--- title: "A Chiropractor's Daily Health Routine | Dr. Derek Larsen Juneau" description: "Discover the 7 daily habits Dr. Derek Larsen DC uses to stay healthy including chiropractic adjustments, exercise, nutrition, sleep, and mindfulness. Happy Family Chiropractic Juneau Alaska." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BlogPosting", "headline": "What does a chiropractor do to stay healthy?", "description": "2 weeks ago in my article, I talked a lot about trauma, intending to define it so that it can be identified in the day-to-day. One of the things I mentioned was my opinion on how to be healthy...", "image": "https://happyfamilychiropractic.com/images/blog-stay-healthy.jpg", "url": "https://happyfamilychiropractic.com/what-does-a-chiropractor-do-to-stay-healthy/", "datePublished": "February 22, 2022", "dateModified": "February 22, 2022", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dr. Derek Larsen, DC", "url": "https://happyfamilychiropractic.com/meet-our-local-chiropractor-in-juneau/" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Happy Family Chiropractic", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://happyfamilychiropractic.com/images/logo.png" } }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://happyfamilychiropractic.com/what-does-a-chiropractor-do-to-stay-healthy/" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://happyfamilychiropractic.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Blog", "item": "https://happyfamilychiropractic.com/chiropractic-patient-education-in-juneau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "What does a chiropractor do to stay healthy?", "item": "https://happyfamilychiropractic.com/what-does-a-chiropractor-do-to-stay-healthy/" } ] } ] --- Good news. We now accept select insurance plans for chiropractic care. Now accepting select insurance plans. [See accepted plans.](/insurance/) [![Happy Family Chiropractic](/assets/hfc-logo-main-1ekVAvtS.png)](/) [Chiropractic](/chiropractic-care-juneau-ak/) [Chiropractic Care in Juneau, AK](/chiropractic-care-juneau-ak/)[Family Chiropractor](/family-chiropractor-juneau/)[New Patient Visit](/new-patient-chiropractor-juneau/)[Full Body Adjustments](/full-body-chiropractic-adjustments-in-juneau/)[Neck Adjustments](/neck-adjustments-in-juneau/)[Back Adjustments](/back-adjustments-in-juneau/)[Prenatal Chiropractic](/prenatal-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Postpartum Chiropractic](/postpartum-chiropractic-in-juneau/)[Pediatric Chiropractic](/pediatric-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Sports Chiropractic](/sports-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[VA Chiropractic Care](/va-chiropractic-care-in-juneau/)[Wellness & Preventive Care](/wellness-preventive-chiropractic-in-juneau/) [Massage Therapy](/massage-therapy-juneau-ak/) [Massage Therapy in Juneau, AK](/massage-therapy-juneau-ak/)[Meet Our Massage Therapist](/massage-therapist-juneau/)[Therapeutic Massage](/therapeutic-massage-in-juneau/)[Deep Tissue Massage](/deep-tissue-massage-in-juneau/)[Sports Massage](/sports-massage-in-juneau/)[Prenatal Massage](/prenatal-massage-in-juneau/)[Trigger Point Therapy](/trigger-point-therapy-in-juneau/) Conditions [Neck Pain](/neck-pain-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Back Pain](/back-pain-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Headaches & Migraines](/headache-migraine-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Sciatica](/sciatica-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Shoulder Pain](/shoulder-pain-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Hip Pain](/hip-pain-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Knee Pain](/knee-pain-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Numbness & Tingling](/numbness-tingling-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[TMJ](/tmj-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Pregnancy Discomfort](/pregnancy-discomfort-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Car Accident Injury](/car-accident-injury-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Work Injury](/work-injury-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Sports Injury](/sports-injury-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Slip & Fall Injury](/slip-fall-injury-chiropractor-in-juneau/) About [About Us](/about/)[Meet Our