New Year’s Resolution: Less Back Pain!
A lot of people start off the New Year by making a resolution, setting a goal to improve themselves as a person in one way or another. Some of the most common of these goals include exercising more, losing weight, and eating healthier. We all know we should do these things, but do we know why?
Increased body weight significantly affects the risk of experiencing lower back pain. The more weight you gain, the higher your risk of debilitating back pain. Having a BMI (Body Mass Index) rating of overweight increases the prevalence of pain by 20%, and a BMI assessed as obese can triple the odds of having back pain. But there is good news! Losing just 4 lbs of weight decreases the pressure on your back by an equivalent of 16 lbs! So, even a small amount of weight loss can have a huge impact on the health of your spine.1
According to the World Health Organization, 60-70% of the global population will suffer from lower back pain. It is the cause of 149 million sick days per year in the United States, accounting for an estimated $100-200 billion in economic impact due to lost wages and lowered productivity. 2
Don’t let your back pain disrupt your life or your budget like that. Thankfully, with minimal effort, you can control your relative risk of back pain by shedding a few pounds- something most of us want to try to do anyways! If you needed a little extra motivation to get started, I hope these statistics did the trick.
Unfortunately, not all of our work and family schedules allow for us to be as active as we would like to be. Not everybody get to the gym for an hour a day several days a week. Little lifestyle changes during everyday activities can help to supplement time at the gym. Consider taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Park a little further away from the door. Walk across the office to speak to a coworker instead of emailing them. Get creative and turn mundane tasks into a mini-workout and have some fun with your day!
Another easy way to help your weight loss goals is adapting the way you eat. Choosing more nutrient dense foods, even without changing your portion sizes, can lead to weight loss that stays off and will significantly improve your overall health. Again, sometimes that is easier said than done. An excellent way of kick-starting a healthier approach to food is the Purification Program from Standard Process. Many of our patients, and even Dr. Amanda herself, have experienced firsthand what this program can do to improve numerous aspects of your life and health. Click here for more information on the program, and talk to the staff at Body Logic about how to get started on a healthier, happier New Year!
1:(https://www.sharecare.com/health/back-pain/article/could-weight-gain-be-the-cause-of-your-back-pain)
2:(http://www.who.int/medicines/areas/priority_medicines/Ch6_24LBP.pdf)