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Archive for October, 2011

One of the biggest complaints by drivers every year revolves around having to wear their seatbelts while driving. Those who find them too constricting or annoying simply do not understand their importance, nor why they have to wear them under law. Unfortunately that complaint is shared by way too many and because they refuse to use them, hundreds of thousands of drivers wind up with serious injuries from auto accidents, some that they will have to live with the rest of their lives.

Perhaps understanding the spine and how fragile it is, especially while driving, may help change people’s attitude towards the safety devices designed to protect it.

The Fragile Construct

While it is a miracle of nature of how something so small, so fragile in appearance can support the weight of our bodies, let alone preserve movement by it through its network of vertebrae, nerves and discs. Despite its fragile appearance, the spine is one of the strongest parts of our bodies. But even so, it can only take so much punishment before serious damage can occur and understanding the spine and how it is put together might just give you a clue as to why it is so important to your health and life.

The spine consists of vertebrae, tiny bone joints that allow us to bend, twist and move our entire body. Between each vertebra are resilient discs that cushion the vertebrae, and keep them all in place so that nothing goes awry and the framework remains intact. Surrounding and supporting this entire delicate frame are muscles and ligaments that add tensile strength to the structure, as well as nerves that send messages from the brain to create that movement. If any one part of this ever gets damaged, the entire construct can be put into jeopardy and lead to life changing injuries that will sideline even the strongest individual.

Risk During An Auto Accident

When you are driving or even riding as a passenger, the vehicle you are in has a greater mass than your body. Its forward motion will not affect you until it stops and even normal braking can cause your body to shift forward in its seat. If your vehicle is involved in an auto accident, that forward momentum is much greater as the mass of the vehicle propels your body forward violently by the sudden stop. The greater the speed, the greater the momentum and the greater the forces that will wreak havoc on your body as it is involuntarily shifted forward. Safety devices such as seat belts and air bags can arrest some of that momentum and absorb some of the force, but it will still take its toll on your body.

The first part of your body to suffer from that sudden forward motion is often the neck, as your head snaps forward and back against the seat belt or air bag. That force can cause whiplash, which damages the soft tissues that support the neck, as well as damaging the fragile cervical spine area. Being one of the most fragile parts of the spine, damage here can be lasting and cause chronic neck pain until it heals. Too much force can cause paralysis, either through permanent damage or inflammation of the tissues and discs.

Back Injuries

That forward momentum does not end with the neck. An auto accident will propel your body forward, in spite of restraints and after the neck is thrown, the rest of the body will follow. The middle area of the spine is the strongest, leaving the neck and the lower back, the lumbar, as the weakest. Potential injuries include damage to the lumbar spine area, forcing discs out of place, tearing ligaments or straining the muscles throughout that area. All of this can lead to life long pain, especially from a herniated disc or nerve damage.

Understanding the spine and how each part can be affected should give you a better understanding of the importance for those safety devices. The more devices that are in play, the less your forward momentum would be, leaving behind far less life threatening injuries to the spine.

During the summer I found many reasons for falling off the ‘good health wagon’-too hot to cook, too hot to walk or exercise, etc. The coming of the Fall season brings cooler weather here in the Midwest. The leaves begin to change color and I find I must change (eliminate) some of my excuses for falling off my exercise program. I can no longer claim it is too hot to take a 30 minute walk. I also can no longer use ‘heat in the kitchen’ as a reason not to prepare meals ahead of time. I have found it is easier for me to maintain my healthy eating plan if the food is already prepared or requires limited preparation. I am also able to retire earlier, thus more able to get up in a timely way in the morning, (I am retired and have tended to sleep in this past summer.) I have decided to use October 1 as the beginning of my good health and fitness year. Here are the five reasons that brought me to this decision.

ONE. There is a lull now between the summer cook-outs and the holiday feeding season. I have approximately three months to lose 10 pounds. This is only a little more than 3 pounds per month. Thus it is a reasonable target to achieve. A neat advantage of entering the Holidays with my weight down is that I will not have to punish myself for a few steps off my fitness path.

TWO. Establishing a new plan and routine will help organize how I spend and use my time. I will be more effective and can develop criteria that can then be evaluated (around December 15). In addition to providing a plan of action I will have a yardstick to measure the seven minute workout I will be implementing. Working out three times a week for only seven minutes each sounds like something I can do and stick with. My plan is to weigh, take and record my measurements then retake them on December 15.

THREE. Preparing food for several days at one time will give me more free time. Although I will spend 2-3 hours in preparation on one day, the balance of the week I will only spend a few minutes heating my meal. Another plus is that I won’t have to go through the ordeal of determining what to cook and verify that I have all the necessary ingredients. More free time means more time to visit with friends, ‘shop’, read, etc.

FOUR. IF NOT NOW, WHEN? It is always easy to procrastinate and postpone doing something one considers unpleasant. My plan is to turn this into a pleasurable activity that becomes a lifestyle change.

FINALLY. Losing 10 pounds now will give me a head-start on my 2012 fitness plans. I will look good with a 10 pound loss; really good with a 20 pound loss, and super good with a 30 pound loss. Moreover, I will have implemented a lifestyle change that is a good foundation for increasing the quality and length of my life. In my opinion nothing succeeds like success. A three month time frame is easily doable and now is all we have. We cannot change the past or control the future, but we are in charge of now. Please consider joining me and revolutionize, revitalize or begin your health and fitness routine today.