The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column — part of the spine — runs the length of the back and creates a central area of recession. The breadth of the back is created by the shoulders at the top and the pelvis at the bottom. Back pain is a common medical condition, and it is generally benign in origin. However, there are numerous ailments that can plague the back or spinal column in general, whatever it may be. These are the 10 amazing ways to keep your back healthy.
The 10 Amazing Ways to Keep Your Back Healthy
1. Improve Your Diet
First and foremost, you should be considering your diet when it comes to any problem with your health. Your diet can be the root cause of your bad condition. Even if you are not in bad shape, your diet can certainly be the thing making the difference. The more you watch excessive carbohydrates and processed and refined foods, the less your back will pay. The best thing you can do is lose any excess weight you have, and the best way to do this is by eating less fat, carbohydrates, and calories. The problem with processed foods in that they are loaded with disease causing sugars. They also contain preservatives that can indirectly affect the back as a whole.
—
The more you find yourself eating organic vegetables and healthy fats, the better you will feel. This is where balance comes in, and over time, your diet will become easier to maintain. At the very least, you should be trying to maintain a decent diet, even if you are not having problems. This is because a bad back can lead to problems like stress, which can exacerbate problems with overeating. Being overweight can cause severe problems with back health, as your body will begin to cave under it’s own weight. Carbohydrates can make this worse, and they can even contribute to cancer in the spine. We all need food, but since when does it mean that we need feedback?
2. Intermittent Fast
Fasting is one of the best ways to get in good health very fast. Intermittent fasting is the voluntary abstinence from eating food, ranging between 16-24 hours. There is also prolonged fasting that involves fasting for longer than 24 hours. You can fast while drinking water, and you can schedule out a fasting routine, such as the 5:2 fasting plan. The process of fasting is mostly about maintaining health, but it has been known to help people. Fasting increases growth hormone and repairs old and damaged cells through a process called autophagy. If you want to keep your back in shape, fasting is one of the easiest ways to keep your back from going out fast and early.
—
The growth hormone release will help keep your bones thick and strong, helping remove wear and tear that can cause early damage. The autophagy can prevent cancer and the growth of tumors. Since the back is a common place for these problems, it certainly comes in handy. Fasting is also a great way to lose weight and keep weight off, which is good for other reasons as well. The more you fast, the better you will feel overall, and it is why fasting is so popular these days. The numerous benefits of fasting are still being figured out, but it is certainly one powerful way of keeping healthy.
The 10 Amazing Ways to Keep Your Back Healthy
3. Take Supplements
There are a plethora of supplements on the market that can keep you in shape or help you get in shape. Since the back is mostly about how well you take care of it, you should understand how supplements can help. There use of supplements can add an additional health boost that was not there through other more important means. This means that a supplement is not the only thing you should be relying on. Be it a proprietary blend made by a supplement company or something like a basic vitamin or mineral, a good diet will serve you better. If you have a bad diet, you will not be readily able to absorb nutrients as well. This is why you should be getting all of your vitamins and minerals in every single day for a full health supply.
—
What vitamins and minerals should you consider? Well, just about any of them can help in at least an indirect way. Calcium is good for bone growth and health. Growth hormone supplements are great for keeping your bones thick and dense. Vitamin D is great both the bones and muscles, making it a necessity for growing children. Many of the supplements, including vitamins and minerals, have numerous health benefits beyond this. The point being that you should take almost every single vitamin and mineral, because they can all benefit your back. Since your back is mostly about keeping your spine intact, you should know why keeping your bones healthy is important.
4. Consult With a Doctor
Being sure to visit and talk with a doctor is a good way to make sure that you stay in healthy shape. This is something you should be doing almost every single year anyway. If you go to a doctor, it means that you will find out if you are sick or are there because you may be sick. In either circumstance, you can find out if you need some kind of medication, treatment, or surgery.
—
Just be sure to not take everything a doctor says at face value, and this can include specialists as well. Make sure to be open and honest, and do your own research on top of this. You want to make sure that you are getting the best treatment as possible, with or against a doctor’s will. Since your back does not stand out in any other way among other body parts here, there is no need to mention it.
The 10 Amazing Ways to Keep Your Back Healthy
5. Exercise
Exercise is extremely important when it comes to your health, including your back. It is important to consider how you exercise as well, because working out can be a risky activity. Even though it is somewhat risky, does not mean that you should not do it. Exercise, especially cardiovascular exercise, is great for weight loss and stress reduction because of how it keeps your heart young. The last thing you need is to be stressed out (overeating) and fat, which simply contribute to each other. Walking, running, and even biking are great ways to learn how to keep yourself healthy. This is because it will also increase your growth hormone production, along with autophagy.
