Have you heard the saying that your health is your greatest wealth? Good health is often taken for granted and bad health is often costly and in many cases, preventable. What about the health of your spine? We rely on the spine, and the central nervous system housed within it, for almost every function our bodies performs. There are many things that can go wrong with our spines, such as bad posture, back pain, sciatica and disc degeneration.
Some of these conditions are preventable. This blog post provides you with 7 actionable tips to help you improve the condition of your spine while strengthening your posture at the same time.
Straighten Your Posture
Do you remember your mum telling you to sit up straight? Guess what, she was right! Well, mostly. Good posture habits take time to become learned behaviour yet the benefits of adopting better posture habits can stay with you for a lifetime.
Most of our day involves a significant amount of sitting, walking or standing. You can considerably improve your posture by taking simple measures such as not slouching when you stand upright. Being conscious of your posture and taking the needed steps to improve it is very instrumental in working towards better spinal health.
Exercise regularly and stay active
Movement is key in maintaining flexible yet strong muscles. Exercise will do a lot good to both your spinal and overall health. On the other hand, our lifestyle encourages sedentary living which is causing preventable neck, back and shoulder pain. Adopting simple habits such as leaving your work desk after every 30 minutes, cycling or walking to work, visiting a gym during your lunch break or participating in a new sport or activity can all make very significant differences.
Use proper lifting technique and support your back
Picking up and moving heavy or bulky objects without any help or support can be very detrimental to your back and may cause major back injuries. Bracing our knees and core muscles instead of our backs can ensure that your back does not get affected when lifting and moving things. The golden rule should be to never lift with your back: rather lift with your knees by squatting down beside/in front of the item and pushing up using your legs. If you think the item may be too heavy to lift on your own, it probably is. Enlist the help of another person to help lift the item. In addition, take care when carrying smaller items like backpacks and gym bags. Also, any heavy bag carried on the back may prompt a strain on your back.
Sleep on your back or on your side: avoid stomach sleeping
Our sleeping habits play a very vital role in your posture. We spend almost one-third of our lives sleeping, posture doesn’t end in the day. How we sleep is also very important: have you given any thought to your sleeping posture? It is a real thing. By sleeping in a twisted position or laying on your stomach, you don’t allow your body to rejuvenate.
Considering we sleep for approximately 6-8 hours a night, laying with a twisted spine for that length of time, every night, is not good. Eventually, your posture may shift and you may have permanent postural issues.
Dr. Paula Basilio (Chiropractor) at My Back Relief Clinic, advises that you sleep with a pillow placed in-between your thighs if you sleep on your sides, to ensure you have both pelvic and spinal alignment while you sleep. Alternatively, if you sleep on your back, consider a chiropractic pillow that supports your neck curve, keeping your spine in a more natural alignment.
Teach your kids about good spinal health
Teaching your kids good habits that will improve their spinal health is very important as they tend to carry on the habit into adulthood. How we treat and use our spine at a young age can determine how well they would fare when we get older. Thus, it is advisable to teach and encourage good posture in children, especially as they grow. Many posture problems are preventable. Therefore, teaching good posture habits ea
Improve your core strength
Improving and developing your core strength, which in turn supports the back is essential – as they can help reduce back pain and encourage good posture. To learn more about your spinal health and the ideal exercises to improve it, you should consult with your chiropractor.
Learn how to take care of your spine at your local chiropractic clinic
This article has hopefully provided you with useful and actionable information on how to improve your spinal health. Sometimes it is difficult to ascertain where and when we can tweak our lifestyle for the better. An assessment of your general health by a chiropractor, which also includes your spine and lifestyle, will ensure that you are given proper advice about how to improve your posture, lead a healthy life with an even healthier spine.
About The Author
Kshitij Datta
I am a blogger and I like reading blogs that are related to technology, business, fitness and health, I even like writing articles and I usually like writing articles and blogs that are related to general issues and everyday problems. Do visit my blog for some awesome gift ideas.
