COVID-19 & Weight Management

The topic over the past 9 months that everyone is talking about. If COVID-19 has not infected you personally, it has affected you personally. Throughout the pandemic, public safety has been the biggest concern on every leader and citizen’s plate. We are taught daily about proper hygiene, social distancing, and mask wearing. But, what about the 4^th recommendation that no one talks about? Well, today is the day that we talk about it.

The fourth component is weight management. No one wants to hear that they need to lose weight, right? We may be a little bit biased, but in a publication called Dynamic Chiropractic, Dr. David Seaman (a renowned chiropractor and nutritionist) wrote an article titled “Addressing the Elephant in the COVID Living Room”.  In this article he talks about how weight and COVID are related. He states that at the end of 2019, 42% of the American population is considered obese. 42%! Does that make your eyes bug out of your head? It did for us. That means that almost half of our population is overweight!

Let’s look at some statistics coming directly from the CDC, quoted by Dr. Seaman:

• Obesity increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
• Obesity may triple the risk of hospitalization from COVID-19.
• Obesity is linked to impaired immune function
• Obesity increases the risk of death from COVID-19.
• Obesity is linked to lower vaccine responses.

Lose Weight

But what has no one told us during this pandemic? Lose weight. Here at Miller Sports & Family Chiropractic, we are ready to face this issue with openness and expand it even further by addressing overall health . It is now more important than ever to take charge of your health and better your body to fight viruses and bacteria of any strain…and we are here to help.

Staying at home and social distancing has its design to combat the spread of illness. However, staying at home for 9+ months has its downfall as well. Most people will probably admit that they binged more than a few shows on Netflix. They slept more, they moved less, they ate worse. Was this out of boredom? Probably yes. Was this due to stress, anxiety, and depression navigating a “new normal”. Probably even more yes. Unfortunately, it was the wrong approach, but no one told us otherwise. Even more unfortunately, stress and a sedentary lifestyle causes increased weight gain, poor sleep quality, and poor diet. Therefore, we are enabling our own bodies to contract illness and have less capability to fight it.

Balanced Lifestyle

Regular exercise, a balanced diet, hydration, and adequate sleep are all components of a balanced happy and healthy lifestyle.  Our bodies are designed to fight viruses and bacteria,  when they have the resources and energy to do so.  The CDC recommends we spend at least 150 minutes per week exercising. Does that overwhelm you? Break it down. That means 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. A balanced diet of colorful vegetables and fruits and lean proteins is recommended. Drinking plenty of water each day helps support all functions of our bodies. Adequate and restful sleep helps our body heal and energize our bodily systems. All these factors can also aid in weight loss, decreasing the chance of contracting COVID-19.

Another aid to help balance a healthy lifestyle is nutritional supplementation. Supplementation is beneficial in filling gaps where our diet lacks. Aiding our bodies with vitamins and minerals such as vitamins C and D, zinc, fish oil, ginger, and turmeric are all helpful to support our immune system. Through our nutritional supplier Nutritional Frontiers, we are here to help you fill those gaps and optimize your health!

Regular Chiropractic Adjustments

We cannot forget one our favorite approaches to optimized health, regular chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic adjustments help reduce communication interference between the body and the brain.

As germs, bacteria, and viruses enter our bodies…our internal investigative team must decide if they recognize the germ or not. If they recognize it and remember it’s not our friend, it attacks it and eliminates it before it causes us to be sick. If the team does not recognize it but knows its harmful, it can create little codes to remember it for the future and then attack it! When that communication is free flowing with no interruptions, the chance of attacking the bad germs before they make us sick is significantly increased. When the signal from our body to our brain is slowed, the germ has time to multiple and invade…getting us sick. Therefore, when the body can talk to the brain effectively, the immune response within the body can be increased.

The team at Miller Sports & Family Chiropractic is here to help you. As health care providers, it is our duty to talk about “the elephant in the living room” surround public health issues. We are here and excited to help you gain control of your health. Contact us today!