Are you suffering from neck, shoulder, back tension, headache, or insomnia? Then you need to try this exercise.
Category: back pain
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Back tension? Part 2 -Bathing
When I see my clients for the first time, I suggest they do this at home even before I start my massage session. I tell them to take a bath weekly. I know that most of us don’t take a bath. That’s for kids, right? Then they graduate from taking a bath around 2 and switch to shower. But you know, bathing is much more effective than taking a shower in many ways. It cleans you better, and the most benefit is it can release muscle tension and stress. Isn’t it great if a bath can do that?
I’m from Japan, and everybody takes a bath on a daily bases in Japan. I think that’s one of the reasons many Japanese people live healthier and longer than Americans. I admit that I haven’t taken baths for many years since I came to the US (about 30 years!) and just recently I got back to this routine. As a massage therapist, I use my muscles a lot, and sometimes I get pretty exhausted, but bathing helps me a lot.
And if you can add a cup of Epsom salt and a few drops of your favorite essential oil, it can even boost the effect. Just fill up your bathtub and enjoy your bath for 10 – 15 minutes! Try this at least once a week.
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Back tension? part 1- where to start
So if your back is tight, what can you do to loosen up? Before I give you the answer, I want to explain what’s going on with your back.
The spine is designed to move – bending forward, backward, side bending and twisting. But most of us don’t move it so much. Instead, our back is always held static in an upright position, sometimes for an extended period. As a result, all the joints get stiff and eventually lose mobility and cause pain. This can happen to people who are active and goes to the gym and take a walk regularly because you see, you don’t make so much movement with your back with many of these activities.
During my massage session, I often sense the back feels very stiff, and the spines are right. Then I explain to them that their bodies are like vacation homes. When you go to your vacation home after an extended period, the door squeaks, and the windows won’t even move when you try to open. So you need to oil the hinges, rock the window back and forth to loosen up. Your back is the same. You need to start exercising your spine so it can move smoothly.
I have a proven system that I guided my clients to release tension in their backs. Many of my clients have made quite amazing improvements with this, but the thing is, you need to follow my instructions, and I hope that you try at least 3 weeks to see the result. There are 3 steps, and the exercises I show here only take 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your schedule. If you are ready to know those 3 steps, go to the next post.
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Self-massage for your back tension
While staying home due to the COVID-19 outbreak, you may start to feel back tension from stress, lack of social interaction & exercise, etc. So, today, I want to show how easy it is to apply self-massage for your back tension! I’ve been doing qigong exercise in the morning, and self-massage in the evening every day, and it’s helping me tremendously.
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Plate Balancing Exercise
If you are feeling a lot of stiffness, but don’t want to go outside, here’s the simple exercise you can do for a few minutes. It can release all major joints in your body, and make better circulation. Also, it is very relaxing and meditative. You can do this exercise without any object, but it is more effective, especially in the beginning, to practice with some plate. If you happened to have a cork pot mat like what I use in this video, it’s the best. If you don’t, you can use any plates that won’t break when you drop it.
- Stand with the right foot forwards, have a plate on the right hand, left hand on the small of your back. Make a figure 8 with your hand. 10 reps
- Do the same with your left hand. 10 reps.
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Those who spend all day sitting….
Are you experiencing lower back, upper back, or neck & shoulder pain? Then you are in the same situation as most of my clients. You may feel it’s not going to go away since you have it so long and nobody was able to help you. Well, don’t be too sure about it. Before you are giving up your hope, let me explain something about your body.
Our bodies are not designed to stay in one position over some time. So any postures – sitting, standing, walking, running, or even lying down is not good to keep a long time. Unfortunately, we have to spend many hours standing or sitting, or sometimes walking around all day depending on your job. But you can improve the quality of your life with a little tweak. I will list a few things and see what you can take in and adapt. The first one is the easiest and the most difficult one at the same time.
Love yourself and start to care for your body Sounds easy, right? But often time I hear from some people saying, ” It’s easy to take care of other people but I just can’t spend time for myself.” I understand but if you don’t take care of yourself, who will? You can take care of others as long as you are in good health. Think about your body as your baby. If you don’t take care of your baby, she will get sick. I think setting the right mindset is the most important thing and the rest gets easier.
Take 3 minutes break every hour Are you going to get yelled at by your boss if you do this? I’m not talking about the long break. I’m talking about 3 minutes and you don’t even have to leave your seat. Have you watched a dog or a cat stretching themselves? Nobody tells them to do but they stretch whenever they feel they need to do. Sometimes they are smarter than us. And I’m going to share a few easy exercises you can do anytime during your work.
- Neck Stretch: You know this, right? bend your neck side to side, front and back, rotate clockwise and counterclockwise. Most important with stretch is not how deep you stretch but feel your body and feel your stretch. And do slowly.
- Shoulder Exercise: Raise your shoulders to your ears, squeeze your shoulders up for a few seconds and drop. Do this a few times. Then again, lift your shoulders as you breathe in and rotate your shoulders back and down as your breath out. Do this slowly a few times.
- Intestinal Exercise: This is the most amazing exercise ever. You can do this while nobody notices it! I will tell you just a few benefits. This exercise will enhance circulation, digestion, and strengthen your abdominal muscle so it helps you release lower back pain. Here’s how you do it: Pull your belly in and push back. Repeat this at a fast pace rhythmically. This is not breathing exercise, so breathe naturally. Do this 3-5 minutes, a few times a day.
- Hip rotation: Three exercises above are good while you are sitting so you don’t even need to get up your chair. But finally, when you get up for the restroom, do this exercise. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands on your waist. Move your hip front and back a few times, then side to side a few times. Then rotate your hip clockwise and counterclockwise a few times. Do it slowly. Your hip joints get stiff if you sit all the time.