By Susan Cook
If you’d like an unprecedented look at the workings of the human body, plan to visit the Museum of Natural History to see the Body Worlds RX Exhibition (Jan. 12 - April 22, 2018).
The exhibit is a wonderful opportunity to observe and compare healthy bodies and organs to those stricken by disease. The emphasis in the exhibit is on some of the most common ailments such as back pain, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
Throughout the exhibit, physical activity is recommended to improve circulation, nutrition, and nerve conduction to all the cells and tissues that form and maintain the human machine.
Movement is Medicine! This was evident in the exhibit where the nervous system, blood vessels and digestive organs are beautifully displayed. You need to move your body, or it will seize. Your ability to enjoy being physically active is essential to enjoying a quality lifestyle. How do you enjoy moving through the world?
Health experts recommend thirty minutes of heart-pumping exercise, five times per week. You may dream of training for a marathon, or bicycling the rail trail. Or perhaps you’d simply like to feel more vitality and less pain.
We are so lucky here on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia to have easy access to the Trans Canada Trail. In Dartmouth, you can begin on the Salt Marsh Trail and head east via Lawrencetown Beach Provincial Park, Seaforth, and Chezzetcook to the beautiful Musquodoboit Trailway.
Make movement fun! The Shore Active Transportation Association plans group activities on the trails and quiet country roads. They will help you become more physically active and you will enjoy spending time with these wonderful people. When the weather is stormy, you can visit your local HRM fitness facility.
Wherever you are on your health and wellness journey, you will likely experience some form of strain or pain along the way. Don’t be discouraged! Physiotherapists, chiropractors and massage therapists can help you with aches that arise, and coach you to move more freely and efficiently.
Susan Cook is an osteopath-in-study and a massage therapist at the Disc Clinic. Visit the Disc Clinic’s Facebook page for a chance to win a Family Pass to the Body Worlds RX exhibit.
