Motion Is Lotion
- Human bodies are designed to move throughout the day but our average sedentary lifestyles are dampening this potential. Most of our muscles and energy systems are capable of sustaining moderate intensity activities (e.g. brisk walking, riding a bicycle, leisure swimming, gardening, etc.) for longer times but we barely tap into this potential. Therefore, we gradually lose our ‘fitness’ and settle into a sedentary lifestyle. Unfortunately, this is not sustainable in the long run and our body reacts by stiffening our joints severely and leading to many undesired joint and muscle problems in the (near) future. Good news is that it's very easy and feasible to reverse this inactivity cycle. Just move! Healthy body is a constant game of balance. Whatever you do for long periods of time, do the opposite. If you have a seated job and spend 10+ hours a day behind your screen, then set frequent reminders to stand up (15 minutes at a time, every hour or so) and move. If you want to know more tips about daily management of your body, check out our videos here.
Muscle Activations
- This is possibly the most important tip we can give you to manage your lower back pain on a daily basis. Considering that the majority of us have sedentary lifestyles and seated jobs, especially our hips and back muscles are forced to sustain certain positions for many hours every day. This leads to some muscles being shortened and some being stretched, constantly. But they both have something in common. Shortened or stretched, they’re both weakened over time. Follow our muscle activation technique videos to see how your FZYO kit can give you a whole new perspective on daily management of your body!
Breathing Techniques
- You might ask yourself, how can breathing affect your lower back pain since you breathe all the time right? Well, breathing in a nutshell, is an autonomous process in our bodies. Meaning that we have no voluntary control over breathing. Have you ever noticed sometimes that you have been ‘holding your breath’ without even noticing it for a while? Not remembering how long or why? Well you are not alone.. Diaphragm is the main muscle responsible for respiration. It is located in the lower ribs area and creates a dome-like shape that flattens towards our pelvis each time we inhale. This flattening naturally compresses the structures below it (hint hint! Lower back area) and if utilised properly, acts as a natural belt to support you when lifting heavy stuff. But most of us don’t know how to utilise this large muscle to our advantage which can drastically reduce lower back pain and increase athletic performance. By performing the following 5-minute daily routine, you can take the first step in eliminating your nagging lower back pain and introduce a whole new perspective into your lifestyle.
Hips
- We talked about the importance of our muscles that surround our hip joint in the section above but we also need to talk about the overall health of hips and their role in sustainable movement. Think of your hips as the engine of your body. Engines are designed to operate for long periods of time under many different conditions and inputs. Well our hips are also designed to do the same but for the majority of the population, they’re extremely under-utilised and untrained. Hip joints are ball-and-socket joints. If you make a fist and place it in your other hand’s palm, you can somewhat replicate what a hip joint looks like. And you’ll also realize that your fist can literally move to every direction in your opposite palm (rotations, side moves, up and down). A healthy and strong hip joint must be able to reach all the desired end ranges and be able to contract and control in those ranges. Now if you are someone who sits 8+ hours a day, your hips will be in a flexed position all the time without exploring any other movements that it can do. Over time and repetitive habits, our body will denounce some of the other functions that hips can do and limit your range of motion in those. Limited range of motion will lead to limited power output in our ‘engine’. This is how our most common activity (sitting…) can lead to such drastic outcomes that will unfortunately lead to many direct and indirect health consequences, including lower back pain. Healthy hips will directly influence the position of the lower back and facilitate efficient energy transfer through those joints when moving and exercising. Check here to see how FZYO can help you rediscover what your hips can do and lead you towards a pain-free lifestyle.
Strength Training
- Whether we are facing acute or chronic pain, a most comprehensive rehab and exercise program must consist of a form of strength training. It is very crucial to know when to start your strengthening exercises and follow the ‘progressive overload’ principle. This requires a basic understanding of exercise programming and tracking your progress. If you’re not sure on how to track your progress and create an effective exercise program that will ensure personal accountability to your injury and/or goals, check our services where we tailor make programs for your needs and periodically follow up to ensure long term achievements.
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