Here’s The Quickest Way To Build Muscle And Lose Fat
So, you want quads the size of tree trunks or biceps that bust out of the sleeves of your shirt?
Well, let me ask, are you taking a step forward, each and every day, going after what you want to achieve?
Or are you a member of the “I want it now but don’t want to work for it” club, simply sitting back waiting for things to come to you?
It’s no secret that life rewards action. If you sit back and wait for things to come to you, I hope you have a lot of time to wait. The true power to reach your bodybuilding goals is your ability to consistently take action each and every day.
In fact, can you imagine how much closer to your muscle building goals you’d be if you simply resolved to do ONE thing each and every day that would bring you closer to that goal.
Good things would start adding up quickly, and like the snowball that keeps getting bigger while rolling down the snowy hill, you too would find your muscles getting bigger.
Successful people are not necessarily those that make the right decisions all of the time. But they do make decisions and better yet, act upon them.
If what they do doesn’t work the first time, they simply try something else until they get their desired result.
What amazes me is the number of people I see and talk to that are not happy with their current physique or muscularity, yet they keep doing the same things over and over again, expecting different results!
Thomas Jefferson once wrote “I’m a firm believer in luck, and I’ve found the harder I work, the luckier I get.”
Well, the same is true in bodybuilding. How hard do you work for the things you seek? Do you take some form of action each day and go after them?
Do you get in the car and drive to the gym in the snow when you could just grab some cocoa and sit in and watch a movie?
Do you slam a protein shake when you’re done your muscle-blasting workout or do you just wait a few hours for dinner?
Do you do an intense cardio session when it would be far easier to sit on the couch?
The great thing about taking action each and every day towards a specific bodybuilding goal is, sooner or later, the momentum you build is overwhelming and you find yourself closer to your goal than ever expected.
It was once said that “Good things come to those who wait, but it’s the leftovers from those who hustle.”
I would like to challenge you for two weeks.
Each and every day for two straight weeks, do something, anything, that brings you closer to whatever fitness goal you may have. Take some form of action every single day.
Whether you are beginning an exercise program or consider yourself advanced, sit down, go over what you are looking to achieve, and then plot out specific steps you need to take to accomplish these goals.
Then get acting on them. You’ll find that the more you act on things, the more good things happen.
The great thing about taking action towards a specific goal each and every day is that the Law of Momentum will start to take hold.
Meaning, a body in motion tends to remain in motion unless acted upon by some outside force.
The flip side, of course, is a body at rest tends to remain at rest unless acted upon by some outside force.
Accept the challenge, do one or more things every day for the next two weeks that will move you closer to a specific goal you have and see how the Law of Momentum starts to take effect in your life.
Whether you realize it or not…you have chosen to be where you are.
Success is easy – if you work hard, consistently follow your plan, stay committed and determined, and don’t give up until you have what you want.
Shawn Lebrun is an online personal trainer and natural bodybuilder that will show you, step by step, how to build muscle and lose fat in less time. Visit shawnlebrufitness.com/getshredded.html Shawn LeBrun Fitness to learn how.
Build Muscle and Gain Weight
How would you like to build muscle and gain weight at the same time? In fact, in the past 3 weeks I gained 14 pounds by following a few simple steps. I guarantee you that you’ll see the same success if you follow the simple steps that I am going to outline below.
The first step is to do something to actually stimulate muscle growth. There are various ways to stimulate muscle growth, but the best way is to lift heavy weights. Why is lifting heavy weights so important? This will create the most micro-trauma to your muscle cells. Your muscles will respond by becoming bigger and stronger. The best exercises for you to do are the bench press, deadlift, squat, chin-up, barbell row, and military presse. These are called compound exercises. They will benefit you more than any other exercise while you’re trying to build muscle and gain weight.
