Runners remember: posture is integral to your success and enjoyment of the sport

We love running and admire everyone who uses running as part of their commitment to staying healthy. However, running can take a toll on the spine. We see it as our responsibility to protect the spines of our running community here in Sacramento. The best way to do that is through focusing on good posture. 

• Stay upright: you know you’re tired when the shoulders are slumped and you can barely breathe. But some people are not aware that they are slumping from the start.
• Keep your head centered above the spine so that its weight is properly balanced as you run.
• Keep the face faced forward and the body will follow. Do not look at the ground as it will set a precedent for the neck to follow, angling downwards and soon your shoulders will start to move toward each other, leaving you hunched over.
• Utilize your hips as your center of gravity. Letting the pelvis tilt forward will only lead to back pain. So keep your core upright.

But posture is not at all- beware of fatigue

Fatigue is what causes us to lose this great posture. Once you feel your shoulders caving inwards and your shoulders slumping, it may be time to take a turn toward home. Make sure you don’t run yourself to a point of exhaustion and laziness and posture. 

These habits may feel like an adjustment at first but given enough repetition they will become second nature. And for the love of the runner: running everyday on concrete is bad for the cartilage in your back. If your back is aching after a run, it may be in need of some tender loving care- we treat sore tissues and misaligned vertebrae to ensure that you are running at your full mechanical advantage.

Sleep is central to well-being.

When you sleep restfully, you encourage proper functioning of the body and brain, boosting happiness and performance during waking hours. When people’s central circadian rhythms are disrupted, everything becomes harder: anxiety is increased and your body and brain have to work harder to achieve simple objectives. Caffeine consumption goes up and nutritious eating goes out the window, both of which tamper further with your ability to sleep. It is a vicious cycle that has caught a good portion of the population in its rotation.

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There is such a thing as too much stretching

Yoga addicts, listen up! There is always a breaking point. Remember that when stretching, you are elongating muscle fibers and tendons. The normal benefit is of increased flexibility, less systemic tension and more nervous system coordination; the feeling should be of looseness and freedom. But some people take it too far. 

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