Traveling Around the Lower Back

The five vertebrae that make up the lower back region are called the lumbar vertebrae, and they carry the weight of your entire upper body, as well as turn, twist, and bend. Beneath the lumbar vertebrae are nine fused vertebrae that together make up the sacrum (the rear wall of the pelvis) and the end of the spine, or the coccyx. But these vertebra don’t stand up straight all by themselves.
The spine is stabilized primarily by a large muscle group that runs on either side of the spine, known as the erector spinae, and by your abdominals. Because no other muscles in your body are capable of such a wide range of movements while supporting such a large weight, they’re uniquely susceptible to tension and strain. The function of all these structures is to maintain good posture. However, as a result of improper movement, muscular imbalance, poor alignment, and/or injury, over time the structures that help maintain fluid movement in your back, such as the intervertebral discs (the soft cartilage between the vertebrae) can begin to be compromised. Because flexibility training can help keep your muscles well balanced and your skeleton properly aligned, stretching is a crucial component of a lifelong commitment to a pain-free and healthy back.

Spinal rotation for back and buttocks

A traditional stretch exists to stretch your buttocks, but by adding a spinal rotation to this buttocks stretch, you can stretch your back and buttocks at the same time. The two-in-one stretch can save you time and stretch your muscles more functionally. A normal function of your daily routine — like bending down and reaching across to pick something up — requires the muscles of your hip to stretch at the same time as the lats on the other side of your back. Stretching this area keeps you flexible.
To do this stretch, follow these steps:

1. Stand up tall with your right foot and right shoulder next to a chair, wall, fence, or other supportive surface for balance.
2. Lift your left foot and place your left ankle on the top of your right thigh.
3. Inhale and as you exhale, bend your right knee and hinge or bend forward at your hips slightly so your hips move backward, similar to a squat.
4. To deepen the stretch, grab hold of the chair or other supportive surface with both hands.
5. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds or four to five slow, deep breaths.
6. Repeat the steps on the other side.

A few do’s and don’ts for this stretch:

• Do breathe regularly throughout the stretch.
• Do tilt your pelvis back to feel a deeper stretch in your buttocks.
• Don’t let your knee jut forward; it should stay directly above your ankle. Feel your weight mostly in your heel, not in your toes or the ball of your foot.
• Don’t bounce or force the stretch.

Happy stretching!

Fitness expert Anupa stresses the need to bring in a lot of variety to our workout schedules. Unless a conscious effort is made from your side you would end up losing most of the vital muscles.

This is a fact that most of us would not want to accept - 2 out of 10 people would love to go for a regular aerobic workout, pump iron in the gym, strap our running shoes and give it a go or do some kind of fitness activity regularly. The rest of the people are still wondering what to do?

Well, the reality is that the body requires movement for sure and more so the body likes a lot of variety. So, even if we have set into a routine and are perfect disciplinarians our body would still benefit from change and variety.

• Rote and repetitive movements can get too monotonous and boring, adherence to them becomes difficult.
• When there is no variety in the form of exercise, the chances of calories getting burnt will also become less. Once the mind understands the routine it can tune the body to its pace.
• Sometimes repetition can cause overuse injuries. When the body is forced to do a particular movement repetitively, there is a possibility to wear down some cartilage, sometimes even tear muscles and tendons.

Hence it is necessary to bring in a lot of variety in to our workout schedules. Again, let us try to cater to the class, or the other 80%, who feel the necessity to move but are still pondering over the choice.

• Try to accumulate 30 minutes of activity in the course of the day. This can be split into 3 ten-minute intervals or 2 fifteen-minute intervals or one full chunk of 30 minutes. The idea is to get some movement that will lower your cholesterol levels, boost up the HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol and lower the LDL (low density lipoprotein) that clogs arteries.
• Make sure you enjoy the moderate activity that you are doing. A do-or-die attitude towards exercise may diminish the positive benefits of exercise.

We will primarily focus on developing two aspects of fitness - strength or endurance and flexibility.

