How to Strengthen Your Spine and Relieve Back Pain

Did you know that slouching causes 80% of spinal problems? This is true! Many of us slouch all day long not even thinking about it, but what we also don’t realize that it could be causing long term effects to the spine and causing back pain. The spine is part of the central nervous system, along with the brain, so an unhealthy spine can interfere with your entire body causing unwanted health problems. The good news is that this can be cured with just a few daily preventative steps.

Having good posture is so important. The best way to get good posture is to align your ears with your shoulders and shoulder blades when they are retracted. When these are properly aligned, the spinal stress is eliminated. Some studies even show that having good posture can get rid of heart burn, migraines, anxiety and some respiratory conditions. Another way to improve your posture is to do deep belly breathing. You can do this by placing your hands on your abdominal area and feel your belly moving as your inhale and exhale. This lets the spinal nerves to move within the spinal channels, eliminating the pain and giving you a sense of well-being.

A few simple exercises for 10 minutes a day will strengthen your spine. Stretching your neck, bending and extending range of motion exercises and a series of simple side to side and up and down stretches can extensively improve the health of your spine. You can also use light weights to improve your posture and doing yoga will help immensely. If you already work on your upper body strength, doing extra push-ups will help to strengthen your spine and posture muscles.

Eating a healthy diet consisting of lean proteins, healthy fats and lots of fresh fruits and veggies is ideal for building a lean body and muscles for spine support. Taking multi-vitamins with B-complex and Omega-3s have been known to decrease pain in the nerves and in the spine. Spending some time in sun can also improve your overall health. It wakes up your body making it feel happy and alive, which in turn will give you better posture. 10-20 minutes in the sun every day can do wonders for your body.

Stop back pain before it starts by taking the proper precautions to improve your posture. Back problems can start at any age, but the most common is around age 29, so it’s never too early to start!