We know you can still hear it like it was just yesterday – your mom advising (not nagging) you to do certain things while you were growing up. If you don’t eat your vegetables, no dessert! No coffee – it will stunt your growth. If you keep making that face, it will get frozen like that.
It turns out your mother probably had some great advice for a healthy spine, so we hope you were paying attention. We’re almost certain everyone has heard these two pieces of advice at least once in their life, and the good news is they can genuinely help you maintain a healthy spine.
So, this blog goes out to all of the moms out there. Thank you for caring enough to let us know what’s good for us.
Mom’s Tips for Healthy Spine Care
Stop slouching!
We’re sure you’ve heard various versions of this throughout your life, from stop slouching to sitting up straight. It turns out your mother was just trying to teach you correct posture.
You may be thinking that good posture isn’t very important – why does it matter if you aren’t sitting up straight all of the time? This may surprise you but when it comes to maintaining good health, good posture is right up there with eating well, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep.
Since posture is a learned behavior, it’s important to focus on it early in life. Children with poor posture are more likely to develop back pain and other conditions of the spine as they age.
Drink your milk!
Was milk a staple at your table while you were growing up? We sure hope so. Turns out your mom knew what she was talking about – children do need calcium to build strong bones.
Below is the recommended daily intake of calcium for children of all ages.
- 1 to 3 years old — 700 milligrams of calcium daily
- 4 to 8 years old — 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily
- 9 to 18 years old — 1,300 milligrams of calcium daily
If children consistently don’t get their recommended daily intake of calcium, they are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis as they age because calcium is vital to developing bone mass.
If you received these healthy spine tips while you were growing up, it looks like you have another thing to thank your mother for this Mother’s Day. So, among all of the other things you have to thank your mom for this weekend, don’t forget to thank her for caring about your spine health before you even knew you had to.