Seattle, WA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/26/2014 --North Seattle chiropractors Abrams Chiropractic knows that being active with exercise and sports is an excellent way to improve and maintain the body’s overall health and wellness. As the summer swings into high gear and many people are outdoors enjoying sports, workouts and physical activities under the sun, the staff at Abrams offers some insight into properly stretching, warming up and cooling down the body around workouts and sports to minimize the danger of muscle and ligament damage. Living a life of complete wellness includes enjoying activities that allow the spine, nervous system, and joints to move about properly, while retaining and improving their optimal functioning. This is often done by simple daily behavior like playing sports, gardening, doing a DIY home project, or hiking and biking.

However, it’s important to position and prepare the body before jumping into some serious fun and exercise. First, don’t forget to warm up. Regardless of the activity, it’s often easiest to jump right in without the proper warm up time beforehand. By neglecting this warm up period, the chances of muscle strain and ligament damage are increased, leading to damage which can be severe enough to eliminate all activity from one’s life for an extended period of time. Warming up means starting out slow. Allow the body to move easily in comfortable ways, without strain, and gradually build momentum. For example, if planning a long walk or hike, begin with some muscular stretching, starting slowly and gradually increasing the pace as the body warms up to the activity. This allows muscles and joints to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to perform correctly. Warming up may also improve physical performance.

Proper posture and movement are big factors in warm ups and workouts as well. When pulling weeds from the garden or working on a home project, remember to lift objects with the legs rather than the back. Keeping the spine in a rigid, upright position while lifting helps the discs between vertebrae stay uninjured, active and healthy. When shoveling, keep the back straight instead of curved downward, bend at the knees while lifting the load with the legs, and pivot the whole body rather than just twisting the waist. Studies show that active engagement in improving posture, increasing regular daily movement and activity and properly warming up before strenuous activity can help strengthen the muscles and joints, reducing the instances and symptoms of lower back and joint pain. Learn more online by visiting http://www.abramschiropractic.com.