Wellness Matters

���tness matters 5 Ways to Defend Against Lower-Back Pain Eight out of 10 people suffer from lower-back pain at some point in their lifetimes. Most experience their first episode when in their 30s or 40s, but it tends to become more common with age. Regardless of when it happens, back pain can be a debilitating problem, which is why it���s so important to take steps to help defend against it. Here are 5 simple things you can do: 1. Maintain proper posture. Keep an upright posture when seated at your computer. The monitor 2. 3. 4. 5. should be at eye level and at least 18 inches away. The keyboard and mouse should be approximately waist height and your chair should offer lower-back support. Also, get up and stretch tense muscles frequently. Prop a foot. If you must stand for long periods, prop one foot on a low stool. This allows the lower-back muscles to relax, which helps prevent painful muscle fatigue. Also, if you stand on hard surfaces like concrete, install a cushioned rubber mat. Use proper lifting technique. Bend your knees and lift using your leg muscles, not your back. Also, avoid sudden movements, like lifting and twisting at the same time. Maintain a healthy weight. Excess weight, especially around the belly, puts extra stress on the muscles of the lower back. It���s just one more reason to work on achieving a healthy weight. Strengthen back and abdominal muscles. One of the most important ways to protect your back is to exercise your back and abdominal muscles to ensure they provide optimal support for the spine. Note: Many common exercises stress the lower back if improperly done. When doing abdominal exercises keep one or both legs bent at the knee. This prevents your lower back from arching past its natural ���S��� curve. When you overarch your back, the stress falls off the abdominal muscles and onto your back. If you haven���t exercised in a long time, see your doctor or a qualified physiotherapist before embarking on a fitness program. Yes, You Can Over-Exercise Regular, moderate exercise is a cornerstone of good health, and it delivers many positive mental and physical benefits. However, intense, unrelenting, obsessive exercising can actually compromise your health. Yes, it is possible to over-exercise. For some people, exercising can become a compulsion, perhaps a response to a need to be in control, or perhaps because of self-esteem or body image issues. Such people might exercise hard two or more times a day, seven days a week, and they may even feel guilty or stressed if they miss a day. While it���s true that elite athletes train hard, and perhaps even daily, they follow a strictly supervised training regimen and they don���t necessarily exercise all-out every day. Overdoing it at the gym (whatever the reason) can invite injury and illness. Frequent, improperly planned training doesn���t give the body time to recover ��� muscles need up to 48 hours to repair ��� and the longer and harder you exercise, the more fatigued you become. Fatigue compromises exercise form, which can lead to injury. Intense exercise can also lower the body���s resistance to illness. Recent research indicates that excessive exercise may even lead to permanent heart damage. Here are some warning signs that you may be overdoing it: ��� Ongoing fatigue ��� Muscle soreness ��� Suffering frequently from colds and headaches ��� Resting heart rate 8-10 beats per minute faster than normal (taken just before getting out of bed in the morning) ��� Swollen nodes or glands in the neck, groin or armpits ��� Unexplained weight loss ��� Appetite loss ��� Drop in physical performance ��� Constipation or diarrhea ��� Loss of menstruation Listen to your body. If you���re experiencing any of the above symptoms, reduce your exercise intensity, or take a few days off. High-intensity training isn���t necessary to reach your goals. Moderate efforts will reap the same results. Enjoy exercise. A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise. A.A. Milne (1882-1956) British author of Winnie-the-Pooh children���s stories w w w.wellness - mat ters.ca 7

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