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Optimal Health in Cody, Wyoming

 

Take Advantage of your Resources

Despite being a small town, Cody, Wyoming has a wide variety of healthcare services and recreational opportunities available to the community. All of which, hope to improve health and well being of the community.  In the 1930’s, Joseph Hubertus Pilates believed that whole body health could be achieved through exercise, proper diet, good hygiene and sleeping habits, plenty of sunshine and fresh air, and a balance in life of work, recreation and relaxation. This idea of whole body health or optimal health is still present today and easily attainable to those living in the Cody area.

We know that no one form of exercise employs all our muscles. Variety is key. Cody has an extensive list of movement professionals that use various methodologies to help people increase the efficiency of movement, decrease risk of injury and maximize performance, range of motion, strength, and flexibility. These movement professionals include; physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, personal trainers, yoga and Pilate’s instructors.

For instance, a physical therapist can help a patient correct posture and muscle imbalances to minimize stress on muscles, ligaments, and the discs and joints of the spine. Movement professionals teach exercises in proper alignment. Exercises taught in proper alignment provide optimal joint function, uniform muscle development and economy of movement. Faulty alignment creates overuse and underuse patterns of movement that lead to dysfunction of joints, muscle, and ligaments. Prolonged stress, poor posture, and faulty alignment will result in decreased flexibility and joint mobility and lead to instability in the spine and peripheral joints.

Good alignment and axial elongation places the spine in its optimal position to allow equal distribution of force through the entire structure, increasing the degrees of freedom and efficiency of movement.  Correct posture and alignment leads to more movement. More movement, especially in the spine that is controlled and distributed, is more likely to improve the immune system, increase the quality of digestion and improve blood pressure.  When our bones are aligned the number of muscles that have to be used to maintain us in alignment decrease significantly, thus creating a positive movement experience without pain or stress. Similar to a vehicle, if you don’t have good alignment and balanced tires, your tires wear out and you get poor gas mileage. If a person doesn’t have good alignment then there cartilage, joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles can wear out. Sometimes movement can be hindered by pain, neuromuscular dysfunction, medical co-morbidities, and influential psychosocial such as fear of movement.

Again, physical therapists are experts at helping you achieve optimal health and guide you towards the right resources and there are plenty of resources in Cody, Wyoming. In the end, it is still up to the individual to find the discipline and perseverance to obtain optimal health. There are numerous outdoor and recreational activities right outside your back door. It’s a matter of taking advantage of your resources to achieve optimal health.