Our bodies were not made to be sedentary.
Move it or we lose it...
As you age, if you are not consistently stretching to keep your muscles and joints mobile...
chances are you will at some point have back pain...
or even worse, need surgery at some point.
8 out 10 people experience back pain at some point in their lives.
Why is it that we don't take this seriously until it is too late? The truth of the matter is that most people sit behind a computer the bulk of the day and are confined to seated positions for the bulk of the day.
Our hip flexors, hamstrings, and low back are at risk here...
when you are missing muscular balance in the muscles that house the spine, you are creating an ideal environment for the low back to give out.
Several of the muscles in the hip and legs are connected to the low back, therefore, the hamstrings are too tight...
well, guess, what the low back is on the brink of pain! In addition...
when the abdominal muscles are too weak, a similar pattern is taking place...
again, the low back is taking on most of the pressure to maintain posture, and keep the body in alignment or lack there of...
Believe it or not, maintaining muscular balance isn't as difficult and doesn't take as much time and effort as you would think to integrate to your daily regime.
It only takes 5-10 minutes to get started...
once you've done these for a few weeks, you're back pain will start to dissipate and you will be convinced of its benefits.
You can then look to yoga classes or videos to broaden your stretches.
Someone can tell you a million times over the true, life long benefits of stretching...
but, once you've seen for yourself, you will be sold for life.
Hamstring stretch: Standing, one foot in front of the other, about 6 in.
away from each other.
Keep one knee slightly bent, while the other knee relatively straight, without locking it.
Gentle sit backward until you feel a gentle stretch though the leg that is relatively straight.
Hip Stretch: Standing, place one heel of your foot on top of the other thigh, just above the knee.
Gently sit back until you feel the stretch in the back of the hip.
Hip flexor stretch: Standing, bend one knee, flexing the leg from behind.
Grab the top of the foot, or the pant leg if it's too difficult to grab the foot.
Pull the heel gently toward the buttock until you feel a stretch in the hip flexor and quadriceps (front of the thigh).
Low back stretch: Standing, both feet hip distance...
hands on the low back...
grow the torso/spine as tall as possible and gentle lean backward until you feel a mild pull in the low back.
All these stretches should be done daily, never to the point of pain.
Always listen to your body and move slowly, remembering to breath through them.
Feel free to email Michelle Marie Chant at mmc.
mmdesigns@gmail.
com She is an Exercise physiologist/ yoga instructor who works corporately, as well as privately in helping others diminish chronic back pain and prevent disease in the body.
It gives her joy to spread the word that we can heal ourselves if we heighten our internal awareness through yoga breathing and various stretches.