Full Body Alignment is Essential
Ask any chiropractor, when the human body is aligned it is stronger, faster, less prone to injury, and it just feels better. The best way to work on alignment is to work on flexibility, and cycling is the best low impact flexibility training for the lower body.
I have a personal story to share about cycling and alignment. In my mid 20's I had an injury which created a misalignment on the entire right side of my body. My right foot, knee, and hip were all out of place for many years. Being a practical person I tried to balance a job with healing so, I worked as a Yoga instructor to help correct the problem. However I saw the best results when I started working as a bicycle delivery rider for Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches. Now, my right hip is almost perfect, my knee is as good as it has been in many years and my foot has improved tremendously.
I learned that the more you do the better you feel. That sounds like a bumper sticker slogan, but it is true. The traction you get by riding a bicycle creates better muscle definition. Better muscle definition helps create over all alignment of your body.
Something else I recommend for getting your body in alignment is the BOSU ball. It doesn’t require a complete fitness routine to improve your balance; the simple movement of balancing on it helps improve your muscle definition. And it works on more than just your legs; it helps your feet, hips, back, and shoulders. Even simple exercises with the BOSU ball are good for cardio, balance, core, strength, and agility.
Another way to get your body into alignment is by doing pull ups and / or dips. Pull ups and dips are great for getting your muscles in shape, especially if you want to work more than one muscle simultaneously. A dip is good for the triceps, deltoid, pectoral and rhomboid muscles. Pull ups are great for your lats, and biceps. For extra strength and alignment I think when you are doing dips you should point your heel instead of your toes, and twist your hips slightly as if you were under the care of a chiropractor. If you are able to do pull ups, it is my recommendation to point your heels and go down as soon as you can.
General exercise is great for getting and keeping your muscles in good condition to assure proper alignment. But to really keep you in shape try to ride every day at an intense level, or better yet get a job delivering food by bicycle!
Please contact us at yanL@downtube.com with any fitness related questions.
©2018 Dr. Yan Lyansky