The next vital step is to eat healthy. Not only should you be eating healthy, but you should be eating a lot. I know that you think you already eat a lot, but in reality you’re still not eating enough. The average 150 pound person will have to eat at least 3,000 calories per day to gain muscle. This means you’ll have to eat at least 500 calories for 6 meals each day. I would like to share a simple formula to follow to build muscle and gain weight. Simply multiply your current weight by 20. The product of this amount will equal the amount of calories you need. So if you weigh 170 pounds, you will need 3,400 calories to build muscle.
The last step you need to build muscle and gain weight is sleep. You should be sleeping at least 8 hours each night. Your body releases large amounts of HGH when you are asleep. This helps your muscles begin the repair process while building back bigger and stronger.
Let’s recap what you need to do-
1. Lift heavy weights.
2. Eat healthy.
3. Get adequate rest.
By Shaun Allen
There are a few other vital tips that will help you gain muscle. Go ahead and take a look at this special page to gain access to these tips. betterbodyjourney.com/adtrackz/go.php?c=buildmuscle betterbodyjourney.com/adtrackz/go.php?c=buildmuscle
Healthy Fiber Food
There are easy ways to ensure you get plenty of healthy fiber from the foods that you eat. By choosing from a variety of fruits, veggies and grains, you can also get a full spectrum of nutrients and avoid counting “grams of fiber” which can make your diet easier to follow.
The best choices for healthy fiber may be found in foods without labels. Fruits and vegetables have natural fiber in their skin and some even throughout the entire fruit, such as an apple. Eating a diet of organic fruits and vegetables not only gives plenty of fresh, natural fiber, but also provides needed liquid to help your body use the fiber.
Fruits and vegetables provide plenty of fresh vitamin/mineral water. This water or juice is in perfect balance so our bodies assimilate it easier than any multi-vitamin pill or vitamin/mineral water that has been enhanced with lab versions of a nutrient. Because of its high water and fiber content, fruits are considered by many to be our bodies’ natural cleanser.
Be careful when incorporating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet. If you have been used to eating processed foods, you may find certain vegetables seem a little difficult to digest – and they can be, especially in the evenings when your body’s natural digestion is slower. Eat smaller portions, don’t mix too many raw vegetables at once and be sure to chew completely before swallowing to ensure proper digestion in the stomach.
Whole grains are an excellent healthy fiber food and also contain important nutrients such as magnesium, potassium and selenium. These are easily incorporated into a daily diet and can come in many forms including bread, cereals and snack foods such as popcorn.
Be sure to use the whole grain version and organic if possible. How to tell? Look for the words “whole grain” and “organic” on the label (if there is one). Avoid foods that have “bleached” flour or that are “enriched,” to make sure that you get the full nutritional value. For breads, try sprouted grains. Sprouted grain bread has 400 times the nutrition of non-sprouted grain bread.
Besides whole grain breads, you can have barley, brown rice, buckwheat, millet and wild rice with your meals. For breakfast, oatmeal is an excellent choice if you get tired of bran cereal. Try snacking on whole-wheat crackers or popcorn.
No matter what your choice, be sure to thoroughly chew your food. The fiber in any food will not do much good unless the digestive process is started in the mouth. Your teeth must break down the fiber here to ensure the stomach and intestines are able to do their job and fully utilize all the nutrients and natural fibers found in these whole foods.
Cindy Papp was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 1992. She started using various cleansing and holistic programs in 1994 which lead to total recovery in 1998. She is free of the disease to date. Her experiences led her to manage a holistic health center, become a Certified Nutritional Counselor, a Certified Colon Therapist and trained in massage therapy. She went on to own and operate a health center in the San Fernando Valley of California, specializing in total body cleansing, until she sold it 2004.
Cindy has put much of her expertise on cleansing on her website springclean-cleanse.com springclean-cleanse.com where you can learn more about the right way to cleanse, and how to choose the best cleanse for you.
Learn more about your digestion and fiber at
How Do Nutrition and Mental Health Work Together For Your Benefit?
How exactly does nutrition and mental health go together? What effect does the food we eat have on our mental well being? Can we make some changes that will positively influence our brains and the state we find ourselves in? Absolutely.
