It is very important to improve the flexibility of your back, this is because you never know when you may over stretch it or bend in an awkward manner that may tweak it and cause lower back pain that can be quite excruciating. Your spine is a very delicate part of your body as it helps with maintaining your balance and support, as well as aiding movement. Back pain is quite common these days due to our changing lifestyles, a lot of people live a sedentary lifestyle these days and this inactivity has contributed to increased back related issues amongst a large number of people.
It has become pertinent that you engage in some form of back exercise to help improve its flexibility and your health in general. Here’s one exercise that you can try out today to help improve the strength of your back.
This exercise takes only 2 minutes of your time, so you can try it out every morning and evening before you go to work and before bedtime respectively. You should know that a sedentary lifestyle is responsible for minor to severe pain conditions of your discs, muscles and joints.
This exercise is by a renowned yoga instructor by name of Vytas Baskauskas and here’s what you need and how it’s done:
- Carpet mat – 1
- A strap – 1 or one towel
The Exercise
- Lie flat on your back on the carpet mat and bend your knees upwards.
- Put your arms on either side of your body with the palm of your hands facing upwards.
- Keep this posture for some seconds.
- Raise one leg, while the other leg is still bent at the knee and wrap your raised foot with the strap or towel and pull on the two ends of your strap to put pressure on your foot.
- Do this for about 30 seconds.
- Repeat this with your other foot.
- Then you need to try the stretching exercise again, only this time you extend both legs. One leg flat on the mat and the other raise as high as you can with the strap or towel wrapped round the sole of the foot.
- You should pull as hard as you can on the two ends of the strap.
- Do this for 30 seconds and repeat by switching legs.
- When you do this exercise regularly, you will help your spine to gain some flexibility while helping to tone your calf muscles and stretch your hamstrings.
Note:
- In executing this exercise you need to maintain a good breathing sequence, as it helps to calm you and ease your anxiety.
Source: Be Extra Healthy Now
Leave a Reply