Pain Free

If we sit behind a desk all day or even worse, sit on the couch, it’s a given fact that we will get back pain. If we sit at a computer with our necks craned over all day, it’s a fact that we will develop neck problems. Even texting hurts our posture and our overall health. None of these fcats should be shocking in and of themselves. What is fairly surprising is how many people just accept the pain and do nothing about it.

Let’s think of this for a second: If we spend money, we know that eventually we need to earn it back somehow. If we don’t, we end up broke. Stay broke long enough, and it’s called being poor. This is why we have jobs and work so hard to be fiscally healthy.

Now let’s use that analogy for our physical health. We develop poor exercise habits, we end up hurting and out of shape. Stay hurt and out of shape long enough, you end up with a body prone to breaking down. Break down often enough and it’s called being in poor health. Logic would have it that we work hard to avoid being poor in health, just as we work hard to not be poor in wealth.

Nobody likes living with pain. Its literally a pain in the neck and in the you-know-what. Now I am not suggesting we stop sitting behind a desk all day. We need work, and work needs desks, so we are kind of stuck there. I"m also not saying to stop texting. Lord knows I couldn't survive if that were the case.

Regular exercise performed properly can help prevent that pain. So for the sake of not being just a useless nag, here are a few simple solutions:

For neck pain, stretch regularly. Tilt your head back as far as you can, and hold it at the furthest point of stretch for 10-30 seconds. For the sides of the neck, bring your ears as close to your shoulders as possible. Imagine an arc going from your left shoulder joint, through your ears and out to the other shoulder joint as a guide. Tilt as far as you can and hold it for 10-30 seconds when you can’t go anymore. Rotate your head in large circles in one direction in a slow and relaxed manner for 30 seconds, then slowly come to a stop, and change direction and repeat the process.

For back pain (barring any spinal issues such as stenosis, herniations, bulges etc.), perform a series of stretches lying down.

On your back: keeping the left leg straight, bend the right leg and slowly rotate your lower torso to the left so that the right leg crosses over the midline and as far as you can go. Repeat the same for the other side. Hole each stretch for at least 10-30 seconds.

Also, we can bring our knees to our chest one by one and hold as well. Bring the right knee to right chest and hold, then bring the right knee to the left chest and hold. Repeat for both sides.

On our stomachs: we can simultaneously extend our left arm and right leg, lifting them off the surface and slightly into the air, and hold for 5-10 seconds. Alternate to right arm and left leg. Do this 10 times. If you want a challenge, try extending and lifting both arms and legs at the same time.

Remember to breath in a deep and relaxed manner during any stretch. I can’t stress that enough!

Sounds like a lot but it’s really not. These are super-simple and fairly quick exercises to perform. Do these every other day and watch a lot of pain disappear. It really is that simple…

Best Ab Exercises - Our Top 10 Abs Exercises - Ab Workouts - Fitness Magazine

I found this while doing my usual boredom inspired research... Some of these are fairly simple but the first slide and the ballet twist are awesome. Give them a try!

Best Ab Exercises - Our Top 10 Abs Exercises - Ab Workouts - Fitness Magazine

Power in Numbers

I was doing some reading and found something that pertained to my last blog about closed kinetic chain exercises. The newest issue of Men’s Fitness has a section titled “Yearlong Workout 2010.” Whether they knew it or not, they reaffirmed my belief in the power of closed chain kinetic workouts.

The article can be found online at http://www.mensfitness.com/ylw/fitness/workout_routines/574. The efforts of the MF crew to get inside the heads of trainers lead to a yearlong workout routine complete with progressions. Most of the exercises listed involve some form of closed chain exercise. One in which the body weight must be supported nearly completely and, in some instances, even more than the body weight. It should not come as a surprise since there is tons of research that points to the importance of recruiting large muscle groups in unison to truly build an effective, functional body.

Good job Men’s Fitness.