Secret to a Healthy Back

A happy, healthy back is a vital part of your total health picture. By adopting these simple postural habits, your back has the best chance of healing without the need for further intervention, saving you money and the distress that goes with pain.

These postural habit sound very simple, and indeed, they are. They are also incredibly effective. That is their secret, they are simple and effective because they allow you to make more efficient use of your body's wonderful design. With a little practice and perseverance, they will become second nature.

STAND ON TWO LEGS

Keep your weight evenly distributed on both legs. By standing with your weight more on one leg than the other, you are causing a sideways tilt in your hips. This takes away any possibility of a nice, level foundation for the spine. Without a level foundation, the spine can not be straight.

KEEP THE KNEES UNLOCKED

By keeping your knees very slightly bent when standing, you have made the legs into”springs”instead of “stumps”. You don't have to look as if you are riding a horse. Just keep the knees from being pushed all the way to locked. This will also change the way in which you use the major muscles of the back and legs when you stand, taking the strain off the ligaments & muscles of the spine.

SIT ON BOTH BUTTOCK CHEEKS

Just as standing on one leg causes an imbalance in the hips, sitting with the weight biased on one buttock cheek will cause the hips to be forced into an imbalanced state that will carry over into your standing posture, and damage the structure of your spine. By sitting on both cheeks, you are giving the spine a stable and even foundation.

KEEP THE LEGS UNCROSSED

Never, ever, ever cross your legs above the ankles whilst sitting. The mechanical torque forced into the hips will cause a twist in the bones of the hip. With the foundations (hips) twisted, a great strain is forced into the joints of the lower spine. Just remember that the ultimate goal is to give the back the best chance of staying straight. Your back can help itself with just a few little changes to put the odds in its favor.

WATER – A REAL MAGIC ELIXIR

By drinking around 1 litre of pure water for every 25-35 kilos of your body weight per day, you will ensure that your kidneys have enough fluids to do their job properly.

When kidneys are happy, the liver can do its job of keeping the chemistry of the blood happy. When the liver is doing its job, faster healing and a boosted immune system are the direct results. Your resistance to injury is also greatly enhanced.

A simple visualization to illustrate this is to think of the kidneys as a toilet for your blood stream. If you do not drink enough water, it is like using a toilet and not flushing it. It becomes a disgusting mess pretty quickly!!!

ALWAYS WEAR A SHOULDER BAG CROSSED

This means if your bag is hanging on your left side, the strap should be over your right shoulder and crossing your body. This stops you from automatically lifting a shoulder up to stop the strap sliding off.

Naturally, the lighter the bag, the better! Well fitted back packs are ideal, provided that both straps are used, not just one.