This guest post is from Margaret Riddell, a health and wellness enthusiast who blogs about living a healthy, positive lifestyle.
According to the American Chiropractic Association, 31 million people in America suffer from lower back pain at any given moment. That’s a lot of groaning, rubbing, swearing and limping to comprehend. If you’re one of the many forced to go about your day with gritted teeth, find comfort in knowing there are precautions you can take to help keep your back from rising up against you in mutiny.
Lighten Your Daily Load
Regardless of whether you work in an office or on an assembly line, toting around extra pounds of unnecessary gear gets you nothing but a backache. If you can’t shed the heavy laptop all together, at least opt for a gentler, kinder alternative. Scour sites like Lenovo or other retailers who specialize in lightweight electronics as an alternative to your existing space-hogging, back-breaking version.
Stow heavy protective gear like boots and helmets in a locker or cubicle at work if possible. If not, leave them in the trunk of your car each night instead of lugging the extra pounds in and out of the house.
If it’s your briefcase that’s slowing you down, nix all the unnecessary paperwork. Trade in your heavy spiral organizer for a shiny new smartphone app, like Things, which keeps track of all the same information without the added poundage.
Strengthen Your Core
Your core is made up of the muscle groups that control the abdominal and lumbar regions of your body. Strengthening and toning them can lead to a lifetime of less back pain, better balance and great posture. There are multiple exercises you can use to train your core muscles and lessen your risk of future back ailments:
- supine twist
- press ups
