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Tips To Alleviate & Avoid Back Pain

avoid back painBack pain usually originates from the joints, bones, nerves or muscles. It is one of the most common complaints. Back pain may be felt as mild chronic pain going on for years or just for a few seconds or minutes. It can be felt as continuous dull ache, appearing at intervals as well. Constant, sharp pain is usually found in one place or it radiates to other areas like limbs. It can also present a weak, tingling sensation or numbness.

Few Facts About Back Pain 

  • The spine consists of bones, joints, spinal cord, nerves, tendons, ligaments and muscles. Back pain can originate from any of these or overlying muscles
  • In a majority of cases, back pain is self-limited. Most common back pain symptoms are due to inflammation or trauma which may be mild or severe
  • The two most common conditions that cause back pain are degenerative spinal disc disease and spinal disc herniation
  • Innocent causes of the back pain include ligament tear, muscle strain, ruptured or herniated spinal disks, and irritated joints. Environmental factors that cause or aggravate back pain include arthritis, posture at work, obesity, psychological and physical stress.
  • Some other causes include – lack of core strength that creates too much strain on the back, tight muscles which cause inflammation and tight hip flexors as they extend towards the lower back via the pelvic girdle due to improper posture.

Causes and Tips To Avoid Back Pain 

  • Obesity: is a common cause of back pain. As a heavy body contributes to increased pressure on the spine, maintaining a healthy body weight can help reduce your back pain. If you’re seriously overweight, those extra pounds could be straining your spine. Lose some weight and you just might lose the pain. A weight-loss program that includes regular exercise is bound to make your whole body feel better. A nutritious diet, lifestyle modifications and healthy weight can prevent back pain.
  • Poor posture: is a common cause of back pain. Maintain correct postures while standing, sitting and while lifting things. While using a computer or laptop, try to take breaks frequently and practice stretches which will lower your chances of getting back pain. Take regular short breaks in between work. Just getting up from your chair can help break the cycle of clenched muscles.

Tips To Reduce The Pain 

  • Applying a cold compress to the affected area can numb the pain temporarily by desensitizing the underlying nerves. 
  • Heat application through a heating pad, warm bath or hot water bottle can stimulate blood circulation in the area and loosen the tight muscles.
  • Massage therapy could provide short-term relief from acute and chronic back pain.
  • Frequent massages may be costly, but getting a massage once a month can be effective and affordable as well. It is important to select the massage best suited to your problem.
  • Consume a healthy diet consisting of Vitamin D as deficiency and insufficiency can cause or worsen back pain. The correction of it plays an important role in the treatment of chronic back pain. Foods like Fatty fish, liver, egg yolk and mushrooms can improve Vitamin D levels.
  • Avoid high-inflammatory foods such as sugars, trans fats and processed foods to prevent back pain.
  • Train with proper form, regular rehab-strengthening of lower back with exercise such as back extension, superman holds can help strengthen rhomboids to improve posture. 
  • Stretching itself can damage muscle fibers as you’re just tearing them by stretching them instead of contracting them. If you want to stop feeling sore, aggressive stretching is the last thing you’d want to do.

Quick Fix: A foam roller can help in releasing tight muscles. You may look a little weird if you’re the only person in your gym who doesn’t stretch before exercise and prefers to foam roll a sore muscle rather than stretch it out, but your muscles will thank you for it! 

We hope this article helps you alleviate and avoid back pain. If any of the tips above helped you, do share your experience in the comments below! For more tips on improving health and fitness levels, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce 

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5 Simple Activities To Maintain Good Health

Maintain good health

What really comprises good health? A textbook definition would be that it is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. So by this definition, is there a sound strategy to maintain good health? Well, thankfully, it is not as difficult as it sounds like. 

5 Simple Activities To Help You Maintain Good Health 

1. 10k Steps A Day
All of us know that being active and exercising regulates our hormones, immune system, mental health and increases our life span. We’re also aware that the 21st century lifestyle is becoming increasingly sedentary. Hitting the gym or getting a good workout every day is close to impossible. Here’s where trying to clock in 10k steps a day can do a lot for your life. There is no magic beyond this number. It is just enough to get a need to be active throughout the day. It will keep a target in front of your eyes and can be performed any time during the day. Basically, it helps you with your progress and consistency. Moreover, most people enjoy walking and also they stick to it long term and they can benefit from this activity every single day. One more special thing it offers is it makes you sort of active throughout the day in addition to whatever workout you do. Plus, it can be done in installments throughout the day, for instance post meal walks (walking at least 10-15mins after each meal), walking while attending calls, using stairs instead of lift and not using vehicles for short distances.

2. Sleep
A good night’s sleep of 7-8 hours is extremely important for the body (especially when you are training). Sleep maintains your mental and physical health and helps your body recover. Hormones like prolactin, luteinizing hormones and growth hormones increase during sleep and secretion of cortisol (stress hormone) is inhibited. Your body uses tryptophan and turns it into a B vitamin called niacin which plays a key role in creating serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is associated with sleep and melatonin levels (a hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle). Foods like sweet potato, turmeric powder, chicken, eggs and milk etc. are high in tryptophan and help you sleep. 

3. Nutrition
It’s an important aspect for living organisms. The beauty of mother nature is it can nourish all kinds of living organisms, no matter vegetarians or non-vegetarians and nutritional requirements vary from individual to individual, sports to sports and competition to competition. To have a healthy life, make water as your drink of choice (first priority), and include eating plant-based foods more often and choose highly-processed or ultra-processed foods, less often. Choose recipes with plenty of vegetables and fruit. Your goal is to fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits at every meal. Choose bright, coloured fruits and vegetables each day, especially orange and dark green vegetables.

4. NEAT(Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)
NEAT is any activity you do, which doesn’t count as exercise because it is not as intense as exercise but counts as moments that burn calories. Walking to the kitchen or the bathroom or moving your hands around, all come under NEAT. So, the more you move throughout the day, the higher your NEAT. NEAT expenditure can vary massively, that’s why some people seem to burn more calories. Just because generally, they move a lot more. Even when they are sitting, they are not just sitting, they continuously move their legs and hands and that burns calories. 

5. Monitor Progress
Always monitor your progress, that will help you to know where exactly you are in your journey. How can you monitor your progress? If you’re a person who runs or jogs, time yourself and see if you get quicker each time you do it. And when it comes to food, at the end of the day, just write down everything you have consumed and figure out what and all unnecessary foods you are consuming and start avoiding those. You can do your food and activity logging via the GOQii App as well. Monitoring your progress will help you stay disciplined and consistent. 

These 5 simple steps will definitely help you maintain good health. Just ensure that initially your goal is realistic and doable. So, according to your time, schedule, fix a goal and go after it! We hope this article helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more on healthy living, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. 

#BeTheForce 

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