Yoga For Low Back Pain

Yoga is a one of my favorite forms of physical activity because of its accessibility and versatility.  Just about anyone can do it in some form or another from the hard-core couch potato to the the ultra-active.  It has wide-spread use as you can do it for exercise, stress or pain relief.
Low-back pain can be tricky to address because, in many cases, the cause is not the low back.  This is where yoga comes in very handy.  Not only does it treat the painful symptoms by gently stretching affected tissues, it also works to correct the source of the pain.

Weak core muscles are notorious for causing or contributing to low back pain.  Doing yoga correctly relies heavily on proper core-activation, therefore challenging the core to stabilize you through the movements resulting in stronger, more efficient muscles.  As the core becomes stronger and more stable, it is better able to support the low back in everyday movement, thus improving and/or eliminating associated pain.

Here is a great article about yoga and low back pain.  It gives excellent step-by-step instructions for several great poses.  There are no excuses not to at least try this yoga routine.  No equipment is needed and you can do it just about anywhere you feel comfortable.  There's nothing to lose but your pain and possibly your waistline.

Allison Voigt, Personal Trainer, Massage Therapist and director of the Fit Stronger program at the Back Resort & Rejuvenation Health Center

Exercise Balls at Work

You may have seen exercise balls popping up everywhere from the local gym to your workplace.  These colorful orbs can be a lot of fun to use and may have weight loss benefits as well.  According to one study sitting on an exercise ball or standing while at work can burn 4 more calories per hour or an extra 30 calories in a typical work day.  This may not seem like much, but over the course of a year that adds up to 7200 calories.  That's a potential loss of 2 pounds by sitting on an exercise ball alone!  Now add a few exercises to the mix and your calorie burn will be even greater.

Doing exercises on a ball at work is much easier than it may seem.  As soon as you sit on the ball you may notice you naturally start to move in a variety of different ways.  Doing this will challenge your core/stabilizing muscles in new ways promoting better balance and increased strength.

Stretching is also a great way to use your ball at work.  There are a variety of stretches you can do on the ball.  Here are a couple of my favorites:

Chest stretch- Lay down on the ball so that your upper-back, shoulders, neck and head are on the ball.  Place your feet on the floor with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle and raise your hips so that you have a straight line from hips to knees.  Let your arms fall out to the side so that you make a "T." Relax and hold at least 20 seconds.

Lat Stretch- Kneel on floor with ball in front of you.  Place hands on ball with palms touching each other. Gradually roll forward so arms become straight, your hips fall toward your heels and your head falls toward the floor between your arms.  Relax and hold for at least 20 seconds.

Try these out and see how much fun exercise balls can be!  We can develop a custom exercise plan at the Back Resort & Rejuvenation Health Center - www.BackResort.com - 540 389-BACK (2225)

Allison Voigt, Personal Trainer, Massage Therapist and director of the Fit Stronger program at the Back Resort & Rejuvenation Health Center

When Sit Happens - Death Happens!

Most Americans sit too much which is now often referred to as "Oversitting."  A new research study shows that too much sitting can increase diabetes and heart risk as well as premature death.  The study found that exercising other times during the week didn't help that much - YIKES!

We are a nation of sitters.  We sit at work, in the car, at the kitchen table ... and then at the end of the day we sink down into the sofa to watch TV or sit again at our desk and surf the web.

We sit on our bottoms too much which leads to this Bottom Line ...

When Sit Happens - Death Happens.

Click here to read more about this research study.  Here is a short summary:

The researchers then cross-referenced sitting time with a variety of health problems, and found that those who sat the most had a 112 percent increase in their relative risk of developing diabetes; a 147 percent increase in their risk for cardiovascular disease; and a 49 percent greater risk of dying prematurely.

Today is the day to create a Rejuvenation Plan that includes a purposeful strategy for movement - your life depends on it!

Contact us at the Back Resort & Rejuvenation Health Center and we can help you get moving again!  www.BackResort.com

Written by Dr. Dan Davidson, chiropractor and founder of the Back Resort & Rejuvenation Health Center - co-author of the blog www.FitStronger.com.

