Lower Back Pain

I've been going through Google to see the information about lower back pain. I've noticed that everyone has their own idea of what to do about lower back pain. It doesn't surprise me since after more than 20 years of treating lower back pain I found that there really is no "one size fits all" or "recipe" for treating lower back pain. Everyone is different and everyone has their own preference on how they want to be treated. However, there are some basics which I found should always be addressed when treating lower back pain.

1. the pelvis should be balanced and in alignment.
2. the muscles around the pelvis should also be balanced.
3. pain and inflammation should be controlled

It seems that there are many ways to balance the pelvic bones and muscles and controlling pain and inflammation. As the saying goes, "there is more than one way to skin a cat."

One approach is offered by Dr.Teague http://atlas1107.gpteague.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=301

What I like about his ebook is that if offers a detailed description on how a lay person can actually align their lower back. A person could do all the exercising they want and take all the medication and supplements there are but if the joints/bones are out of alignment, you are not being comprehensive in your approach to eliminating lower back pain.

Dr. Teague's book is quite comprehensive. However, if you are an athlete, you will also want to follow up with an exercise program such as the one by Brian Dorfman. This exercise program is specific for lower back pain. Brian works with alot of athletes and has helped many people who were not able to find help any where else.

http://www.myfitness24-7.com/store/1800314/product/LBB-Dorfman

I have always recommended walking to my patients (approximately 2 miles daily) for rehabilitating severe cases. At first it may be difficult and one must keep in mind to maintain an erect posture with tight butt and ab muscles to support the low back.
Once you are comfortable getting in your walk, you will notice a gradual improvement in symptoms. I find many people, including myself, will go for a long walk whenever their lower back flares up. Sometimes this is the only exercise a person can do.
Some exercises require that a person lie down (such as bridging or pelvic tilts which are wonderful) but I know from experience that it can be excruciatingly painful just to go from standing to lying down and viceversa. Therefore, walking has become my favorite exercise for lower back pain.

I have been wearing my MBT shoes for a couple of days and I understand now how they work to strengthen the abs, butt and legs. Because of the "rocker" bottom (known as the PIVOT) which I feel in the arch area, as I walk or stand balancing on the Pivot which causes my body to rock back and forth, my leg, abs and butt muscles have to work to maintain a balance. So as I rock forward my butt muscles contract and my lower back forms a lordosis (C shape). As I rock backward, my hamstrings stretch and my abs contract and my lower back straightens and stretches. These movements also work the deep muscles called the PSOAS muscles. These muscles are extremely important for lower back stability and are often either weak or contracted in low back pain cases. In the majority of cases I have seen, these muscles were contracted either unilaterally or bilaterally.This is my initial assessment of the MBT shoes. I will know more as I continue to wear these shoes and find out how they are helping my body.
Cecelia
www.myfitness24-7.com

ONE TINY GYM

Yesterday I asked my podiatrist to prescribe the MBT shoes for me. He was very excited about the shoe and was very happy to prescribe them. He said that these shoes are great for keeping your feet healthy and help to straighten out the toes too. (I used to wear alot of pointy stilleto shoes) . With the prescription in hand, I bought the shoes and will be able to deduct them from my taxes since they are considered medical equipment. This is the style I bought. At this time, they have not come out with a "cuter" model but I understand that in March 2008 they will have more stylish models.

After hearing so much about this shoe, I decided I had to test them myself to see if it is true. Because if what they are saying is true, then I MUST have them. According to the literature, due to the construction of the shoe, just by wearing them you get a workout of your core, pelvic floor, butt and legs. You also get better posture, spinal alignment and reduction in aches and pains. According to the sales person, the shoes were originally made to help people with lower back pain. The shoe has outstanding shock absorption so it can also be used for sports and running. While I was in the store I also tried on the Earth shoe to compare both. Both the Earth shoe and the MBT have negative heels which stretch the back of the legs and help with spinal alignment. However, the MBT shoe has the "rocker" sole which helps you rock forward with each step. This is called the pivot. Earth shoes are just not for me although many physical therapists and yoga instructors buy them. I find that I like the extra shock absorption from the MBT shoes since I walk several miles daily. I hope that the MBT shoes actually do workout my abs, butt and legs while I walk around in them. That would be very efficient multi-tasking.

In the meantime, I'm taking the interval training approach to the Hoola Hoop. Several times a day I'll pick it up and do it for a couple of minutes and make whoever else is in the room giggle.

Cecelia www.myfitness24-7.com

Make Your Family Laugh While You Exercise?

As I was walking around the health food store today, I noticed that they were selling Hoola Hoops. These are the adjustable ones that can be big or made smaller. The big size is for beginners who haven't learned how and have not been exercising. As the hoop is adjusted smaller, you have to move faster to keep it going and therefore get more cardio. The Hoola Hoop brought back childhood memories and I remembered it being fun. At home I decided to start with a medium size since I already had a vivid memory of how to do it. Its like riding a bike. Once you have done it before, you can easily pick it up again and go. As soon as I started doing the exercise, a couple of family members started cracking up. I saw them getting some good laughs while I exercised. I guess I looked pretty funny. I noticed that after just 5 minutes my heart was pumping and I could feel that my abs had been working. It will be an interesting experiment to see if I do lose inches off my waist with the Hoola Hoop and make my family laugh.
Cecelia
www.myfitness24-7.com

Is It Time For Starvation Yet?