The foods we eat can greatly affect the body and its systems. The types of nutrients (or the lack of them) determines how our body and mind operates. If you find yourself dealing with anxiety, depression and other mental issues making some adjustments in your diet may help.
Mental nutrition and health related food is not something new, but has been somewhat overlooked by the public and to an extent health professionals. Diet and exercise are usually offered up as helpful tips to combat mental disorders, but the information is often general. Usually doctors go for therapy and drugs for more noticeable forms of depression and anxiety. They do so without more specifically looking at how natural substances can help without the need for drugs or other expensive options.
However, recent nutrition and mental health studies have begun to highlight specific natural substances that directly impact mood, anxiety and depression. Many of these we can get in our diet by adjusting the foods we eat. Unfortunately, most of us don’t get enough of these even by eating right due to the fact that much of the food we get in stores is processed to the point of removing nutrients. Usually a person will need to both eat the right foods and use supplements to get the total amount needed to make a change in their mental state.
Mental nutrition and health experts have noticed that B complex vitamins have a role in mental function and mood. B complex vitamins have been understood to help provide energy to the body by working in the process of breaking down food into energy more efficiently, but research also shows that they work in the brain to protect and maintain nerve cells and brain function. Increasing levels of B complex vitamins brought noticeable improvement in mood, memory and mental energy for those studied over time.
The nutrition and mental health studies also noted that what was good for the heart was also good for the mind. Reducing bad fats and increasing Omega 3 fatty acids like those found in fish had a positive effect on the brain as well. Omega 3’s contain DHA and EPA two fatty acids that help create healthy nerve cells and promote mood and function. There have been studies using Omega 3’s to treat depression with positive results.
In addition to eating less fatty foods, increasing Omega 3’s and B vitamins, mental nutrition and health experts also recommend adding some nutritional supplements to the mix. These supplements contain various natural extracts and compounds that the body needs to produce neurotransmitters and other brain chemicals necessary for proper communication between nerve cells as well as regulating things like mood.
For example, 5-HTP is a substance the body uses to create serotonin. Serotonin, is a brain chemical that is responsible for mood, appetite, sleep functions, etc. People fighting depression and insomnia often have issues with their serotonin levels. A supplement with 5-HTP can help the body to increase the level of serotonin in the brain and alleviate the symptoms of depression and sleeplessness.
Another substance recommended by nutrition and mental health research is SAM-e. SAM-e has been used in Europe and other countries for years to treat depression and other mental issues but has only recently begun to see use in the US. SAM-e is used by the brain to create a variety of brain chemicals and neurotransmitters. Studies done on SAM-e showed that some people started responding to it in literally hours, noticing positive effects. SAM-e may also be helpful to people who can’t take prozac or who don’t respond well to the drug.
There are other compounds too like L-Tyrosine, Acetyl L-Carnitine, choline, etc. that are helpful. However, we don’t have time or space to go into all of them here. The important things is that there are natural substances out there that memory-enhancement-guide.com/brain_nutrients.html nutrition and mental health experts are now offering their patients in light of recent research. These substances can have a profound impact on lifting depression, anxiety and reducing stress. As with anything it is important to find a health provider who is familiar and comfortable with these things that can help you decide what might help you and what might interact with any medicines you are taking. Aside from that, making some simple adjustments in the food you eat and taking a daily supplement may be just what you need to get to a better place mentally.
J. Wall has an avid interest in natural remedies for the treatment of memory loss. He is a regular contributor to the memory-enhancement-guide.com Mental nutrition and Health section of memory-enhancement-guide.com memory-enhancement-guide.com, a site dedicated to improving mental ability and cognitive function.
Headaches After Eating – Cause For Concern?
Do you get headaches after eating? This could be a serious problem as I will get into very shortly. However, let’s try to avoid needless worry by ruling out if you need to make a visit to the doctor.
