Spine solution

A person is as young as their spinal column — Joseph Pilates.

Do you sit in an office chair or on your couch for more than six hours a day? Then here are some disturbing facts: Your risk of heart disease has increased by up to 64 per cent. You’re shaving off seven years of quality life. You’re also more at risk for certain types of cancer. Simply put, sitting is killing you. That’s the bad news. The good news: It’s easy to counteract no matter how lazy you are.

Backache

There are no nutritional cures for backache. The most you can do is control obesity that puts additional strain on the spine and may contribute to the problem. A sensible diet and fitness programme will assist you in losing weight which may help ease the pain. By ensuring that your diet contains all the nutrients needed for healthy bones and muscles you can reduce the developing problem.

1. You can start off by eating plenty of:

Oily fish, Cabbage, guava, papaya and kiwi fruit as they are rich in vitamins

 2. Cut down on:

Coffee, tea and other caffeinated drinks Fried food and sugar if you are overweight.

Protein also helps to build strong muscle tissue that your back needs while vitamin B3, also known as Niacin, strengthens and nourishes the nerve tissues.  Oily fish like sardines, mackerel and salmon are a good source of Niacin. They have vitamin D that helps the body absorb calcium and is also important for developing and maintaining healthy bones and nerves.

Breathing and the spine:

Each breath we take moves our spine through its primary movement patterns: extension and flexion. When our spine’s movement is restricted, our breathing is restricted and vice versa. If our workout ignores these restrictions, we stay in a rut of habitual patterns of restricted movement and breathing, limiting our capacity for grace, core stability and emotional expression.

How to breathe:

Full, deep breathing brings many significant benefits and the natural way to invite full deep breaths is to first develop a complete inhalation and exhalation pattern.

Tips: 

1. Keep the abs engaged.

2. The movement of the arms should not affect the alignment of the ribcage.

The following exercises are useful for people whose work puts pressure on the spine. They can be done in the office while standing against a wall. You should repeat each exercise four times and follow the breathing patterns while focusing on your spine.

Giraffe:

This involves the lengthening of the back and neck.

 • Sit up straight (sitting on a flat-seated chair will do fine)

 • Feel your back against the chair and rest your arms on the chair, beside your thighs

•  Let the top of your head point towards the ceiling

•   Allow your shoulders to relax

•   Then slowly inhale and exhale. You will feel your sternum moves forward and rise, while your torso is being lifted.

If you get this right you will notice how your breathing results in a quiet expansion of sides, front and back.

Head nod:

This is an extension of the lengthening of the spine and is also considered an integral part of many Pilates exercises that articulates the spine in a forward bend.

 •  Inhale to lengthen the spine and tilt the chin downwards, pointing towards your chest, while standing against a wall.

 •  Continue to inhale and exhale to return to your neutral position. Inhale and tip the head back a little bit and exhale to return to your relaxed position.

Arms over shoulders (standing): 

•  Inhale and lift your arms with your finger tips pointing towards the ceiling.

•  Exhale while rolling down the arms. Do not over stretch the arm downwards.

•  Keep repeating the process: Inhale to bring the arms up again and exhale to bring them down.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 23^rd, 2012.

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