A weight-training programme directly results in developing strength. Within a couple of weeks of starting a weight-training programme you can see a visible gain in muscle strength and endurance. Your daily tasks of lifting grocery bags, opening lids and moving heavy objects would become easier. Let's however look at the major advantages:

1. Fat burning: A consistent weight training routine will see a cumulative effect of an enhanced fat burning capacity. Within 3 months, the body's muscle to fat ratio improves and you would start burning more calories
2. Low risk of osteoporosis: A weight-training programme prevents calcium depletion especially for women post menopause.
3. Easier movement: The general activity level of people who indulge in this training is very high and they find themselves be able to do more things in the available time.
4. Prevents premature aging: Loss of strength is the single most important reason for age-related functional loss, reducing capacity, curtailed activities and even shrinking of the skeleton. If you don't put a muscle to use, you would lose it i.e., the muscle loses its function and this loss occurs at an accelerated rate after 40 years.

Unless a conscious effort is made from our side we would end up losing most of the vital muscles. Especially Indians have a lot of myths built around body-building and all the more women. Ideally as you age a weight training routine will ease the process and you will enjoy it.
Let us now look at the flexibility aspects through stretching. Most of the times stretching exercise looks and feels very painful. The reason being people believe that by over pushing a muscle or a joint a stretch is executed and flexibility maximised. Ideally think of your pet cat or dog at home or any other animal you can remember. They stretch gracefully and sometimes we would even envy them. The stretch executed by them is effortless and the purpose is accomplished. If we know that our body keeps reckoning us to stretch when we maintain monotony the whole day. If we can heed this and stretch accordingly, flexibility is gained. We should not mistake this with clicking of knuckles or other joints.
The accrued benefits of stretching frequently as a part of your routine will find your muscles having lesser tension, less stiffness, better elasticity of the muscles and tendons and reduced risk of injuries.

When executing a stretch keep the following points in mind:

1. Be gentle - a muscle should slowly experience the stretch, only then it lengthens the right way and you can enjoy it.
2. Be patient - Do not be in a hurry to execute the stretch. It takes roughly 10 seconds for the muscle to stop contracting, the next 20 seconds in preparing to stretch and only the following 10 seconds to actually lengthen. Give yourself this time and enjoy the stretch.
3. Be consistent - Do not stretch once in a week or occasionally when you feel like exercising. Stretch regularly like a cat.
4. Warm up - Before executing any stretch ensure your body is warmed up, do not stretch when you are rigid and cold.

So, let's parallelly work on our strength and flexibility.

The author is martial arts practitioner and a personal fitness coach.

Importance of stretching your muscles

Posted By Cotnam, Donna
As much as I promote physical activity, working out on a regular basis and living an active lifestyle, I will be the first to admit that I do not work out every day.

The one thing however, that I do every day is stretch.

I personally feel that stretching is the most important thing you can do for your body.

Stretching enhances your flexibility and co-ordination, as well it improves the muscles 'response time' or reaction.

Muscles and connective tissues shorten over time and that results in less flexibility.

If your muscles have gone some time without being used, they tend to become weaker and rather stiff.

The risk of injury is therefore increased when you call on your muscles to perform suddenly.

Regular stretching exercises to lengthen and strengthen your muscles can reduce your risk of injury.

A warmup prior to any workout has always been recommended.

This should extend to any strenuous physical activity that you are about to engage in (shovelling, gardening, chopping wood).

A warmup is usually comprised of some 'loco-motor' movements such as a few minutes on some stationary cardio equipment, walking or a light jog, combined with stretching exercises for the major muscles. Keep in mind of course that you want to try and avoid too much intense stretching before a muscle is warmed up.

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Prior to your activity, any stretching you perform should be what we refer to as 'dynamic' or active.

This means that the stretch is not held for any length of time.

A common mistake that is made during stretching exercises is to bounce as you stretch.

Bouncing is a rather 'sudden' shock to the muscle and again the result will be injury.

Your muscle will be far better off with a slow and gradual 'push'.

As your flexibility improves your body becomes accustom to the stretches.

Holding a stretch at its extended limit, while at the same time relaxing the muscle will improve your flexibility.

These 'static' stretches are best done after a very physical workout when the muscles are warm.

When you stretch, it is not uncommon to feel a 'pulling' sensation. If this feeling is accompanied with pain, then you need to stop or reduce the intensity at which you are stretching.

Always stretch within your comfort zone and try not to hold your muscles tight and intense. Try to let your muscles relax.