First of all, if you have only experienced a few headaches after eating, that is if it has only happened once or twice, then you likely don’t have cause for concern. However, you do want to remember what you ate when you did get a headache so you can avoid that food in the future. That’s just common sense. You could have food allergies to something you are eating and that is what is actually causing the headache. Bring it up with your doctor the next time you see him or her.
Of course, if it’s more than headaches after eating, such as swelling of the throat then you will want to go to the emergency room immediately as you might be having a serious allergic reaction to something you ate.
Now, if you are getting headaches after eating everyday or every meal then you could have a very serious problem that you will want to bring to the attention of a doctor immediately. This could be a sign of diabetes, which if left untreated could kill you. Luckily, diabetes is treatable and doesn’t have to be life threatening if you modify for your diet and begin exercising on a regular basis.
What is diabetes? It is a disease that more and more Americans are suffering from every year. It is being forecasted that over 33% of American will have diabetes within the next 10 years. This is mainly because our diet is getting poorer as days go by. Very often, depending on the kind of diabetes you have, you can completely cure yourself by eating a proper diet and exercising regularly. Some diabetes suffers have even been able to completely come off their medication. So, the diabetes may be the cause of your headaches after eating.
If your headaches after eating are isolated or don’t occur often, maybe only once a month, then you probably don’t have a serious problem. It could either be a coincidence that you get the headaches after eating, or you could have food allergies. When you eat the food you are allergic to, you may get a headache. Pay attention to what you are eating when you get the headaches and don’t eat that food again, or eat less of it.If you get headaches after eating everyday then you should see a doctor immediately to rule out diabetes.
Jonathan Higgins writes on the causes and treatments of headaches. He writes for several websites including effective-headache-cures.com/general-headache/sudden-severe-headaches-and-vomiting-could-be-the-sign-of-a-serious-problem-13/ Effective Headache Cures.
Going Organic Without Breaking the Bank
Going organic could be one of your new year resolutions, but can you go organic without breaking the bank?
We at organicpassion.info are happy to show you how to go organic and we want to make sure you get the most for your money. Here’s how:
1. Mail Order
Some organic farmers sell their meat direct to the customer so you know exactly where it has come from. Buy in bulk and freeze. Organic fruit and vegetables deteriorates quickly because they are not sprayed with preservatives. Chilling often helps prolong freshness. 
Here are some storage tips:
* Lettuce, spinach and other leafy vegetables – break off the leaves, wash or soak in cold water as soon as possible, dry and store in plastic bags in the fridge.
* Potatoes and onions – store in a cool ,dark cupboard
* Avocados and apples – keep out of direct sunlight
* Bananas – keep away from other fruits and vegetables as they release a chemical that speeds the ripening process. Never refrigerate.
2. Farm shops
Farmers sell their own produce directly from the farm, thus minusing the middleman cost. Therefore, produce maybe marginally cheaper than in a supermarket. Otheri items such as apple juice, milk, eggs, poultry and meat may also be on offer.
3. Farmer’s markets
Local organic farmers bring their goods to the weekly market to sell directly to you. Preference is given to organic producers and those committed to sustainable farming practices. Prices are similar to buying direct from a farm shop. There’re a good place to find organic herbs, jams, pickles, cheeses, and yogurts.
4. Create your own co-operative
Get together with a group of neighbours or friends and share the cost of bulk-buying foods such as rice, nuts, lentils and flour.
5. Grow your own
If you have a garden, then it’s cheapest and most rewarding way to enjoy organic crops of potatoes, strawberries, rhubarb and so on.
Valerie Mae is a natural and organic beauty and wellness practitioner. She is part of the Organic Passion team that are dedicated in educating people on the benefits of eliminating chemicals and adopting a natural and organic lifestyle. Read more about their organic findings at organicpassion.info organicpassion.info
Wise Vitamin Intake
Although nature intended for us to receive the needed vitamins and minerals through food consumption, the changes that have been occurring in people’s lifestyles, working environments, free time and rest hours, have tremendously altered their dietary habits and thus, the quantity of vitamins and mineral supplements received. In order to resolve this recent negative development, physicians and researchers have been advising people to take vitamin and mineral supplements. But although governments set guidelines of how much of each vitamin and mineral people should take in order to stay within the safe range, many people believe these levels are too low and consume larger doses of vitamins thinking that they are doing good with this extra vitamin and mineral intake.
