritis? Does yoga help with these types of issues? In this article, we’ll look at some research on how regular practice can improve your quality of life while reducing the pain you feel in your body.
Chiropractors recommend yoga because it is perfect for the entire body, including your back, stretching out stiff muscles while reducing pressure and tension in your back.
Below are fun activities that perfectly compliment yoga practices.
- Rock Climbing - If you’re looking to get into shape or stay in shape, one of the ways that you can do that is by starting a climbing hobby. Climbing is not only great exercise because it works out your body, but also because it allows you to be outside and enjoy nature while being active.
- Pilates - Pilates is a great low-impact exercise that can be done at home. Although it is primarily known for its back and core strengthening exercises, Pilates can provide people with many benefits beyond physical health. It helps in developing better posture, enhances blood circulation throughout the body, improves breathing patterns and reduces stress levels.
- Team Sports - Team sports are a great way to stay active and healthy as an adult. The American Heart Association recommends that people who participate in light or moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as walking, cycling, gardening, swimming laps for 20 minutes at least 5 days per week will reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by 30%.
Hiking
The U.S. National Park Service estimates that there are over 80,000 miles of trails in our country and whether you live in a city or the suburbs, chances are close to your home is one as well. Hiking is an activity that has numerous health benefits and can be done by anyone at any fitness level.
If you're looking to enjoy the vast outdoors during summer, what better way to do that than exploring through hiking? It doesn't need to be a hardcore hike, and merely following existing trails can be a great low-impact activity that keeps your body in better condition while not placing too much pressure on your back.
As your hike progresses, you'll notice your body loosening up and relaxing.
Here are different ways to make it more fun:
- Go Geocaching - Geocaching is a GPS-based treasure hunt game where you use the GPS coordinate to find the hidden cache. It's a fun activity for people of all ages and abilities. There are over 2 million active geocaches in countries around the world, where anyone can play anywhere.
- Play a Game If Hiking With Someone Else - The main reason you should try to play a game while hiking with someone else is so that you are not focused on the hike itself. It can be a frustrating and exhausting experience for both of you if one person, normally the patient in this case, seems to be walking too fast or taking longer breaks than usual due to soreness.
Conclusion
Summer is a time for family vacations, beach days and barbecues. The flip side of the summer season means that many people experience increased stress levels and more aches and pains than usual.
Many people don't realize that chiropractic care can help them with everyday ailments like headaches, back pain, neck pain and much more. Chiropractors have been helping patients deal with these issues for years; they are experts in manipulating the spine to keep you comfortable all day long!
Check-in with your chiropractor frequently so you make the most out of the active experience without experiencing back pain or any other discomfort.