How to PREVENT PAIN when relaxing

If you are like my husband, you like to sit back and chill when you get the chance. Of course, with two babies, he doesn't get that chance very often... (I am the opposite; when the kids are asleep, I start cooking, cleaning and blogging).

So while you are watching your favorite team or holiday movie, here are some tips for future PAIN PREVENTION.

1. What position are you sitting in when you watch TV? Instead of slumping, try sitting up with a small pillow behind your low back. Or lie on your side for awhile. Or lie on your tummy on the floor.
2. What are you snacking on? If you start bad eating habits when you are younger (when your metabolism is higher), they are hard to break later in life (when your metabolism slows).
3. Make a healthy eating rule for yourself. No junk food until you have had 5 servings of fruits or vegetables that day. So at 10 pm if you want to snack, you may need 3 cups of berries.
4. What are you drinking? Make a healthy drinking rule. No calorie-filled drinks until you have had 6-8 glasses of water that day.
5. Enjoy your relaxation time, but try to add more activity. Exercise is a great form of stress relief! And it helps you to sleep better.

Lumbar Support for BACK PAIN

There is one simple and easy way to sit with improved posture, no matter what chair you are sitting in: to use a lumbar support or lumbar roll. Here are a variety of things you could use for back support. Just place them behind your low back, no matter where you are sitting. You could buy a lumbar roll, but here are some things you probably have around the house that will be just as effective.

1. Roll up a medium-sized bath towel.
2. Fold or roll up a small blanket.
3. Fold up a tablecloth or sheet.
4. Find a small, decorative pillow.
5. If you are in public and do not have a pillow, roll up your sweater or jacket.
6. For women--try using your purse.

The important thing to remember is to use lumbar support consistently. This includes in the car, in your recliner, in waiting rooms, at lunch, when reading, when watching TV, when on your computer, at work, and any other time you have to sit, especially for long periods of time.

Slumped posture may not cause you back pain right now, but it will in the future. So make a choice today to start new posture habits! Your back will thank you.

Low back pain related to sitting posture

Bad sitting posture may not cause you immediate pain, but down the road it will. This is especially true if you have a desk/computer job where you sit most of the day. Slouched sitting posture, done all day, every day, will cause progressive changes in your spine, making it less stable and more prone to injury in the future.

So here are a few tips for improving your sitting posture.

1. Adjust the height of your chair so that you are sitting upright.
2. Stand up for at least 1-2 minutes every hour that you are sitting.
3. Use a rolled up towel or small pillow behind your low back for lumbar support.
4. Make sure that there is a small arch in your low back most of the time when sitting.
5. If the chair you use most of the time forces you to have bad posture, find a different one that gives you better back support.
6. Good posture starts in the low back, not the shoulders. Once your low back is upright, the upper back, shoulders and neck will be more upright also.
7. If possible, do some work in the standing position.
8. Walk around during your lunch break or other breaks. Walk more when you are not working.

Do you have any other suggestions that have helped you to prevent back pain at work?