Team](/meet-our-team/)[Dr. Derek Larsen](/meet-our-local-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Dr. Birger Baastrup](/dr-birger-baastrup-chiropractor-in-juneau/)[Lani Lumbab, LMT](/lani-lumbab-massage-therapist-in-juneau/)[Cassandra Dunn, LMT](/cassandra-dunn-massage-therapist-in-juneau/) Resources [Insurance](/insurance/)[Patient Education](/chiropractic-patient-education-in-juneau/)[At Home Exercises](/at-home-exercises/)[Reviews](/reviews/) [Book Now Book an Appointment ](/book-appointment/)[(907) 202-8817](tel:+19072028817) [Wellness and Maintenance](/blog/category/wellness-maintenance/)[Conditions Explained](/blog/category/conditions-explained/) # What does a chiropractor do to stay healthy? [![](/images/team-derek.jpg)Dr. Derek Larsen, DC ](/author/dr-derek-larsen/)| February 22, 2022 | 9 min read ![Dr. Derek Larsen chiropractor in Juneau sharing his daily health and exercise routine for staying healthy](/images/blog-stay-healthy.jpg) 1. [Home](/) 2. [Blog](/chiropractic-patient-education-in-juneau/) 3. What does a chiropractor do to stay healthy? Share [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fhappyfamilychiropractic.lovable.app%2Fwhat-does-a-chiropractor-do-to-stay-healthy)[](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fhappyfamilychiropractic.lovable.app%2Fwhat-does-a-chiropractor-do-to-stay-healthy) 2 weeks ago in my article, I talked a lot about trauma, intending to define it so that it can be identified in the day-to-day. One of the things I mentioned was my opinion on how to be healthy. First, avoid as many forms of trauma as possible. Second, do things to increase your ability to adapt to trauma you cannot avoid. Since last week we defined what trauma is so you can recognize it and therefore avoid it this week we will talk about what I do to increase my ability to adapt to the trauma I cannot avoid. ## What constitutes the need for an adjustment? Before we dive into my routines I want to explain what happens that leads an individual to need an adjustment. Spoiler, it is not pain. An individual falls in need of an adjustment when the body fails to adapt to trauma, physical trauma emotional trauma, or toxic trauma. Today I'm going to talk about how to adapt better to the ever-present pressure of life. Here is the list of things that I TRY to do daily to help my body adapt better to life: 1. Get checked 2. Move 3. Eat healthy 4. Drink plenty of water 5. Strive for ample sleep 6. Practice good posture 7. Practice mindfulness ## Get checked, by your chiropractor. I get checked by my chiropractor 2-3 times a month to make sure that my nervous system is functioning properly. Getting checked and getting adjusted are two different things. Before I adjust every patient I check them for misalignment known as subluxation. If I find a subluxation then, and only then do I adjust the vertebra involved. If I do not find any subluxations I don't adjust the patient, this is referred to as a check or getting checked. ## Move Right now I am trying to get two "workouts" in every day. The goal I am working towards is a morning run followed by a big stretching session and then an evening weight training session. I weight train 6 days a week because I can easily train one muscle group while letting another rest. A quick note on Hormesis: You might think that I am introducing an unnecessary amount of trauma to my body with all this kind of exercise. You're right, to a certain extent. I am also introducing a form of low-level stress that my body can react to positively. This is known as hormesis. Hormesis is originally a term used in toxicology used to describe substances that have a positive effect on a biological system in low doses but a negative effect on a system at high doses. The best example is radiation from sunlight, at low doses, radiation from sunlight is used by the body to produce vitamin D. At high doses it has been related to skin cancer. ## Eat healthily What even is a healthy diet? Everyone has their own opinion about what foods we should and shouldn't eat. I eat what makes me feel good and avoid what makes me feel bad. I love game meat, and organ meats because of the nutrients packed into them. I eat lots of good fats, high omega 3 fats, like fish oil and butter made from grass-fed cows. I avoid processed foods and seed oils because they can cause an inflammatory response. ## Drink plenty of water