Raising Healthy Kids Naturally - Move it or ______ it!!!!
Ok, everyone knows how to fill in the blank, right?
Move it or LOSE it…
But lose what? I remember as a kid, my parents used to use this line when I was sitting in front of my Xbox playing hours of NCAA Football 
dynasty mode. I always had a vision of my feet just shriveling up and falling off if I didn’t get up. 
Now, that’s a quick pro-tip of how to get your kids off screens! But we all know scare tactics rarely work! 
But seriously, what if you really did lose a powerful tool by not moving enough. Truth is, this is partially true. 
Your Brain 
is 100% fueled through your body's movement when the body is moving smoothly and efficiently.
Remember sitting through that zoom 
meeting, computer work, or long car 
ride? The first thing (after your leg falls asleep) that happens is that you start to feel distracted, get brain fog and you start to get physically tired out. Tired out without doing anything. Aka, brain tired.
So how does this relate to our kids? Cause honestly you don’t need a long lecture from me on why we as adults should move - it's preaching to the choir. And as my own life is often an example easy to say, harder to do. The struggle is REAL parents! 
But here is the important part and here’s why it affects kids. In 2020 and now to start 2021, kids have had to transition into more “adult” like problems. Like remote learning 
, sitting for longer periods, and less social activity. When kids don’t move or can’t move efficiently and smoothly (more on that in a bit). They, just like us, lose focus, attention, get “brain tired, and then behavior struggles come next.
But when you get your kiddo off the xbox, screen, or classroom (virtual or live) and have them move you can see that smile return, taking some deep breaths, and relaxing right before your eyes 
!
So again, preaching to the choir, get kids doing anything and everything to play a sport, go sledding, ride a bike in a basement when its zero degrees outside 
, etc. It is so so beneficial!
But what about when doing all the movement and activities isn’t doing trick? At least not entirely. If it did, wouldn’t our kids be going back to school full of attention, focus, and fewer behavior struggles?
See when kids move, the body creates endorphins, the lungs get working, and muscles 
tire out. BUT if this movement isn’t smooth, efficient, and is STUCK at certain points, the movement to help the brain “short circuits” and ONLY affects bodily systems, not BRAIN SPECIFIC SYSTEMS.
The way I like to think of how movement affects kids is a super highway 
of signals that travel from the arms, legs, up through the spine, and nervous system. These signals can be going incredibly efficient but if there is a “traffic jam” and a stuck point in that “highway” the signals can never go through the spinal-neuro highway system to get to the brain to help it truly calm.
If movement can’t stimulate the brain, it can’t calm 
the brain.
That’s where Chiropractic comes into the equation. Get the spine moving and UN-Stuck to calm the brain .
So step 1 - Get moving more 
Step 2: - Get the spine moving (with Chiropractic care) and the Brain will follow.
Then we can Move it and NOT lose it….with focus, behavior, and attention.
Here for you to thrive this “in person” school 
year!
- Dr. Matt and the PWC Care Team
