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Sounds too good to be true doesn't it? Get a healthy spine while lying around doing nothing! Well it's not exactly doing nothing, you will need to be aware of your back and how it moves. Modern life is rubbish for our bodies. We were stuffed into shoes at a young age, made to sit at a desk from a young age and now kids sit for hours on playstations as well as at school. All day long we are bent forward in flexion, whether it's at desk, slouching on the couch, pushing a pram or spending your day in the car. We are totally out of balance, we were built to run after our food not dial a pizza! Our poor backs are flexed for far too long each day. Our shoulders keep falling forwards, our hips are tight and in turn we crank our necks trying to lift our heads. Our diaphragms may also be compressed and you may not be breathing efficiently. Do you know anyone who is kinda gray, looks a bit exhausted all the time? Do they sit all day under a false light? Modern life is not kind at at all. How often do you backbend? Take your back from flexion, to neutral and then into extension? Did you even know your back can extend? You don't need to join an acrobatics team to get your spine moving. You just need to be aware that your back does in fact like to back bend.  So where do you start? How do you get a tight, round back to extend? Lie on the floor! Let's make life easy and cheat! Why not? If you angle the tv correctly you can enjoy your favorite show while re aligning your spine! You will need:
If you can, aim to spend a few minutes a day in this position. The longer the better. If you can spend a good half hour here all the better. Think about how long you are sitting at a desk in your lifetime. You need to undo all that for starters. Try and relax into this position, gravity will do all the work for you. This is a great exercise , it's simple, highly effective and can be done almost anywhere! If you have teenagers/ students get them involved too. Hours spent studying at desks / computer games are building poor posture patterns for the future. Young people complaining about back and neck pain is all too common these days. Other ways to improve your spine health and wellbeing lying on the floor. Leg drains. Lie on your back with your legs up the wall or put them up on the back of the couch. Aids venous return, helps to diminish fatigue and swelling in your legs. If you also have varicose veins this is a must. Veins collapse as they work against gravity. By inverting the legs you are using gravity to your advantage, taking pressure off sore collapsed veins. Your heart is also happy. Its a great way to relax especially if you work on your feet all day. Your spine is also happy lying flat on the floor. Make sure head is supported. Also great for runners and pregnancy. Foam rollers and/ or Massage balls. Tease out sore tired body parts. Give yourself a good old roll around. Most often I hear “it's too sore.” You may be going a bit too hard. Also gravity is pulling your body down onto the foam roller, you may find it easier to use massage balls up against the wall where you have more control of the pressure. Backbends from Yoga / Pilates Do you go to Yoga or Pilates? Do you ever do any of your exercises at home? You should! One hour a week in class is great but it's not enough. Give yourself a mini class at home to keep you supple and strong. Cobra pose Bridge Wheel Bow pose Camel pose are just some of the amazing poses you can do once your spine is fully warmed up and mobile. **These are all just simple ways to improve your spine health and posture. If you have spine issues or unexplained back pain you should seek medical attention. Please consult with your Physician before trying any new exercise program. ** If you are concerned about your spine health why not book in for a Physical Therapy appointment. We can discuss your postural needs and concerns. Clinic is in Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 Contact me. Join me for Yoga and Pilates each week. Classes to suit all. Class schedule  Sinéad
About the Author: Sinéad Kennedy is a Physical Therapist, Yoga Siromani and Pilates Instructor, based in South County Dublin. She treats and teaches people from all walks of life, including many athletes, especially cyclists, runners and golfers. Recently featured in the Irish Independant, FIT Magazine, her Yoga 4 Cyclists class has gained notoriety. A keen cyclist and proud member of Orwell Wheelers she has completed numerous cycling events including La Marmotte Sportive. She is an accomplished audax-er having done numerous 200km and 300km routes. Sinéad has also completed three Dublin City Marathons, numerous Adventure Races and Half Marathons.
