Exercises and Stretches Tips
Read these 35 Exercises and Stretches Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Backpain tips and hundreds of other topics.
Strenghtening abdominal muscles
To strengthen you stomach muscles, thus releiving back pain try this: lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Lift one leg off the floor. Hold your leg up for a count of 10 and return it to the floor. Do the same with the other leg. Repeat five times with each leg. If that is too difficult, keep one knee bent and the foot flat on the ground while raising the leg.
Relaxation in standing position
Stand with your feet slightly apart. Place your hands in the small of your back. Keep your knees straight. Bend backwards at the waist as far as possible and hold the position for one or two seconds.
Strenghtening leg muscles
Stand with your back against a wall and feet shoulder-width apart. Slide down into a crouch with knees bent to about 90 degrees. Count to five and slide back up the wall. Repeat 5 times.
Back streching
Put your arms over the armrests at your sides. Lean to one side, with your arm reaching toward the wheel of your chair or where the wheel of your chair would be and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
Stretch
Lay down on your back and pull your knees to your chest. Do it by grabbing the back of your knees while keeping the small of your back on the floor.
Straighten your legs at the knees and try to feel pull on your lower back.
Stop straightening your legs before it becomes uncomfortable or painful.
Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds.
Trunk stretching
Sit in your chair, rotate at your waist, and put both of your hands on one armrest and push down. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat on the other side. You should feel the stretch in your trunk.
Back Extensions
Lie face down on the floor. Put you open hands, palm down, under your face. Keep your feet, knees, and hips on the floor. Lift your arms and shoulders in one motion off the floor while breathing out. Don't look up. Lift with your back, not your head.
Training for older person I
Take more time to warm up and cool down while exercising, because muscular adaptation and elasticity is generally slowed with age. Start exercising at a low intensity, especially if you have been mostly sedentary, and progress gradually.
Ex. for prevention
Prevent back pain with a balance of abdominal exercises and lower back exercises.
According to the American College of Sports Medicine
the focus on abs alone is not enough.
Aerobic conditioning program
Some of spine structures, like the disc, have a relatively poor blood supply and need body movements and aerobic activity to circulate nutrients.
Aerobic conditioning program like walking or bicycling is good choice for keeping your spine healthy and try to perform it at least three times a week.
Stretching
The best time for stretching is when your muscles are warm and elongated.
The part of body that you want to strech move slowly and gradually into each position. Hold it for several seconds before relaxing again. Repeat each stretch six to eight times. Never stretch a muscle to the point of pain. It indicates that you are stretching too hard.
Stabilization of hip muscles
You can also sit upright in a chair with legs straight and extended at an angle to the floor. Lift one leg waist high. Slowly return your leg to the floor. Do the same with the other leg. Repeat five times with each leg.
Maintain curves
Remember, when exercising:
Maintain the natural curves of your back during all activities.
Rotation and flexion
This is a group of exercises for stretching your neck.
Bend head forward, return to starting position then repeat.
Tilt head toward shoulder, then slowly toward the opposite shoulder. Repeat.
Turn head slowly to look over left shoulder, then turn to look over right shoulder.
Warming up
Before exercising, you should warm up with slow, rhythmic exercises;
Inhale deeply before each repetition of an exercise and exhale when performing each repetition.
Warming up
Stand up. Put your hands on your hips, lean back and arch your back a little and keep your chin tucked in. Then, stand up straight again, keeping your hands on your hips. You should feel this stretch in your lower back. Repeat 10 times.
Practicing
During exercises focus on what are you doing at the moment. Practice yoga very slowly and in every moment control your movements and breathing.
Strenghtening hip muscles
Stand behind a chair with your hands on the back of the chair. Lift one leg back and up while keeping the knee straight. Return slowly. Raise other leg and return. Repeat five times with each leg.
Training for older person II
Second, make sure you start and finish exercise with very slow stretches.
Finally, it is greater fun when you find a companion to exercise with you. It's more fun and it will help you stay on a regular schedule your weekly activity.
Flexibility
Regular stretching helps keep muscles long and supple. Improve flexibility through basic stretches. You must do it gently and don't bounce!
Abdominal Crunches
Lie on your back, with your knees up and the small of your back on the floor. Lift your shoulders off the floor. Breathe out as you come up. You should lift by squeezing your lower abdominal muscles. Don't lift with your arms or your hips. Lower yourself back down and repeat.
Injury-free body?
Did you know that regular exercise could slow the aging processes in your muscles? But not only that, it makes your body (and back!) flexible and injury-free.
According to a study from the University of Buffalo endurance training in rats made their muscles more resistant to injury than muscles in sedentary rats.
Relaxation in laying position
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on your bed or floor. Raise your knees toward your chest. Place both hands under your knees and gently pull your knees as close to your chest as possible. Do not raise your head. Do not straighten your legs as you lower them. Start with five repetitions, several times a day.
Exercise program
Before beginning any exercise program, you should discuss the program with your doctor and follow the doctor's advice. It is important to exercise regularly, every other day. By following program on a regular basis, you will see improvements in your posture, work endurance and athletic performance.
Strengthening
For decreasing pain in neck and upper back, it is important to maintain muscular balance in this area.
You can accomplish that by strengthening the trapezius muscle (daily activities make them over-stretch), rhomboids (poor posture makes them weak) and
neck muscles.
Relaxation ex.
Make yourself comfortable. Take a deep breath (clear down to your belly button), again; now, squeeze your palm, hold for a few seconds; then relax and let your fingers and palm flaccid. Stay relaxed twice longer then tense, then breath deeply again. Progress through your body: legs, abdomen, back, neck, face.
Stabilization of abdominal muscles
Sit up straight and then move your lower back toward the chair, holding in your abdominal muscles. Since this is a strengthening exercise, you want to hold it for five seconds and repeat five times.
Vestibular exercises
If you have problems with dizziness or vertigo try vestibular exercises, off course under supervision of physical therapist. These exercises are based on the rationale that through repeated exposure to the specific stimulus causing the vertigo, the brain will habituate or attenuate the vertigo response.
Strenghtening back muscles
Lie on your stomach. Tighten the muscles in one leg and raise it from the floor. Hold your leg up for a count of 10 and return it to the floor. Do the same with the other leg. Repeat five times with each leg.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Heidi Splete |
