Whether you are looking to lose a few pounds or you struggle with obesity, the turn of the year is often the time people think about starting a weight loss program. Perhaps you should consider how chiropractic treatment may help you lose weight. Can chiropractic really help with weight loss, you may ask. The short answer is yes. While diet and exercise are the biggest factors when it comes to shedding those unwanted pounds, you might be surprised to know that chiropractic care can have a measurable and proven impact on weight loss. How are weight loss and chiropractic care connected? Here are some key ways a chiropractor can help you reach your weight loss goals and have better overall health.
The body’s communication superhighway
When we think of weight loss, we may not immediately think about seeing a chiropractor. After all, what does your spine have to do with eating, exercise, or sticking to your weight loss program? But once you take a moment to think about how the body is connected, it makes more sense. Your spine balances your entire body. Arms, legs, brain…they are all connected, and the spine is what ties them together. Think of the spine as an information superhighway traveling from your brain to every part of your body.
When your spine is out of alignment, it can throw off everything causing a neurological traffic jam, so to speak. The electrical impulses coming from your brain and heading to the different areas of your body get thrown off track. When those signals aren’t received correctly, the body loses its performance efficiency. This includes your body’s ability to regulate and lose weight and the signals that tell your stomach when you are hungry and full. It’s not hard to understand that when cues for hunger and fullness are thrown off, weight gain is a very likely possibility. Straightening out this highway and improving the communication around your body is one way a chiropractor can help you lose weight.
The spine and exercise
Chiropractors look at many different factors related to spinal and joint health. One disorder that we often see is subluxations of the spine. To keep things as simple as possible, a subluxation is where something is out of place. Subluxations can lead to pain, stiffness, and discomfort in the back. Research has even found a correlation between subluxations and weight gain.
Subluxations can be caused by stress (what’s more stressful than trying to lose weight) and muscle strains (hello new workout routine). You may not even notice subluxations when you have them, but a chiropractic adjustment can make a big difference in how you feel. When we adjust your spine and eliminate any existing subluxations, you may find relief from spinal pressure. And that relief may enable you to perform longer, more intense workouts.
Chiropractic and your muscles
When most people think about seeing a chiropractor, they are thinking merely of bones, the spine in particular. But a chiropractic adjustment can be good for your muscles too. Before we do your adjustment, we promote muscle relaxation that aids in the adjustment itself. But the process of adjusting your spine and joints can also help the muscles themselves. Adjustments can increase the tone in your muscles. This is no substitution for going to the gym, of course, but it can give a boost to the work you are already doing.
On top of that, adjustments can release tension in your muscles getting your ready for your next workout.
Pain free workouts
Many people unnecessarily suffer from chronic pain, and many of them have that pain in the back. The CDC estimates that over 20% of the US adult population suffers from some kind of chronic pain. For these individuals, pain is a constant companion. Others, especially when starting a new fitness regime, find that pain is a byproduct. Motivating yourself to exercise can be very difficult when what is supposed to be good for you causes you pain.
Much of this pain with working out manifests in a person’s joints. While many people think of chiropractic as only addressing issues with the spine, we also provide care for all the joints in your body. For those that are overweight, even an extra ten pounds can make a big difference in the joints. A proper chiropractic alignment can keep your joints aligned and your entire body in balance. When exercise causes pain, it can demotivate you. Chiropractic care can get your joints and spine in correct alignment and eliminate pain caused from exercise. When the pain is gone, the motivation to move increases and makes a big difference in your next trip to the scale.
Unfortunately for us all, there is no easy solution for weight loss. But having regular chiropractic adjustments can mean making your weight loss plan more effective. You will not only see results; you will also find you have gained a valuable member on your weight loss team. Give our office a call to schedule an appointment today. You will be glad that you did.