Studies have shown that a staggering 20% to 35% of children and adolescents experience chronic pain. Ongoing physical discomfort can be triggered by an injury or illness, or the cause may remain undiagnosed. Sadly, regularly experiencing pain can reach its uncomfortable tentacles into every aspect of a child’s life. It can affect their school performance, social engagement, and sleep; eventually putting their physical and mental health at risk.

Along with chronic pain, weight is a major health concern for the younger generation. An Australian government report stated that one-quarter of Australian children and adolescents are overweight or obese. In the short-term, carrying excess weight may diminish quality of life. Long-term, obese children and adolescents face a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and certain cancers as adults.

The current guidelines for children include 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day and limiting their use of electronic devices and television screen time to no more than two hours a day. These recommendations are rarely followed, with the average 13-year-old spending more than three hours staring at some sort of screen every day. This can contribute to weight gain, poor posture and increased pain.

Children also face other modern challenges. Repetitive stress injuries such as “text thumb, text neck and selfie elbow” are now common complaints. Constantly being hunched over a phone screen can reduce breath function. Gazing downward creates stress in the joints of the neck. Back, neck and shoulder pain, and headaches are more common in children who use a computer for two or more hours per day. This includes most, if not all, Australian children.

Ah, the joys of technology! Luckily, because of their youth, the impact of these challenges can be reversed with the right care. You can help your child by encouraging regular physical activities that they enjoy, as well as providing a healthy balanced diet.
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Chiropractors can also play a role in keeping children well. Your chiropractor can provide ergonomic advice to lessen the strain of sitting at a screen. They can assess your child’s spine to determine any joint dysfunction or the presence of scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine), and then provide appropriate care and advice.

When you inhale deeply, your diaphragm contracts and squashes the contents of your abdomen. This causes your belly to naturally bulge, known as abdominal breathing. On breathing out, your rib cage compresses your lungs and forces air out, and your belly flattens. This rhythmical cycle of contraction and relaxation is essential for breathing and staying well. So how do you know if you’re doing it correctly?

Stop where you are. Sit or stand with your spine straight and your eyes looking forward. Take a deep breath in, and breathe out. Next, hunch the middle of your back and let your shoulders and head slump forward. Now take a deep breath
in. Notice the difference? When you slump, your breathing will become shallow, making it impossible to fill your lungs with oxygen and release carbon dioxide properly. When your spine is straight, your rib cage expands and your lungs have adequate space to work fully.

The wrong breathing pattern also creates issues in other parts of the body. A hunched posture and shallow breathing can trigger reliance on the secondary muscles of respiration. These are the muscles around your shoulders and neck that can help you breathe, even though they are not designed for this task. This can lead to muscle tightness, pain, postural and joint dysfunction; as well as affect your overall health.

Correct abdominal breathing can help lower blood pressure, reduce heart rate, relax muscles, decrease stress, and increase energy levels. Fortunately, we can easily control and improve our breathing.

To breathe well, maintain a tall spine. Focus on deep, slow, balanced and controlled breathing through the
nose. It should feel easy, and your breath should be silent. Allow ample movement of your chest and note how
your abdomen moves in and out. As you do, you’ll trigger the relaxation response, reduce anxiety, and help heal and energise your mind and body.

It’s constantly taking part in hundreds of the complex chemical reactions needed to run a healthy body. It helps the body use energy, transmit messages, move muscles, and much more.
Without enough magnesium we can become extremely sick, and a severe deficiency is a medical emergency. Even slightly reduced magnesium levels can affect the human body in a huge variety of ways; however magnesium deficiency is rare in healthy individuals eating a balanced diet.

Muscles
Magnesium is also essential for muscle function, and some people find that adding magnesium salts to a hot bath helps relieve muscle cramps or restless legs. However it’s not just skeletal muscle that is affected by magnesium levels; the muscle cells of the heart require magnesium both for healthy movement, and for conduction of the electrical impulses that make the heart beat.

Bones
Magnesium is essential for the health of the skeleton; and around 60 percent of the magnesium in the human body is stored in the bones. It’s required for the proper metabolism and use of calcium and vitamin D in the body, helping create and maintain healthy bone structures.

Heart health
Magnesium is recommended for all-round heart health too; optimal magnesium intake is linked to lower blood pressure and healthier coronary arteries.

Many supplements are available, but it is more beneficial to your health to obtain vitamins and minerals through food. Also, excess intake from supplements can cause serious illness or interact with some prescription medications.

