Want Back Pain Relief – Try Muscle Stretching Exercises

Article by Dianne M. Buxton

Much back pain is from habitual poor posture either standing and often from sitting as well. Yet you can train yourself for good posture and reap many other health benefits too.

Back pain relief is possible by performing muscle stretching exercises. The source of your back pain is most likely a problem with your posture, or some kind of repetitive motion you do every day. If your pain is sharp and does resolve with rest and icing, you should definitely get checked out by a health care practitioner.

Normally, however, postural pain relief is achieved with muscle strengthening, and gentle and frequent stretches.

A huge lifestyle change is not required, this is something you will find fairly easy to do. It may be your style to simply follow along with a routine on a DVD. I don’t think this is a “woosey” approach at all.

If you’ve decided to learn at home, watch a DVD work out once through, to absorb the pace and the language used. In most cases trainers are not going to use cryptic or clinical nomenclature, but create routines that are extremely user friendly.

It is good to note, however, especially if you are shopping on line, the credentials of the trainers you choose for instruction.

Inspiration counts too! I personally enjoy work outs filmed outdoors because I do not get out to exercise enough as I would like, myself. I’m sure I am not alone in this situation. It’s good for the brain, in fact studies have shown, that persons who get to view greenery and blue sky learn faster and better than those who do not.

(It makes no difference whether they work next to a window and can view the outdoors, or whether they hang a picture in their office.)

Any work out you pick will probably need to be done three times a week to be effective. Once you start, after a few weeks if you start skipping it at all, you will start to remember once again that old stiff feeling that you actually got rid of!

But that is a good sign….your body has changed its perception of ‘normal’.

A whole body work out will include a warm up, and stretches that accommodate your upper back (neck, shoulders, arms, chest), and your mid and low back too.

Stretching

Do you experience tight or tense muscles? Do you feel that even though you do your exercise at the gym, park, beach or home you still have these tight or tense muscles?
You may not be devoting enough time to stretching.
Stretching is as equally important as strengthening but how much attention do you pay to it? Most people are aware that they should be stretching but they dont do it enough. There are a few reasons for why this may be:
1.Too tired before or after work (or during!)
2.Not sure how to do it properly
3.Are afraid of pulling or tearing a muscle from attempting to stretch
4.Not enough time to stretch
5.Dont feel the need to stretch
6.Dont like stretching
7.Not sure why they should stretch
If you can relate to any of the above reasons, you are not alone and you are not in the wrong. These barriers to stretching are realistic and it is important to address these so you can get the most out of your stretching regime as possible. One of the priorities with stretching which can help overcome many of the above barriers is the education about stretching and the steps to take to perform it correctly. Once you are aware of how and why to do it, your insight becomes deeper and you are likely to enjoy it and do it more often.
To help you understand more about stretching, here are the benefits listed below much more than just ease of movement:
1.Increased Range of motion and flexibility of your muscles
2.Improved posture and posture awareness
3.Improved circulation
4.Maintenance of suppleness of muscle and healthy muscle tone
5.Reduced risk of injury and also reduced risk of falling
6.Relief from anxiety
7.Enhanced recovery
8.Relief from pain
9.Smooth and efficient function and movement
10.Improved breathing and awareness of breath
11.Enhanced relaxation and focus
12.Improved Quality of life
A sound musculoskeletal system will compliment every other system in your body and will also create a deeper awareness of your own body.
In my clinic I cater for your very own stretching session. I do this because I believe that all of the above mentioned benefits can be reached. It is a part of my mission to enhance body awareness, through education and empowerment, that I want to help people better understand this component of health. By using quality and good application, any age can achieve a good state of flexibility.
If you feel you have tight or tense muscles and you want to effectively stretch, give me a call and we can go through it together. The stretching you will learn here is practical and will help you at work, rest or play.
Please call 02 92 333 800 and ask for Ricky.
You can also email me at ricky@backonyourfeet.com.au

Overview of the Zoga Stretching Routine

Article by Roxanne Daniels

The Zoga daily stretching routine is said to relieve joint discomfort and stiffness and decrease muscle spasms. It is usually created to boost energy, lessen stress and raise range of motion. Furthermore, the stretching routine will lengthen muscles, decompress joints, improve posture and increase athletic performance. Here is a detailed summary of the Zoga Stretching Routine.

