It Doesn’t Have to Hurt to Help!

Exercise and Fitness

The recipient of some of the greatest benefits of a regular exercise routine is – you guessed it – your heart! But many people think that exercise has to hurt to help – so they give up before they ever even get started because they don’t think they have the stamina, or the willpower, to stay in the exercise game for the long haul.

Not true! Did you know that a minimum of 20 minutes of aerobic exercise just three times a week provides heart-healthy benefits? Twenty minutes of hiking, brisk walking, bicycling, swimming or any other type of non-stop, continuous exercise is all it takes. Strenuous exercise isn’t what’s needed to make your heart and lungs healthier, moderate aerobic exercise is what does the trick and it’s a far easier commitment to make!

In addition, regular aerobic exercise helps to lower your bad cholesterol, the kind that clogs arteries and may lead to coronary artery disease, and raises your good cholesterol, the kind that helps clean out your arteries. High cholesterol poses an additional risk to your heart because blocked blood vessels can cause a heart attack that often leads to death.

When you perform moderate aerobic exercise, you engage large muscle groups for an extended period. This form of exercise enables your heart to pump oxygen-filled blood more effortlessly throughout your body, which lowers your blood pressure and your risk for heart disease.

Exercise, nutrition and regular chiropractic checkups are all part of a healthy lifestyle that extend your life and help you to enjoy more of it! If it’s been awhile since your last life-affirming chiropractic adjustment, please give us a call and visit soon. Or use the link at the bottom of the page. We have plenty of healthy daily living advice to share with you as well!

Dr. Opp Asks some important questions of interest to St. Francis residents - Chiropractor St. Francis Dr. Opp Asks...

Are chiropractors just concerned with the spine?
Our interest in the spine is because it covers the major communications conduit between your brain and your body. As a St. Francis chiropractor my job is to locate areas (usually along the spine) that interfere with proper nerve communications to and from your brain. Chiropractic adjustments help restore nervous system integrity. In this way, chiropractic care can affect the function of your entire body.
What's your plan to deal with drug-resistant 'super germs'?
Chiropractors have always been concerned with the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, accelerating the mutation of microbes that make "wonder" drugs increasingly ineffective. My strategy? Do everything possible to bolster my immune system through proper diet, rest, exercise, clean air, pure water and an optimally functioning nervous system with regular chiropractic care.