Make These Five Lifestyle Changes to Avoid Inflammation and Disease…

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The general concept that constant or out-of-control inflammation in the body leads to ill health, has been widely accepted. Leading a lifestyle to avoid constant inflammation promotes better health and can ward off disease. With more research into this area it is becoming clearer that inflammation plays an important role in many diseases including cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, even Alzheimer’s disease, as well as the typical inflammatory diseases like Arthritis. You could feel fine but have high levels of inflammation in the body therefore controlling the following five lifestyle factors is crucial for avoiding disease and keeping helathy.

1. Follow an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
What you eat can have a huge impact on your back’s strength as well as your general health. Your body needs the proper nutrition so the muscles can continue to move and support the spine. By switching to an anti-inflammatory diet of healthy whole foods from the list below, you can actually decrease inflammation in your body and ease back pain. Favour lean proteins, fresh fruit and vegetables and increase you intake of oily fish rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3’s.

The top 7 anti-inflammatory foods include:

• Fish – Atlantic salmon, ocean trout, sardines, mackerel and herring

• Fresh Vegetables – dark green leafy veggies (eg kelp, kale), broccoli & sweet potato

• Fresh Whole Fruits – especially Blueberries and Papaya

• Extra Virgin Olive & Coconut Oil

• Nuts and Seeds – Walnuts, Almonds, Brasil Nuts are amongst the best

• Spices – Turmeric, Ginger & Garlic

• Herbal Teas – Especially Green Tea

2. Avoid Inflammatory Foods
Processed foods should be avoided, particularly those foods containing high sugar, red meat, and foods containing trans fats such as junk food. The main inflammatory foods include:

• Sugar from any source

• Processed & Convenience Foods

• Red Meat – Reduce consumption to once weekly & replace with fish & poultry

• Refined Flours, particularly wheat, including white bread and pasta

• Dairy – although yoghurt and kefir are better sources of dairy for the gut

• Soft Drink/Caffeine/Alcohol

• Foods containing Trans-fatty AcidsFoods that trigger an allergic reaction for any individual also should be avoided to reduce the inflammatory response in the body.

3. Regular Exercise
Exercise is essential to keep cortisol levels at bay and hence reduce inflammation in the body. However choosing the right exercise for your body is important and does vary between individuals. Generally adaptive exercise such as Pilates and Yoga are useful for burning calories and strengthening muscles whilst lowering cortisol. However it is best to speak with our physiotherapists about types of exercise that are most suitable and effective for your body type.

4. Keeping your body in Optimal Alignment
Exercise is also useful for correcting muscle imbalance, keeping your musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems strong and keeping the body in optimal alignment. A regular tune with a physiotherapist may be necessary for those individuals with a chronic injury or a musculoskeletal condition that causes aches, pains and dysfunction in the body (4-12 weekly is recommneded depending on the individual’s condition). Massage is also useful in reducing tension and stiffness in the body, increasing blood and oxygen flow and soothing and stimulating the nervous system. Book in with one of our physiotherapists to check your alignment, or our massage therapist, Jane to optimise your alignment.

5. Reduce Stress Levels
Keep stress to a minimum by looking at lifestyle changes to avoid stress triggers. Speak to your physiotherapist about relaxation and breathing techniques which would best suit your body and help reduce cortisol levels, and hence inflammation in the body.

Balance is the key. Holistically manage your lifetsyle to live your way to better musculoskeletal health!

Rehabilitate, Restore and Retrain both your body and your mind.