No matter how much you’ve kept up yourself in your boomer years, sooner or later, our age catches up with us. What once came easy to us now come with struggles and even a little pain. One of the more common nuisances for boomers is back pain and it’s something you need to look out for. But while we’ve previously looked at effective remedies for back pain, it’s always better to protect yourself before the fact.
Take a look at some easy and effective tips for protecting your back from avoidable pain.
Morning stretches can work wonders.
The morning can be a busy time—so busy in fact that some people can’t even fit in their morning exercises. But starting your day off with some simple (and quick) stretches can do more for your back they you could imagine. By taking the time to do a few key stretches, you’re helping to strengthen and prepare your back for the day’s activities after a long night of sleep. For even better results, try some hips stretches as well to give you more mobility.
Exercise frequently and smartly.
Of course the beneficial exercise goes far beyond just the morning stretches. There are plenty of routines that will help to strengthen your back muscles and help to prevent back troubles. Experts advise that the most effective types of exercises for your back are core strengthening exercises. These can include planking, crunches or even regular and rigorous walks. On the flipside, it’s equally important to avoid overdoing it with your workouts. Know your limits and don’t try to test them. By lifting too much or running too fast, you’re only making it more likely you’ll injure yourself.
Beware of your lifting.
The most common cause of severe back pain for older people is lifting. As much as “lift with your legs” is an almost universally-known lesson, too few people heed that advice when it actually comes to lifting. Now you may be playing it safe and avoiding lifting things that are perhaps too heavy like large furniture, but you could still throw out your back without even thinking about it. Lifting our grandchild for instance, or shoveling snow—there’s a lot of mundane activities that can do a lot of damage. Be sure you’re lifting properly and now lifting more than you can handle.
Watch your diet.
The correlation between weight gain and back pain is impossible to ignore. The more pounds you pack on, the more stress is put on your back muscles and the weaker they become. It’s not as if you needed more health reasons to watch your weight but if you are worried about your back, a healthy diet and good exercise can do a lot of good.
Assess your workspace.
Despite what we’ve been told for years, many modern experts now say that your walking posture has little to do with causing a bad back. However, it is largely agreed that your sitting posture can do a lot of damage. Not too many people really think about how they are sitting at the workplace desk, and you could even consider your desk chair to be quite comfortable. But for sitting in that positon for so long and for five days a week, you had better make sure it’s not doing any real damage. Have your desk assessed by your office ergonomics professionals and be sure to take regular breaks for desk to stretch things out.