What is Zoga Stretching?Zoga was developed by Dr. Suzanne Osborne of Pure Life Inc. Dr. Osborne is also the author of the book “Pure Life, The Pura Vida Journey”. She’s a retired Doctor of Chiropractic and is now an active holistic health and fitness instructor.

If done daily, these low-impact stretches will boost your flexibility. Also, lots of people claim that it simply makes them feel better. There are plenty of stretching routines currently available; however Zoga is different because in place of concentrating on just one body part it is more like a fairly easy variation of Yoga. You move your entire body to make a sweeping circuit of stretching as opposed to individual stretches. Zoga uses physical therapy and treatment type stretches.

Everyone can perform the Zoga stretching routine to increase flexibility in a quick and easy manner without much thought; yet it’s designed in a specific structure to relax some joints and muscles prior to stretching others. Zoga stretching routine can be finished within 8-10 min’s a day, split into 2 parts. Part 1 is standing up and part 2 is completed on the floor. Some people choose to get started with part two right off the bat each morning, when still in bed. This is particularly handy for seniors or those struggling with lower back pain or joint disease.

Don’t be worried about going to a work out center for these stretches. All you need is just a little area to stretch out plus a thick pad. The more padding the better it is. To start:

1. Take off your footwear.2. Put on loose, comfortable clothing.3. Minimize disturbances. Turn off your cell phone ringer if you possibly can. You can also turn on some comforting songs.

Attempt to get into a regular program. As stated by Dr. Osborne, repeating the exact same routine daily can help enhance neurological path ways and alerts your body to unwind all the more deeply.

Breathe deeply. Stay in front of any full length mirror when possible to examine your form. Gradually you are able to close your eyes while you execute the stretching routine to help you enhance your concentration.

Execute each stretch two times consecutively. Once you become familiar with the routine, you may want to increase the amount of repetitions. For exercises having a left to right motion Dr. Osborne says to “always move toward the left side first. Go to the left side first, and then go to the right side. For example, if you are stretching your back by bending to the side, then you would reach with your right hand and bend to the left side first.”

She also suggests not to count during the stretching routine. Rather it must be more about relaxing and it should be a calming experience. Hold the stretches so long as you comfortably can. Understand the routine so each stretch goes into your next one.

The whole Zoga stretching routine involves your warm up, then your standing up stretches of lower back, neck, shoulder, “swimming” stretches, and “fencing & chopping wood” stretches. Going at this moment on the mat, the stretches incorporate low back warm up, raise and twist and then the runners stretches. The stretching routine is ended with a cool down.

Anti Aging Benefits Of Stretching Exercises- Why Stretch Muscles?

Article by Chris Chew

In many exercise programs, be it weight lifting for building and toning muscles or cardio vascular exercises for increasing stamina and to lose weight, most people do not perform enough stretching exercises even though stretching exercises can be performed by anyone at any age unless that person has some physical restriction to stretch. What is worse, many people do not even stretch before and after exercising. Unknown to most people, stretching also has anti aging benefits.

*Benefits of stretching exercises for muscle growth

Stretching is an important aspect of exercising and should be a part of any exercise routine and program. There are many wonderful benefits when you perform regular stretching exercises. Stretching exercises not only help you to warm up and cool down before and after your workouts, it can and will actually help your muscles to grow bigger and stronger too. Don’t believe me? Then read on.

Stretching exercises help muscle growth because stretching lengthens your muscles and thus giving your muscle fibers a greater range of motion when lifting weights. So in effect, it recruits more muscle fibers and thus causing your muscles to grow stronger and bigger from your weight training.

By stretching your muscles after an intensive workout will reduce muscle soreness commonly known as DOMS (delayed onset muscle sore) which usually occurs a day after your workout.

Performing stretching exercises before your workout or before a physically demanding sporting activity will also decrease your chances of sustaining injuries and muscle cramps which will certainly destroy the joy of your activity.

When you stretch regularly, stretching exercises will help you gain agility which will make your daily chores much more pleasant and if you play sports, you will notice your agility is much better than others who do not stretch. This will put you in a more beneficial position against your opponents.