Magnesium-rich foods include nuts and seeds, green leafy vegetables, and legumes such as beans. Some prepared foods like breakfast cereals or plant milks also come fortified with magnesium. Adding a sprinkling of roasted nuts or seeds to a meal is a delicious and easy way to get more magnesium into your diet.

The core is made of numerous muscles that combine to brace the trunk and provide strength and motion. They act as a physical foundation and stabilising force from which all movement can safely occur. Imagine if the footing of your home was faulty — the walls would crack, the doors would jam, and the roof might cave in. In the body, an imbalanced core can trigger strain on joints, tissues and bones, and increase pain, dysfunction and spinal injury.

The rectus abdominus, transversus abdominus and obliques, which together connect the lower rib cage to the pelvis, form the abdominal component. The paraspinal and gluteal muscles sit at the back and support the spine, pelvis and hips. The diaphragm forms the roof, and the pelvic floor forms, well, the floor. Together, these act as a powerhouse of sturdiness, allowing controlled, fluid movement and efficient energy use so your body can work well.

By acting as a corset, the core allows us to bend, lift, and reach without falling down like a deck of cards. Any physical activities you do — from standing, walking, housework, participating in sport, to maintaining an ideal posture — all rely on a strong, healthy core. That’s why we struggle when our core is weak.
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Often people who consult with a chiropractor have diminished core performance. Targeted regular exercises and activities such as yoga and Pilates help to improve core function. Ask your chiropractor which exercises are the most beneficial for you.​

Picture from Pinterest

Engaging in regular, moderate or vigorous exercise is an important health recommendation, but new research suggests that it’s not enough. Constant sedentary behaviour — in other words, sitting too much — is a risk factor for serious disease.
Do you ever think you’re too busy to exercise? Leading an inactive lifestyle is common, with work pressures and busy calendars often preventing us from doing regular exercise. Many years ago when survival depended on our ability to farm and hunt for food, strong, powerful and active bodies were essential. Nowadays, adults in Western countries spend approximately nine to eleven hours a day sitting, so the muscles have little reason to move and strengthen. As the saying goes, “use it or lose it.”

Lack of movement also leads to an elevated risk of some diseases. When we move less, our arteries can become stiff, which contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease. Lack of physical activity also affects the hormone insulin, making a steady blood sugar level difficult to maintain, which can act as a precursor to diabetes. Various cancers may be attributable to spending more than three hours each day stationary, but the reasons for this are not yet clear, and research is ongoing.

Not only does inactivity bring an increased risk of serious illness, but it also affects our weight, muscles, posture and spine.
When we are sitting, our hip muscles remain in a shortened position, pulling on the back. This can alter the spinal curves and posture, leading to strain and stress through the discs and joints of the spine. These changes extend upward which can result in back, neck and shoulder pain.

The good news

To put it simply, the longer we sit the more our health is at risk; but the good news is we can easily prevent this – just move more! Taking simple steps to increase the frequency of movement makes a significant difference. Break up sedentary periods. Stand every 20 to 30 minutes for several minutes of motion. Use a sit-stand desk, or switch your seat for an exercise ball. Structured, regular exercise is an important step, but incidental activity is also essential.

Being physically active will loosen tight muscles, improve your posture, calm physical distress, and reduce your risk of disease. A little movement, often, can lead to a longer, healthier life. Ask your chiropractor for tailored advice on the type of exercise and care that best suits your needs.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp coconut or olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric 
• 1 1⁄2 tsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp coriander 
• 2 sweet potatoes (about 400g), peeled and cut into approx. 2cm chunks 
• 600ml vegetable stock 
• 250g red split lentils 
• 80g bag of baby spinach 
• Handful of coriander leaves, plain unsweetened yoghurt to serve. 

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METHOD

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wide, heavy- based pan with a tight-fitting lid. 
• Add onion and cook over a low heat for 10 mins, stirring occasionally until softened. 
• Add garlic, ginger and chilli, cook for 1 min, then turmeric, cumin and coriander, and cook for 1 min more. 
• Turn up the heat to medium, add sweet potatoes, and stir everything together. 
• Add lentils, vegetable stock and a couple of pinches of salt. 
• Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 mins 
• Stir in the spinach until it wilts. 
• Serve topped with coriander leaves and a dollop of yoghurt. 

Scoop up the glorious flavours with your favourite flat bread and enjoy! 

​Photo from Pinterest