Spring Cleaning is Good for Your Spine!
By Sara Butler
Spring will be here before you know it, which means it’s time for spring cleaning! You may not relish giving your dwelling a good scrubdown, but you have to admit that there’s something refreshing about throwing open all the windows and saying goodbye to winter. Well, now you can add another item to your list of pros for spring cleaning because spring cleaning is actually really good for your back. Here’s how!
It Gets You Moving
You may not have gotten out as much this winter as you wanted to, but with spring on the horizon, all that spring cleaning can get you moving again. It’s no secret that physical activity can be good for your spinal health. The brighter days of spring also make it easier for you mentally to get motivated. This means more sunshine, leading to more Vitamin D, which results in more energy and more gas in your winter-depleted energy tank!
It Burns Calories
When you’re physically active it encourages a healthier body weight, it strengthens your muscles, and it also helps to support a healthy immune system. All the calories you burn while cleaning can actually add up to quite a lot. On average, 15 minutes of a cleaning activity such as vacuuming, mopping, or sweeping can burn 50 calories. That’s a lot of calories over the course of a few hours!
When you burn calories and keep your body at a healthy weight, then you are taking the load off your spine and the muscles that support it. Thus, this reduces your chances of developing back pain – just so long as you also practice good body mechanics while you’re cleaning. If you need help with proper lifting and bending techniques, have your chiropractor show you at your next visit!
Clean Out Your Wallet Too
Spring cleaning isn’t just for homes, it’s also a good opportunity to clean out your wallet or purse, and that can have a healthy impact on your back, too! When men carry a thick wallet in their back pocket and sit on it, it can put stress on their spine and irritate their sciatic nerve. This can cause lower back pain and shooting pain down the leg – all because of your wallet!
Women can also benefit by reducing the load of their handbags. Clean out your purse periodically so that you’re not carrying around heavy items you don’t need. Remember, no bag should exceed 10 percent of your total body weight. Excessive handbag weight can cause back and neck pain. So, do your back a favor and clean out your purse!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.