*Anti Aging Benefits Of Stretching Exercises

If you are a baby boomer and age is catching up, this agility will make your life so much more pleasurable because you will be able to avoid stiff muscles and stiff joints unlike your peers who do not stretch. You will be more mobile, agile and suffering from less pain associated with aging and stiff body parts. These anti aging benefits from stretching regularly are priceless. Benefits that money can never be able to buy.

What is more, you can stretch anytime any where as and when you like. Stretching exercises need not be limited as a pre and post workout activity. So start a stretching exercise routine soon and make it part of your everyday lifestyle. You will surely enjoy the pleasures and anti aging benefits that a regular stretching routine can bring you.

Why A Golf Stretching DVD Is Not The Answer To A Better Golf Swing

Article by Mike Pedersen, CPT

A golf stretching dvd can and would be a very effective way to improve your golf swing technique, power and overall performance…but you can’t forget one very important factor to make these results lasting!

The main reason you can’t just look for a golf stretching dvd is the critical component of strength specific to your golf swing. You see…improving your flexibility with a golf stretching program, without the implementation of golf strength exercises will not warrant long-term flexibility gains.

Picture a rubber band for a second. Keep stretching it and stretching it. What happens? It breaks down and eventually snaps in two.

You muscles are the same thing. You can keep stretching your muscles, but unless you improve your strength in those newfound ranges of motion, they won’t be permanent results. In fact, just doing a golf stretching dvd could be detrimental to your performance by exposing your muscles to injury.

The wisest purchase would be a golf exercise dvd that incorporates both stretching AND strengthening exercises. Now you will see permanent results! You won’t be wasting your time in hopes of a better golf swing.

You’ll see a much higher level of power, accuracy and overall consistency. I am always surprised when a senior golfer says he/she needs to work on their flexibility, and the term strength is not put in there.

We know from statistics the human body loses range of motion AND strength every year that you don’t maintain it. The “use-it-or-lose-it” phrase comes to mind and it’s a true one. Your muscles were meant to be used, not just lay dormant and inactive throughout your later years.

When you start to really understand how the human body works, you’ll have a different outlook on your golf performance program. You will no longer think that the answer is a golf stretching dvd.

Recommended in MORE magazine! Buy this Annette Fletcher DVD at www.worlddancenewyork.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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Workouts for weight loss – Is Stretching Necessary?

Article by Stephen Skyvington-Diplock

An area often overlooked as being unimportant is stretching. However, some fitness experts consider stretching and flexibility to be important in promoting better movement and improved flexibility resulting and improved muscle relaxation after finishing workouts.

In any exercise or training regimen, certain guidelines should be followed to ensure effective results. Workouts for weight loss exist on the web and are available via e-books, but do they all provide information on the basics. In order to understand what is good training and exercise and what is not, it is important to understand what is good practice in any training, weight loss or exercise regimen

A good general fitness program will also give some focus to stretching and flexibility. The structure for general training and exercise should include the following basics.

1) Perform stretching exercises should be performed prior to the start of any warm up exercise.2) Perform structured warm up exercises3) Then get into your actual exercising – consisting of your workouts.4) Perform structured warm down exercises.5) Finally perform stretching exercises on completion of warm down exercises

When stretching center on typically tight muscle areas extending them sensibly, this is with reference to hamstring and lower back part of the body. Stretch calf muscles because experience will tell you that they can stiffen and pull if you are not careful. The right stretching exercises will feel comfortable and will not feel painful.

We exercise to strengthen our heart muscles, as well as the lungs. Workouts for weight loss can also help the body burn calories more efficiently, which successively aids in losing weight. In today’s modern world, more advanced and modern training methods, such as strength training and interval training will help you burn more calories in and out of the gym. With the right workouts for weight loss you can skyrocket your post-workout metabolism allowing you to burn almost twice as many calories as you would with traditional workouts.

How long should our exercise period last?

Generally, fifteen to thirty minutes of exercise can be considered a regular training session. Performing as few as three workouts per week, with each workout lasting less than fifty minutes in length. Workouts for weight loss will achieve rapid fat loss.

