Back Pain Good Habits to Get #5

How you sleep plays a huge part in the development of back pain. You should be sleeping on our side or back. The biggest contributor to back pain is when you sleep on your stomach. Think about it, the back is not in proper alignment when you are on your stomach - the lower lumbar area is pushed upward instead being allowed to me in it's normal S shape. Also the head is turned putting stress on the musculature of the upper back and neck - the muscles are not in a relaxed position.

Get a body pillow and learn to sleep on your side. You may be amazed at how much this helps!

Back Pain Good Habits to Get #4

Now this one doesn't pertain to guys, but ladies, give up the high heels. Yes they are fashionable, but they can be very hard on the back. You need a good solid flat base of support so that your body is not pitched one direction or the other. This is actually what causes the back muscles to become fatigued and begin to ache.

Back Pain Good Habits to Get #3

Regardless of whether you are sitting or standing for long periods of time, take a break! If you are sitting, get up every hour and move around. You don't have to walk a mile, but at least walk around for 2-3 minutes.

If you are standing in one place, do the same - walk around for a couple of minutes. Changing the position is helpful in terms of keeping the back musculature from becoming over fatigued.

Back Pain Good Habits to Get #2

If you stand most of the day, stand with good posture. Don't stand with all of your weight on one leg. Your weight should be evenly distributed between both legs. Also, if you stand for a long period of time in one place, flex the knees - this will help alleviate the pressure particularly on the lower back.

If you're standing in a pretty still position, think about tightening the calves or curling your toes which activates the muscles in the legs. This will also help alleviate pressure.

If you're working with things that weigh more than a couple of pounds, work with them as close to the body as possible. the further away they are the more torque and pressure that is put on the lower back.

Back Pain Good Habits to Get

Back pain is one of the most common complaints these days. The good news is that there are some habits you can develop to help alleviate your back pain. Over the next few days I'll be going over some of these helpful habits.

First and foremost, if you sit much during the day, be sure that you sit straight up. If you're using a computer, you shouldn't be slouched over to use it. Make sure the key board is the right height when you are sitting straight up. If your chair does not have a built-in lumbar support, the get a lumbar support cushion for your chair. This will help you stay up right and support the lower back which is usually where most back pain is located.

Peanut Butter

I have for many years told my diabetics that they could use a little peanut butter for breakfast to get some protein with their meal. While this is still sound advice, there is more to peanut butter and other nut butters for that matter.

Many people worry about the caloric content. The key word to be aware of here is moderation. I once recommended peanut butter to my brother and he ate half a jar the first time he had some. I had to say, no, no - just 2 tablespoons a day - that is equivalent to one serving.

Nut butters contain lots of good nutrients like unsaturated fats which can help actually lower cholesterol levels. If you're allergic to peanuts, try almond or cashew butter. These not only taste great but have valuable nutrients in them.

Salt Tips #9

If you are eating out, check out the content of sodium in foods online. Most of the chains can be found on line. I know we always pick on McDonald's, but here are some sodium facts about their foods, Big Mac contains 1010 milligrams of sodium. Here's one that may surprise you, McDonald's Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich contains 1690 milligrams of sodium.

Burger King and Wendy's are comparable in their sodium content. So let's look at chicken. Kentucky Fried Chicken regular recipe breast contains 1147 milligrams.

What you can see is that when you eat out the sodium mounts up quickly. When I said a few days ago to shoot for 1000 milligrams, I meant for the whole day not just one meal.