I drink lots of water. I usually carry around a 64-ounce bottle of water and drink it throughout the day. My rule of thumb is to keep my urine clear and urinate often. I don't force myself to drink a ton of water I just listen to my body and give it what it needs. ## Strive for ample sleep. Sleep is when the body can heal. The recommendation for adults is 7-8 hours per night. I find that I can usually do just fine with 7 hours of sleep, 8 is great but occasionally I need a night of 9 hours. I also usually take a power nap, I put a hoodie over my eyes, lay back, and knock out for 15 minutes. After that, I am good for the rest of the day. ## Practice good posture Grandma always said, "sit up straight, you look like a slouch!" and she was right. I catch myself every day sitting in a position of poor posture and have to correct it. I do a few things like elevating my computer screen, putting a pop socket on my phone and removing the back off my desk chair, that force me into good posture so I don't have to think about it. ## Practice mindfulness This is a fancy way of saying do something that helps you decrease stress by connecting to the present moment. Most people immediately think of meditation as mindfulness. Meditation is a great avenue to follow but it is not the only way. I have found that I am most mindful when I am either freediving or snowboarding. My mind is only focused on the present moment and what is right in front of my face. All these things work for me and may not work for you, try things out and listen to what your body has to tell you. We look forward to meeting you! Come down to Happy Family Chiropractic and meet your Chiropractor in Juneau! It will be our pleasure in serving you high quality chiropractic care. Looking for treatment? #### Discover how we can help. [Learn About Our Services](/services/chiropractic/) [ Previous How Often Should I See a chiropractor? Well, Lets Talk About Maintenance Care. ](/how-often-should-i-see-a-chiropractor-well-lets-talk-about-maintenance-care/)[ Next 7 Common Myths About Chiropractic Care ](/7-common-myths-about-chiropractic-care/) ### Continue Reading [ ![Illustration of temporomandibular joint and its connection to neck pain](/images/blog-tmj-neck-pain.png) #### Understanding TMJ and Neck Pain: Causes and Treatments September 12, 2025 ](/understanding-tmj-and-neck-pain-causes-and-treatments/)[ ![Stretching exercises for neck and shoulder pain relief demonstrated by chiropractor](/images/blog-neck-shoulder-pain.png) #### Neck and Shoulder Pain Relief: Tips and Exercises August 12, 2025 ](/neck-and-shoulder-pain-relief-tips-and-exercises/)[ ![Chiropractic treatment options for neck pain relief](/images/blog-treating-neck-pain.png) #### Treating Neck Pain: At-Home and Professional Remedies July 12, 2025 ](/treating-neck-pain-at-home-and-professional-remedies/) ![Dr. Derek Larsen DC at Happy Family Chiropractic in Juneau Alaska](/images/team-derek.jpg) ### Dr. Derek Larsen, DC Founder and Chiropractor Founder of Happy Family Chiropractic and the lead chiropractor in Juneau, Alaska. Dr. Derek focuses on family, prenatal, pediatric, and sports chiropractic care. [View profile](/author/dr-derek-larsen/) ### Experience Chiropractic Live in Juneau and want to feel the benefits of chiropractic care? Schedule today. [Schedule an Appointment](/book-appointment/) ### Visit Us 800 Glacier Ave, Juneau, Alaska. We're open Monday through Friday. [Book an Appointment](/book-appointment/) ![Happy Family Chiropractic](/assets/hfc-logo-white-voZj0riv.png) Your path to feeling like yourself again, through expert chiropractic care, massage therapy, and a team that genuinely likes their job. ### VISIT - 800 Glacier Ave Juneau, AK 99801 - Mon to Fri, 9am to 6pm ### REACH US - [(907) 202-8817](tel:+19072028817) - [Book online](/book-appointment/) ### EXPLORE - [Chiropractic](/services/chiropractic) - [Massage](/services/massage-therapy/) - [Insurance](/insurance/) - [Blog](/chiropractic-patient-education-in-juneau/) - [About](/about/) © 2026 Happy Family Chiropractic. Made with care in Juneau. Website Design by [Blue Fox Marketing](https://www.gobluefox.com/). · [Privacy Policy](/privacy-policy/)[Terms](/terms-and-conditions/)[Fee Schedule](/fee-schedule/) [](#)[](#) \- Happy Family Chiropractic “Dr Larsen was very compassionate and excellent.”  — Samantha Whetsell , in the last 2 weeks X by Aloha