Unfortunately, this is not the case and there is worse. Some people justify their poor eating habits and try to provide sound arguments against eating properly during the day, by saying that they orally take a few vitamin and mineral pills to cover their bodies’ needs. These people are catastrophically wrong. Not only they do not receive their normal amount of energy through food, they can cause even bigger harm by consuming pills that have not been advised by their doctor. Even if one follows a balanced diet it is not advisable to consume more than the directed dose of vitamins and minerals, but taking extra vitamins and minerals within the guidelines are considered safe.
The Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA’s) for each vitamin and mineral have been set by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. The recommended doses were based on studies completed more than 25 years ago to see how much of each vitamin and mineral the human body needed and how much people received from foods. But exactly because the guidelines are now more than one quarter of a century old, some people think that the RDA’s need to be increased as they consider them antiquated. In fact, in recent years some RDA’s, such as Vitamin C, have been increased. But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been slow and hesitant to increase others because of studies that indicated taking more is not always better.
Vitamins are nutrients required for essential metabolic reaction in the body and along with minerals are extremely important substances in fighting disease and curing many ailments. Until the 1900s, vitamins could only be obtained by eating food, but many people today believe vitamins can stop the aging process, prevent or even heal cancer, grow back hair, ease arthritis, prevent Alzheimer’s disease, and many other health related conditions. People are spending absolutely billions of dollars on vitamin and mineral supplements believing they can cure all their illness.
Researchers are now studying if taking supplements above the recommended levels is actually harmful and the results have shown that while some vitamins are harmful if taken above their recommended levels, others are not. For instance, overdosing yourself with Vitamin E (at more than 1,000 mg) it is possible to cause bleeding. Also, Vitamin C used to be thought of a safe vitamin to take megadoses of and many people take a lot thinking it can cure a cold and prevent cancer. But the FDA disproves of such practices and supports that too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea. The best approach to vitamin and mineral supplements is to only take what is a prudent dose. In case you think you need to take more for some reason, then it is best if you consult with your doctor who is familiar with your exact health history and can give you expert advice.
Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including ihealthstation.net/ Health, yoursciencesource.com/ Science, and 4alternativehealth.com/ Alternative Health.
You Can’t “Spot Reduce” So Stop Trying
People have problem areas. Even people, who have achieved their ideal body weight, will still have problem areas. It could be the love handles, the flabby arms, the sagging skin or the hips. Then you will find the market offering all sorts of products, from creams and applications to get rid of the fats to gadgets and machines to tone the arms, thighs or the abs.
However, there is one reality check you have to make. You cannot spot reduce. The attempt to do so is not going to work and it will not be for your good.
Why Can’t I Spot Reduce?
The market misinforms the public of the benefits that can be expected from their so-called revolutionary products when in fact there really are no revolutionary results to look forward to.
1. Healthy Diet Is Important
Diet is an important element to get rid of the undesirable body fats. The foods that you eat have calories and cholesterols that get stored in your body, probably amassing on those problem areas of yours. The diet is the main culprit for presence of fats.
So no matter how much you depend on those gadgets in the market, it will remain defenseless if you keep indulging in sweets, fatty foods or junk foods.
2. Spot Reduction Is a Mere Myth
It is not healthy to believe what those people say about the productivity of spot reduction efforts. The products you see on the market require nothing but merely attach or apply them on the problem areas. What about your other body parts? What about the other requirements of the body?
In any healthy endeavors, you must be on the top of your physiology. You should know what it takes to achieve a goal. For example, if you want six-packs in your stomach, you have to know what it takes to get them.