Using free weights in order to strengthen the muscles are exercises commonly used in strength training and will result in strengthening the muscles, bones and connective tissue. This is important as it tends to builds up muscles and helps increase body metabolism and that will reduce body fat.

Strength, as well as interval and fat burn exercises incorporated in workouts for weight loss, are contained in the turbulence-training program. Building up the muscles in the lower back, shoulders, chest, and the arms can be achieved with strength exercises. Testimonials show that followers of Turbulence Training experience real improvements in as little as three forty-five minute sessions a week. The Turbulence training workouts, which include workouts for weight loss will lose you fat, gain muscle, make you stronger, and still get you in and out of the gym in under an hour. Your training whether at home or in the gym can be achieved in as little as three days per week.

Types of Stretching

Article by Jonathan Blood Smyth

The limitations in flexibility which people exhibit are of interest to a large group of professions from medicine to physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic. Yoga and other eastern traditions have employed stretching techniques called asanas for thousands of years although this was not their primary purpose. The eastern martial arts, such as karate, judo and taekwondo, also emphasise flexibility in the performance of these comprehensive martial ways of living. Flexibility is not precisely defined but in anatomical terms it mostly refers to the ability of joints to go through a particular range of motion.

Ballistic versus Static Stretching

Stretching, when you get down to details, has a lot of controversial and uncertain matters which are unresolved. The pros and cons of static and ballistic stretching is one discussion point. Static stretching is overwhelmingly more common but most activities and sports have a large dynamic component so ballistic stretching may reflect more accurately the actual physical challenges. Ballistic stretching can be more interesting and reduce the boredom associated with static regimes.

Ballistic stretching does have severe possible negative characteristics which can limit their usefulness. Rapid elongation of a muscle and the accompanying connective tissues means the tissues do not have the time they need to adapt by more permanent lengthening as using longer periods of low force stretching has been shown to be more effective. Muscles which are stretched quickly can react by reflexly contracting to prevent injury, limiting elongation. If the movement develops much momentum this can cause forces which overwhelm the tissues’ tolerances.

Stretching Statically

Static stretches are performed by holding a position for a specific period of time, either once or several times. Controlling the position is important as is eliminating any velocity of movement and holding the static position carefully. Joints and tissues have been shown to increase their ranges of motion or length in response to static stretching. This technique is easily performed and requires very little effort, perhaps reducing muscle soreness or providing other potential benefits which are not yet supported by any evidence.

Whilst effective, static stretching is often used alone without thinking about any requirements for ballistic performance in an activity or sport. There have been many supposed benefits and these include:

Warm up is enhanced by stretching. As stretching does not increase the temperature of contractile structures this seems not to be the case.

Cool down is enhanced by stretching. The mechanism of cooling down is to facilitate the diversion of blood from the exercising muscles back into the circulation. Passive stretches cannot achieve this.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is relieved by stretching. This idea has not been supported by any evidence.

Performance in athletics and sport is improved by stretching. Dynamic flexibility is more closely allied to athletic ability and static stretching has little evidence to support this idea.

Stretching helps to prevent injury. While lack of flexibility can be associated with increased injuries, stretching has not been connected with a reduction in this risk. Recent research has indicated that stretching before exercise might actually increase the chances of injury rather than reduce them.

In physiotherapy movements of the patient are classified in slightly different ways and this can also be applied to stretching. If a person moves their joint through a range of movement the movement is said to be active, in other words performed by the person themselves. If the physiotherapist moves a person’s limb for them entirely the movement is said to be passive, performed by somebody else. Stretching can be looked upon in the same way.

Active physiological stretching occurs when the patient lifts their arm up using their own muscles, automatically stretching the muscles and joint tissues which oppose the active muscles. Physiological movement is the normal movement we are all familiar with and if active range is not full the physiotherapist will investigate why from the reasons which include pain, weakness or stiffness. The treatment of the joint will be partly determined by the result of the passive physiological tests ” if the joint moves fully under the physiotherapist’s effort then weakness is the likely cause of limitation as the joint can move well. Physiotherapists also employ accessory movements in treatments, facilitating the small slide and glide movements which occur in normal joint motion.

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