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I think it is very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person. - Oscar Wilde I don't like December in Ireland. By that, I mean absolutely detest it and can't get far enough away! It's dark, it's cold and there is the highly anticipated Christmas "cheer" to be had. Now don't get me wrong, I am not the grinch by any means. I buy gifts and acknowledge that is an important religious feast day, I just prefer to skip it and go my own way. Plane ticket in hand I usually disappear and come back when it's all over! It takes a little courage to go against the norm but I am the better for it. My healthy alone time as advised by Oscar Wilde. Everyone benefits when you are happy.  Going your own way is liberating. I don't just mean travelling alone as a woman. I mean, giving yourself the head space and down time to think. Do what you want , when you want and how you want. Not having to compromise for anyone, even if it's just just for one day it is pure heaven. We all give so much of ourselves to others without even thinking how draining it is. We often spread ourselves so thin we end up frazzled, stressed, anxious and exhausted. Alone time is just that. You, alone. After all, all you ultimately have is yourself. Escape the demands being made on you by life and others. I am not suggesting for one minute you back your bags, walkout on your family and say good luck! What I am saying is, that alone time is essential to everyone. Reboot the system, get clarity in your life's situation. Only by stepping outside the box can we look back in with healthy reflection and see the improvements that perhaps are required. What is draining you most? What area of your life is not really working. Is there something you want to learn? See? Do? Look at the positives too, what is working, what have you achieved? You can still be with another person and run a happy home with others. We just need to remember not to get so absorbed in others that we lose ourselves. Forgetting our own joy and passions. We have our own needs, hobbies and interests. We had them before others came along and should still have them when they leave. What shakes your snow globe? Have you enjoyed your passion recently? So commit to you. Go find yourself for a few minutes a day. Longer if you can manage it. Find a secret place where you won't be disturbed. Enjoy the quiet and ask yourself what is it that you would like to do? How can you make your life so amazing that you never need a vacation from it? What do you need to do to make time for yourself? Don't be one of those people who scoffs and say "as if I can find time to be alone, I have x, y and z to deal with." Those things will still be there after your few minutes break, you can deal with them then. You might even have a light bulb moment in your silence and realise that you can farm out those tasks to others! Health is not just about what about you eat, it's about what your thinking too.  While I was lucky enough to be able to take an extended solo trip, alone time can be sitting in the car for ten minutes before you go into the office/ shops / house. It can be driving with no radio on and having time to reflect on your day. Going for a walk alone with no music so that you can give your mind a break. Meditation and mindfulness are hugely popular at the moment. While you may think they are just "buzzwords" ask yourself, why is it that everyone is looking to alternative therapies for sanity?! They work, don't knock it till you try it. Life is fast, hectic and we are on sensory overload for most of the day. When did you last have a phone free day? I was lucky enough to turn mine off for 28 days and you know what? Everyone managed without me. My fingers were glad of the break too! Every positive change in your life begins with a clear, unequivocal decision that you are either going to do something or stop doing something - Unknown Coming soon to my clinic in Rathfarnham: Life and Business Coaching Do you feel stuck? Is life getting you down? Do you feel like you are on a hamster wheel and can't figure out what needs to change? Life and Business Coaching is about being empowered to find the answers and move your life forward. You only get one chance at this life so make the most of it. Time marches on, do you want to get stuck in the past or look forward to a brighter future? Join my mailing to be the first to be notified of Life and Business Coaching appointments. I will run a special offer to celebrate my new Diploma and bring you the best Life and Business Coaching in South Dublin.  Sinéad
About the Author: Sinéad Kennedy is a Physical Therapist, Yoga Siromani and Pilates Instructor, based in South County Dublin. She treats and teaches people from all walks of life, including many athletes, especially cyclists, runners and golfers. Recently featured in the Irish Independant, FIT Magazine, her Yoga 4 Cyclists class has gained notoriety. A keen cyclist and proud member of Orwell Wheelers she has completed numerous cycling events including La Marmotte Sportive. She is an accomplished audax-er having done numerous 200km and 300km routes. Sinéad has also completed three Dublin City Marathons, numerous Adventure Races and Half Marathons. |