Some people out there would claim that if you want to improve the look of your stomach, you simply have to concentrate on abdominal exercises or use the gadgets that will do the exercise for you. Again, you cannot spot reduce. You cannot achieve the goal with simply doing that one abdominal exercise.
The fat can not just come off on its own by just using a gadget. Genetics has to do with it. Diet has to do with it. Lifestyle has to do with it.
The truth is, before you can even aim for the six-packs on the stomach, you will have to take away the fats first.
So doing 500 crunches a day will only exhaust you but it will not get rid of those fats. Your body will not burn the fats stored in that spot you are targeting. Actual workouts can actually address this. With this, the fats are burned one at a time, and not just in one area. It has a more integrated system of reducing the fats in the body.
Then you will also have to gain body mass. At this point, the only way you can only get rid of the fats and get some body mass is to have a healthy diet and do cardio exercises.
Only after surpassing the diet and cardio requirements can you focus on the abdominal exercises. This is the only proper time to really focus on working out for the six-packs.
3. There Are No Shortcuts
Miracle diets, pills and potions are mere shortcuts that will lead you to a dead end. If a healthy body is aimed, you have to work for it. You have to earn it.
We truly are living in a fast world with the advancement of technology, but your body still is very much natural. Thus you will still have to be grounded to what is naturally required by the body, healthy diet, regular exercise and considerable amount of time to develop that desirable state.
4. Health and Fitness Require Commitment
Your dedication to the health of your body is a lifelong commitment. Even if you achieved a good body now, it will not remain so forever if you abuse on your diet and lifestyle. It needs to be loved and taken care of, regularly.
That is why if you will depend on the spot reduction claims, it will really bring you nowhere. You can only hope, but you cannot expect. So if you aim for the healthy body; get an exercise program for your self and make some changes in your diet. Give your self a holistic development. Improve not only the body, but your outlook in life as well.
Do It the Proper Way
With all these points raised, the bottom line is to simply get healthy the proper way. The saying still holds true. No pain, no gain. So do not be a victim of the misleading information and empty promises thrown upon you. Simply know the proper options. Take the matter into your own hands and enjoy the benefits of a healthy body.
LA is a free lance writer who enjoys writing articles to give consumers enough information to make informed decisions.
For more information on health and fitness visit LA’s site bestlife-la.blogspot.com bestlife-la.blogspot.com
For more information on self help and motivation visit LA’s site mitm-la.blogspot.com mitm-la.blogspot.com
For some of the best ebooks and downloadable software online visit downloadsonline.org/r/lazieg Top Downloads Online – E Books, Software, Information and Downloads
Secrets of Thai Massage is Total Relaxation
Every culture of the world practices some kind of massage. Thailand has a long standing history of massage where the person gets “stuck heart” or as the Thais put it “Dtit jai”. Anybody who has undergone a Thai massage gets heart-stuck to it. Like Thai food, visitors also get addicted to Thai massage. It is so popular that most towns have at least one massage parlor. Massage is an integral part of Thai culture, as parents “massage” their children and thus pass the skills down through the generations. Thai massage originated in Thailand but today taught in all major massage school. These oriental techniques bring Eastern massage philosophies here to the West, where they are used to release tension and bring an overall improvement to one’s well being. This total relaxation helps you to win your depression.
Thai massage just like Ayurvedic massage technique integrates certain Eastern spiritual techniques into traditional massage. During a Thai massage session, you can expect to have your muscles kneaded so they soften from all of the tension knots. However, the difference between Thai massage and traditional massages is that Thai massages use certain Eastern techniques such as deep breathing, and the knowledge of pressure points. The end result of total relaxation is always assured in every form of Thai massage.
Total relaxation with a Thai massage session
You may fall in love and addicted to Thai massage and you’ll likely never want to return to a traditional western massage again. Thai massage therapists believe that, to give a good massage, one has to be in tune with their body. Your body and mind have to be in a state of total relaxation. To be tense during a massage, they say, is to defeat the very purpose of getting a massage. You cannot release total tension if you resist the Thai massage methods. That’s why these Thai massage techniques are so effective.
