Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Back to basics...

Traditional Chinese medicine states you are only as old as your spine. In our modern day, back pain effects people of all ages and sizes. Back pain creates physical restrictions and reduces the overall quality of life. As woman and mothers, we are highly susceptible to  back pain and loss of mobility as we age. Conditions like osteoporosis, coccydynia, and fibromyalgia are more prevalent in women.Scrubbing the house, pregnancy, lifting/holding children for long durations, the daily carpool, ect, cause the spine to be in a distressed state, and loose it's supple quality.  Use the fallowing  10 tips to avoid back pain, and keep your spine youthful and supple.


Petite 'E-lan's top 10 tips for a healthy back + a Mommy Time out!

1. Exercise your back regularly. Pilates, yoga, walking and swimming (especially backstroke) are all excellent ways to strengthen your back muscles, with out the strain.
2. Always bend your knees and your hips, not your back.
3. Be aware of your shoulders rolling forward, be conscious not to hunch your shoulders.
4. Always lift and carry objects close to your body, especially babies!
5. Try to carry loads in a backpack and avoid sling bags.....see my back friendly diaper bag choice here
6. Maintain a good posture. Avoid slumping in your chair or hunching over a desk......see my desk chair of choice here...it may surprise you!
7.  Sit with your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest. Change how you sit every few minutes.
8. Quit smoking. It is thought that smoking reduces the blood supply to the discs between the vertebrae and this may lead to degeneration of these discs.
9. Loose 5lbs ...take the extra weight off your shoulders!
10. Choose a mattress suited to your height, weight, age and sleeping position.

* *Want to relieve your back pain, try a 4 week back care boot camp here, for free!

Take a "Mommy Time Out" :
Do this stretch several times a day, for a minute or two  while breathing deeply. You will feel more calm, take the pressure off your lower back, and re-align your spine all at the same time! Make it a family event, challenge your kids to try to touch their toes while you take a well deserved, "Mommy Time Out."
Do not worry if you can not bend this far, over time you will inch closer and closer to the floor. The important factor is to relieve the lower lumbar spine, be releasing the weight load for a few minutes and adding space to the vertebrates that are constantly being compressed under the for of gravity!

XO
BB

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