Low back pain is extremely common, especially in a lot of new moms. Low back pain is commonly caused by tightness in other parts of the body (e.g., the hips) and from a lack of core strength. Sitting at a desk, or on a couch all day, and moving around with bad posture and two main reasons why we are all walking around with a weakened core. Here are my top 3 exercises to help strengthen your core and get rid of that pesky back pain once and for all.
1) Lying Cycle Legs
This exercise is great for re-setting your lower back and strengthening your lower abs at the same time. This is also great to do if you are a new mom, and are just starting to get back into the swing of things–it will help strengthen your weakened core muscles.
How to do it:
1 – Lie down on your back with your spine in neutral
2 – Stretch your right leg out, but keep it hovering off the ground
3 – Extend your left leg straight up towards the sky
4 – In a cycle-like movement, bend both knees and gently bring the knees in towards your chest
5 – Switch legs, with the opposite leg (right leg) reaching up to the sky now
6 – Do ten reps on each side
2) Spinal Balance
This is another amazing core-strengthening exercise that is great incorporated into any workout. You can do it any time of day, and it is great as a warm up exercise before working out.
How to do it:
1 – Start in tabletop position, with hands under shoulders, knees under hips, top of feet flat on the floor, and a neutral spine.
2 – Look straight down to the floor, keeping your neck in line with your spine.
3 – Raise opposite arm, opposite leg (so if you raise your right arm, simultanerously raise your left leg) until your arm and leg reach shoulder height. *NOTE: Do not try and reach your limbs to the sky, only raise high enough
4 – Hold leg and arm up for 3-5 seconds and slowly lower back down to the ground with control.
5 – Repeat on the other side.
6 – Do 5-10 repetitions on each side.
3) Legs Up On the Wall
This pose is not only helpful for lower back pain, but it is great for putting the entire body in a state of relaxation. Nowadays when everyone is constantly in “fight or flight” mode, everyone would benefit from doing this exercise once daily. Other benefits of this pose include relief from:
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Balances nervous system
- Digestive issues
- High & low blood pressure
- Menstrual cramps
- Varicose veins
- Daily stress
- Sore muscles
- Bad posture
How to do it:
1- Find a wall.
2 – Scooch up as close to the wall as possible, sitting perpendicular to the wall.
3 – Start to lay down and simultaneously turn your body, extending your legs up against the wall.
4 – Try and get your butt as close as possible to the wall.
5 – Relax your neck and back, and open your arms straight out to the side, palms facing up.
6 – Hold the position for 5 minutes. Breathe deeply and relax.
Do all these exercises once daily to reap the benefits.
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