Strengthen your back to keep the pain away

By Deckline Leitao

Lower back pain is the most common ailment that people l suffer from and it can also be the most debilitating of them all too.It affects most people at some point in their lives. It usually feels like an ache, tension or stiffness in the back. The pain can be triggered by bad posture while sitting or standing, bending awkwardly or lifting incorrectly . With modernisation, our lives have become easier compared to our forefathers'. Greater comforts have meant greater amounts of sitting down whether at work, in the car, while watching TV or sitting longer while eating food. The low amount of physical activity and the greater amount of sitting have caused problems that are in many ways unique to modern lifestyles, and lower back pain is one of them.
Losing excess body weight will reduce the strain placed on your back. Strengthening the lower back will help it take load. Stretching tight hips will also place less strain on the lumbar region.

Follow these three moves to keep lower back pain away:

1. Superman

Lie on the floor in a supine position with your face down and with your arms and legs extended. Raise all simultaneously off the floor up to around 6 inches off the floor. Hold for 5 seconds.Complete 10 such repetitions.Don't jerk but rather do the movement in a controlled way . If holding the top position is difficult, then simply raise and lower your body .

2. Reverse bridge

Lie on your back and place your heels under your knees. Now raise your hips slowly off the floor. Lift your butt about a foot off the floor and then contract the glute muscles which make up the majority of the butt region. Hold this position for 5 seconds and then lower back to the ground. Don't arch the back excessively .

3. Hip stretch

Sit on a chair with one leg crossed over the other with the knees bent.

Holding the knee which is on top, slowly pull the knee towards you and then move your upper body towards the knee and hold this position for 10 seconds. Now, slowly push the knee away in the opposite direction and hold for 10 seconds. Men should generally focusing on pulling the knee in to improve internal rotation while women should focus on improving pushing down which will improve external rotation in the hip which is lacking in most women because of sitting with their legs crossed or together.

Tips to remember

Avoid constant sitting or standing for longer than an hour without a break.z Avoid wearing high-heeled footwear for too long.z Take your age, experience and lifestyle into considera tion while training for fitness.z Strengthen your abdominal muscles.

Make it a habit to put your feet up against a wall or chair for five to ten minutes at the end of your day to relieve stress of your lower back and to refresh your leg muscles.

The writer has qualified from South Africa and London and is one of the most experienced and qualified fitness specialists in India