Five Wellness Tips   In between your visits to our office, there are lots of things you can do to keep your body - especially your back – healthy. If this sounds familiar – well, we’ve been talking to your mother! Just so happens she was right.   1. Sit up straight. Hold your head level as much as possible; look down with your eyes and not with your head. Develop the habit of good posture. It makes a world of difference in the way your neck and back feel. 2. Eat your vegetables. Eat a balanced diet, don’t eat junk food, and take quality dietary supplements daily. A good diet is important to overall health – all those nutrients help your body repair itself. And, you want to keep your weight down. Carrying extra weight causes a wide variety of health problems and it puts extra strain on your back. 3. Turn off the TV. Get up and move. Go for a walk. Ride a bicycle. Add exercise to your regular routine. And when you have to sit for long periods, stretch regularly. 4. Put that down. Don’t lift things that are too heavy for you. (And if you have to, you know what they say – lift with your legs and not your back.) If you can’t get close enough to the object you want to lift to use your legs, put one leg way behind the other one – it will greatly reduce the stress to your lowback. Don’t carry around a backpack stuffed full of books (especially not on one shoulder) or a heavy bag if you can avoid it. The key is to minimize. Only take what you really need. 5. Go to sleep. Sleep is essential for your wellbeing. Just don’t sleep on your stomach, which can strain the muscles in your neck and back. Practice sleeping on your sides or your back. It is best for your neck if you sleep on your back using a soft or curved pillow placed up under your neck.