When it comes to your health, you can never take anything for granted.
Whether you stay in great shape or exercise is essentially a foreign concept to you, doing all you can for your health is important.
With that in mind, even the healthiest of people oftentimes end up dealing with back injuries.
From injuring oneself during a workout to even something as innocent as getting out of bed the wrong way, a back injury can make you feel as if your body is in agony.
So, whether you’ve had a recent back injury or you want to do all you can to prevent them, make sure you don’t set yourself up for potential lifetime back issues.
Exercising and Moves Can Be Troubling
Although sitting or lying around all day are both neither good for your back, exercising excessively (or the wrong way) and moving stuff around can be problematic too.
That said here are four ways to lessen the chance for back injuries:
- Improper lifting – Whether you lift weights for exercise (see more below) or you’re lifting furniture or other items during a move, improper lifting can throw your back out of whack in a heartbeat. When it comes to lifting things, be sure you use your knees to take the brunt of the action. For example, if you are moving from one residence to another, you may forgo hiring professional movers, instead opting to do it with just a few friends of family members. If you decide to put some or all of your possessions in a storage unit at some point, you likely know that many units are oftentimes limited in size. Whether you have storage units Indiana or those closer to where you reside, do your best to get one where space is not an issue. By having plenty of room to maneuver around, you’re less likely to injure your back bending the wrong way and/or injure yourself by tripping over something;
- Exercise properly – If you like to exercise, more power to you. Too many Americans forgo exercising regularly, thereby setting themselves up for health issues now and down the road. That said any exercise you do should be done with proper techniques in mind. For instance, if you play tennis, make sure you do plenty of stretching before starting your match. Not doing so can set you up for injuring your back, especially given all the twisting and turning you do during a match. If you lift weights, proper lifting techniques are essential. Bending the wrong way can throw your back out of whack in a heartbeat. That can set you back for days or weeks at a time, so avoid it at all costs.
Your Posture is Quite Important
- Proper posture – Even if you do not sit at a desk most of the day for work, keeping an eye on your posture is important. In many instances, bad posture can be the beginning of back issues. Although you’ve likely been told to sit up straight countless times in your life, it is quite important when all is said and done. You might also look into getting some sort of a back brace, especially if you are in a sitting position for your daily job;
- Weight matters – Finally, while you do not (and should not) have to be as slim as a rail, make sure you do not become significantly overweight. Becoming the latter can easily put way too much pressure on your back, potentially leading to many years of discomfort. Keep in mind that your back is active in just about every move you make on a daily basis, so lots of excess weight is only going to make the situation worse.
From moving furniture and appliances to improper or a lack thereof of exercise are not the ways you want to treat your back.
Be smart about how you move around, giving your back plenty of reasons to love you back.