Whole Body Vibration

You may noticed vibrating podiums standing in the corner of the gym or, perhaps, at a fair or convention.  These podiums, generally referred to as vibration plates or podiums, vary by brand and are used for Whole Body Vibration (WBV).

Whole Body Vibration has many applications from increasing physical performance to increasing bone density.  Here at the Back Resort we use Fit Vibration with our patients to help them reach their rehabilitation and personal fitness goals.

The basic premise behind WBV is that it provides a unique and challenging stimulus to the user.  As many of us know, we must place stress on the body in order to promote change and progress.  Doing exercises on the Fit Vibration causes the body to have to work harder to maintain upright posture than it would standing on an steady surface.  This requires more muscles and more muscle fibers to active, thus increasing the stress to the stabilizing (i.e. core and pelvic muscles) and primary mover muscles (i.e. biceps during a biceps curl) at the same time.

There are many different applications and benefits to using WBV and the Back Resort is a great place to try it out and see for yourself.  So, next time you are in ask about Fit Vibration and how it may work for you.

You can learn more at the blog www.MyWholeBodyVibration.com.

Allison Voigt, Personal Trainer, Massage Therapist and director of the Fit Stronger program at the Back Resort & Rejuvenation Health Center

Stretch Your Pecs To Help Upper Back Pain

As a massage therapist and personal trainer I come across a wide variety of ailments, but the most common, by far, is upper back pain.  There can be many reasons why we experience this pain which include injury, stress and poor posture.  It is natural for us to want to treat the symptom (pain in the upper back), without consideration for what the source of the pain is.

Many times the cause of our upper back pain is, in fact, tight chest muscles!  There is a simple and effective way to combat our upper-back pain which you can do anywhere from home to work.  Here is a link that gives instructions on how to correctly perform this stretch:

http://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Double-Arm-Doorway-Stretch

So, next time you feel tension, pain or discomfort in between your shoulder blades take a second for yourself and stretch those pecs!


Allison Voigt, Personal Trainer, Massage Therapist and director of the Fit Stronger program at the Back Resort & Rejuvenation Health Center

Regular Exercise Reduces Anxiety And Stress

Working up a good sweat not only boosts your mood, but new U.S. research finds that it can soothe anxiety and better prep you for a stressful or emotional event or experience.

In a study announced last week, University of Maryland School of Public Health researchers looked at data from 37 healthy young adults.

Findings showed that anxiety levels dipped after both the rest and exercise sessions. But only after the subjects exercised did their anxiety levels stay low during the image viewing. 

"We found that exercise helps to buffer the effects of emotional exposure," study researcher J. Carson Smith, an assistant professor in the university's department of kinesiology, said in a statement. "If you exercise, you'll not only reduce your anxiety, but you'll be better able to maintain that reduced anxiety when confronted with emotional events." 

Source: Exercise Protects Against Stress 

Stress relief is just one of many positive benefits of regular exercise.  Do you have a Movement Plan?  What are your health goals for the future?  Let's make a customized fitness plan together for you that is practical and easy to fit in your schedule as part of our Fit Stronger program.

Back Resort & Rejuvenation Health Center
540 389-2225

Welcome To FitStronger.com

Welcome to our new blog FitStronger.com hosted by the Back Resort & Rejuvenation Health Center.

We are devoted to helping our patients and others get fit and stay fit with movement and exercise for improved overall health.  Stay tuned for timely fitness tips that are practical and effective you can use in everyday life.  Our goal is to help you Stay Stronger For Longer!

Allison Voigt is the director of our Fit Stronger program at the Back Resort.  As a massage therapist and personal trainer and with a masters degree in Exercise Science, Allison is well qualified and will be a contributor to this blog as we share ideas to help us all move more!

With Movement Improvement,

Dr Dan

Dan Davidson D.C. is a chiropractor and director of the Back Resort & Rejuvenation Health Center