This total relaxation helps you to fight against depression.
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To get helpful information, follow the link => aboutmassagetherapy.blogspot.com/2006/11/thai-massage_20.html aboutmassagetherapy.blogspot.com/2006/11/thai-massage_20.html
Back Pain Exercise-Natural Pain Relief
Your back, just like the rest of your body, needs regular exercise to be healthy and strong. It needs a regular fitness regimen to keep it performing at peak efficiency.
Back pain exercise involves exercise of not only your back muscles, but also of those that support your back. The abdomen and thigh muscles are in the second group. You will want to exercise both groups to avoid or alleviate back pain. You may also want to add healthful fish oils to your daily diet to lubricate your joints. This is especially important as you age, since aging joints become more susceptible to painful problems.
Back Pain Exercise You Can Do At Home
A good physiotherapist or chiropractor will be able to teach you many useful exercises for reducing back pain, but these five will get you started.
1. Back, hip, and leg muscles. Stand with your back against a wall. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, your hands on your hips. Inhale and exhale deeply and evenly as you gently slide your back down the wall until your knees are at an angle of about 90 degrees. Count to five, and then gently and slowly slide back to your original position. Repeat five times. This will stretch and strengthen important back, hip, and leg muscles.
2. Abdomen muscles. Lie on your back on the floor. Firmly place your feet flat on the floor. Your knees should be bent and raised toward the ceiling. Lean forward until your head and shoulders leave the floor, trying to touch your knees with both hands. Hold the position as you count to 10. Relax and repeat 5 times. This will strengthen the abdominal muscles that help support your back.
3. Back muscles. Stand with hands on hips, feet slightly apart. Move your hand backward onto the small of your back. Keep your knees straight. Gently bend backwards at the waist as far as you can. Be careful not to bend so far that you increase your back pain. Hold the bend for 2 to 3 seconds. Return to your normal position. This back pain exercise will strengthen the muscles in your back itself. It will also loosen tight back muscles.
4. Hip and back muscles. Use a straight back kitchen or dining chair for this exercise. Stand behind the chair, holding the chair back with both hands. Lift one leg up and back, keeping its knee straight. Return it slowly to position, and lift the other leg up and back in the same way. Repeat 5 times with each leg. This exercise will strengthen hip muscles that support your back, as well as the back muscles themselves.
5. Back and hip muscles. You may want a mat under you for this one. Lying face down on the floor, tighten the muscles in one leg and raise it from the floor. Hold the leg up while you count to ten, and then lower it slowly to the floor. Lift the other leg, count to 10, and lower it slowly to the floor. Repeat 5 times with each leg to give added strength to your back muscles and the hip muscles that support them.
CAUTION: Back Pain Exercise Demands Warm-up!
You’ve heard it before, but this word of caution is important. Before beginning your back pain exercise, talk to your physician about what you plan to do. You may want to show these exercises to him or her and get advice. Then set aside time to exercise regularly, at least every other day.
Back pain exercise demands warm-up, so schedule at least five minutes at the start of your exercise period for that. Warming up lowers blood pressure, improves blood flow to the heart, increases muscle temperature and makes muscles more pliable. Warm up with some type of slow, rhythmic movement. Walking is a good warm-up for your back pain exercises. Use an easy walking pace, inhaling and exhaling evenly and deeply to send oxygen to your muscles.
Back pain exercise has benefits for the rest of your body also. Think of your back as the main core of a healthy body. By giving it simple, low impact exercise each day or every other day, you will strengthen your muscles, preparing them to protect and support the painful area throughout the day.
Get Even More Help for Back Pain
While back pain exercise is a long-term solution to your back pain, you want to reduce your pain right now. You don’t want to wait. You want treatments that will give relief while you make muscles stronger.
© 2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about back pain at backpainreliefblog.com backpainreliefblog.com. You’ll read about back pain treatments you can do at home – and natural ways to get back pain relief.