I just read that the most popular method of losing weight is starvation. What many women don't know is that starvation is also one way of losing bone density. I am not opposed to fasting as I sometimes will do that also. One day a week would be great provided you are healthy enough to do this. Some people have chronic health conditions and/or are taking medications where fasting would be contra-indicated. Also, when you fast the body starts house cleaning and starts getting rid of alot of toxins through the lymphatic system, respiration, body excretions and the skin.
To assist the body in expeling these toxins, it is important that you drink lots of water.
According to Dr. Batmanghelidj to find out what normal hydration is for you, find out your weight in pounds, divide by 2 and drink that much water in ounces every day. The other thing you must do to help the body move toxins out is some kind of exercise. Depending on your energy level since you are not eating while fasting I recommend either walking, yoga or stretching http://www.myfitness24-7.com/category/155417
If you are new to fasting, start with one day first. Be careful how you break your fast too. Do not break your fast with heavy protein or processed foods. Break your fast with some vegetable juices or diluted (with water) fruit juice then move on to a fresh salad. Start adding foods slowly.
You might want to wait until the second day to add meat if you are a meat eater.
After a week, you can try fasting two days. A person could actually lose alot of weight by fasting two days a week as long as you don't pig-out the rest of the week but eat moderately. Do not undo the house cleaning your body did with the fast by stuffing yourself with junk food or over-indulging the rest of the week. Fasting must be done strategically and carefully otherwise you could do more damange than good. Be careful. More on this later.
Cecelia
http://www.myfitness24-7.com/home

Reasons Why People Are Always Tired

Click on the link below to watch Jack LaLanne explain why people are always tired. Where he says "nervous tension" subsitute "stress". Notice how trim his abs and waist look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBVk071N88M

I saw him on TV the other day where he recommended the simple act of just getting down on the floor and then standing up without using your hands. By doing this several times, you are exercising your legs buttocks and abs. This happens to be one of Kelly Rippa's favorite exercises except she holds on to a medicine ball while she does it. We could do that. We could even hold on to a heavy book if we don't have a medicine ball. Try it.

Can Working On My Abs Ever Be Fun?

As much as I love Pilates and Yoga, after spending Thanksgiving Day visiting family and sitting around talking and eating, I feel sluggish. I already went for a brisk walk and would like to do some specific exercises but the thought just doesn't excite me. I'm thinking seriously about the
exercise machine which is on sale right now called the OSIM iGalloop. I could actually watch a movie, listen to music or an audio book while exercising not just my abs but my hips, butt and pelvic floor. All of these areas are important for aesthetics and for lower back stability. It is a good time to get it on sale http://www.myfitness24-7.com/store/1800314/page/1345409
It takes up as much space as a chair. This could be a very effective way of strengthening the pelvic floor and therefore not having to do kagels which alot of gynecologists recommend.
Anyway that is what I am thinking about today, just trying to think of ways to make exercising more interesting, fun and effective.
Cecelia
www.myfitness24-7.com

The Cold and Flu Season Is Here And We Can Avoid Getting Sick With 30 Minutes Of Moderate Exercise Daily

Don't worry about having to exercise strenuously every day to ward off colds and flus this season. With 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily you can boost your immune function to protect yourself. Those of you who like to jog/run can boost their immune system in 2.8 miles a day. But don't stress about it. It has been proven that stress lowers immune function.
If you have to be indoors, put your favorite exercise video on for 30 minutes. While you are exercising keep the following in mind: Exercise is an important component in the elimination of poisons from the body for 3 reasons:
1. Toxins get released through the lungs because exercise causes us to breathe more
deeply and forcefully.
2. When we perspire (sweat) we eliminate metabolic waste from the body.
3. Using our muscles is the only way to move waste through the lymphatic system.

If we don't do any of the above, breathe deeply, sweat and move our muscles, our body cannot get rid of toxins. These toxins will stay in the body and will eventually result in disease.

Three more reasons to move my ass!

Cecelia at www.myfitness24-7.com

What To Buy When The Store Doesn't Carry Organic Produce

Sometimes my local grocery store doesn't have organic produce, or what is there looks bad. I picked up a list of fruits and vegetables that are most contaminated and some that are the least contaminated. I got the list from the Stanford Cancer Center.

Most Commonly Contaminated With Pesticides:
Peaches, Strawberries, Apples, Nectarines, Spinach, Celery, Potatoes, Bell Peppers, Pears, Cherries, Raspberries, imported grapes

Least Contaminated:
Avocados, Corn, Onions, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Peas(sweet), Bananas, Kiwi, Mango, Papaya, Pineapple, Broccoli

Following are the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables:
5-9 servings per day = goal
1/2 cup fruit or vegetable
1 cup raw leafy greens
1/4 cup dried fruit or vegetable
6 fluid ounces of fruit or vegetable juice

Another subject: Find out about the Bodylastics exercise system. They have 140 of the best exercises to produce fast results. No fancy equipment or gym memberships are required. For less than $40 you can get a compact gym and watch on their video how to do the exercises for a whole year. You can even travel with your own gym. Find out more at the following link:
http://www.myfitness24-7.com/page/1327777

Are We Now In A Violent World?

Two days ago a 24-year-old man was shot across the street from my home. In the same week there were several shootings reported in this area. I'm worried since I have always enjoyed walking around the neighborhood with my dog. Now with all the violence and upcoming flu season along escalating gasoline prices, I'm thinking the majority of my exerciing will have to take place at home. I've added some jumping rope. It impacts the bones and should help with preventing osteoporosis. See my article at (http://www.myfitness24-7.com/). Anyway, jumping rope is convenient and easy to do. It also either takes me back to my childhood or makes me think
of "Rocky Balboa". If anything, it can get me into condition so I can run when I see trouble coming the next time I am out and about.
Today I see that the posts from August till now have disappeared.
What is going on?
C. Tiemann