Regular stretching helps to reduce stress and high blood pressure and ensures that the body's 'systems' function better.

Like exercise, regular stretching increases blood flow feeding more oxygen to the muscle and organs thus enabling better performance.

Stretching before, during and after intense physical activity will help to keep you injury-free.

Make sure that your stretching program covers all the major muscle groups. Happy Stretching!!

If you have any fitness related questions please send them along to The Daily Observer or e-mail fitmom@hotmail.com

Lying spinal rotation

The lying spinal rotation is a good stretch to do when you want to stretch several muscles at once. In this stretch, you feel your back, oblique, neck, and chest muscles all stretch at the same time.
This stretch may be a bit uncomfortable at first, so always begin the stretch in your comfort zone for the first 10 to 15 seconds of the stretch, and then gradually increase the resistance of the stretch for the remainder. Never stretch beyond your pain threshold. Beginning slowly gives your muscles a chance to release and loosen up before you try to deepen the stretch. If at any time during this stretch you feel stress and tightness in your back instead of relaxation and lengthening, try keeping both knees bent or placing a block or folded towel under your knee.
This stretch involves the following steps:

1. Lie on your back with both legs extended and both arms extended out from your sides.
2. Inhale and raise your left knee to your chest; slowly cross your knee over your body to the right.
3. Turn your head to the left or opposite direction as you relax into the stretch. Make sure to keep both arms and shoulder blades on the floor during this stretch.
4. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds; release the stretch, and repeat on the other side. This stretch can also stretch your neck, so to do this, look toward your extended arm as you hold the stretch.

A few do’s and don’ts for this stretch:

• Do breathe regularly as you hold the stretch.
• Do progress through the stretch gradually.
• Don’t arch your back.
• Don’t force your knee to the floor; it’s better to keep your shoulder blades on the floor than to get your knee to touch the floor.

Back extension

You see people every day who walk through life with rounded backs. You may even have
this issue yourself. The back extension stretch is here to help you! This stretch is technically for the abdominals, but it’s also great for the back muscles because it moves your spine in the opposite direction, giving the muscles a workout and increasing the mobility of your spine.
To do this stretch, follow these steps:

1. Lie on your belly and prop yourself up with your elbows. Your elbows should be directly under your shoulders. Make sure that you lift yourself up out of your shoulders so that you aren’t sinking into your shoulder blades.
2. Inhale and as you exhale, lengthen your spine and lift your chest as if you were going to move forward. While performing this stretch, imagine that you’re trying to move forward but your elbows and hips are glued to the floor and the space between each vertebra is increasing, lengthening your spine.
3. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds or four to five slow, deep breaths. You should feel this stretch in your abdominals.
4. Repeat the stretch for six to eight repetitions or whatever feels most comfortable to you.

A few do’s and don’ts for this stretch:

• Do keep your neck long and in line with the rest of your spine.
• Do pull your belly in toward your spine.
• Don’t compress your lower back.
• Don’t lift your chest toward the ceiling; think of your chest moving forward and up.

The chop

The chop, so named because of its similar move as in chopping wood, is the king of all functional stretches because it stretches your buttocks, back, abs, and chest all at the same time. To do this stretch, follow these steps:

1. Stand up tall with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.
2. Bend your knees and pivot on your left big toe as you lift your left heel. Your right foot remains on the ground and should be facing forward.
3. Twist your hips to the right and reach both of your arms down and behind you.
4. Hold the position for one deep breath.
5. Come back to center and continue to turn your hips as you reach both arms overhead to the left.
6. Hold this position for one deep breath. You should feel the stretch in your right hip flexor, obliques, and chest.
7. Repeat the stretch from right to left for six to eight repetitions and then work your way up to two sets of eight repetitions as you feel more comfortable.

To protect your back and spine, your hips should move with you and not remain forward throughout the moves.
A few do’s and don’ts for this stretch:

• Do inhale as you reach up and exhale as you bring your arms back down.
• Do lengthen your spine throughout the movement.
• Do hold your abdominals tight to protect your back.
• Don’t arch or compress your lower back.
• Don’t let your knees bow in or collapse inward.
• Don’t swing or create too much momentum; keep the movement fluid and under control.