—
Weightlifting can also be great for your back, but you have to avoid certain exercises or do the exercises properly. The more strength you build up in your back, the healthier you will be. Something like squats should be avoided unless you know how to do them. Just give it some time, and start low and slow. The last thing you want is a torn muscle or broken back. This is why you should also stretch after you exercise as opposed to before. Stretching releases muscle fiber tension, making you weaker for the workout. A small stretch is fine, but that should be done before cardio. This is why — overall — cardio should be done after weightlifting.
6. Get Enough Sleep
When we sleep, it gives our body a chance to rest and recuperate. This can also be applied to resting between exercises. The best way to avoid injury between days or workouts is by not overdoing it. If you happen to, then rest is one of the only ways to recover properly. So, if you have been injured or want to avoid any kind of injury, the best thing you can do is lay down and get some rest. If you end up overworking, which you should not do, you make yourself more susceptible to injury overall.
—
Sleep is good for other reasons that span more than just this. The more you sleep up to a certain point, the less stressed you will be. If you are stressed, you are more prone to sickness and injury. Your back can be especially prone to this, even if it is just a psychosomatic symptom. If you are too tired to know what is going on, you can end up hurting yourself and causing a world of pain. The cycle will just continue you from there, as you become more and more stressed, angry, and irritable.
The 10 Amazing Ways to Keep Your Back Healthy
7. Keep Safe From Injury
When we are speaking of avoiding injury, it means that you should avoid getting sick and physical trauma. This means that you should try to be cautious when trying new things. If you are not keeping up with your hygiene, then you should try to start. Being sick, even though it is a stretch, can cause back pain. This can include aches and sharp pain that can ring down your spinal column. There are even certain diseases that can cause long-term back problems. While it may not be serious, the pain is, and that is just as important as being healthy overall.
—
The extension of this is avoiding high stakes activities, at least until you know what you are doing. If you have considered the risks and are willing to do something potentially harmful, it is on you. Just be aware that using the right protective gear is important, as you can still end up injured in the process. It is always better safe than sorry, and we only say otherwise once we know we cannot take it back. How this has to do with the back is exceedingly obvious, as the back is one of the body parts most prone to injury. It is a complex structure that keeps you upright, bearing much of the weight of your upper body.
8. Get a Massage
Well, if it were not obvious enough, you should be aware that a massage or chiropractic session may help your back. Especially if you are experiencing any kind of serious back issue, it may be all that stands in your way. While some doctors may recommend a highly invasive and risky surgery, it may not be necessary. Sometimes all you need is a back hack, and this means that a back crack will make all the difference. This is especially true for those who do not need surgery and simply want to get rid of some minor back pain.
—
A chiropractor can help with shoulder, arms, back, and leg problems. While it can be expensive, it may just be worth it, especially if is a minor bug that has gotten in the way long-term. A massage is good for muscle cramping and pain, and a chiropractor will help you with bone issues. Since a chiropractor is typically specialized in both, you should consider getting both down to break down the tension.
The 10 Amazing Ways to Keep Your Back Healthy
9. Avoid Stress
Avoiding stress is a given if you want to avoid back pain and problems. When you stress out, it becomes a nasty process that can keep you from doing your best. While it is a part of life and can barely be avoided, it is a matter of learning better coping mechanisms. We can only try to fix ourselves without too many problems, so the problem starts with you. Stress can weaken your body and overall performance, which can interfere significantly. Depending on what you have to do every day, you can end up having to take a break because of it.
—
Stress causes you to gain weight, over eat the wrong foods, and all of this can make stress worse. The best thing you can do is try to eat a healthy diet, as mentioned, and do your best to get enough rest every day. If you see yourself becoming frustrated without enough energy, it can be because of this. Your back will end up paying for it, as the back is one of the places stress is held most in the body. This can end up causing injury or mental back pain. Mental back pain is one of the main causes for stress, as you cannot interpret the pain in your back properly.
10. Be Sure to Stretch
Stretching is an important part of avoiding injury, especially among the muscles and bones in the back. While it is an easy way to become injured, if you know what you are doing, you can avoid this. There is a point where stretching can become too much, and it starts with knowing how to stretch. Hyperextension is a common problem, especially with those who stretch, and it can end up tearing a muscle. You can even dislocated a bone, which is something you must avoid with your back.
—
When you stretch, you should try to do it as slowly as possible. Don’t stretch your limbs out all the way to begin with, and take it slow. If you go too fast, you can end up hurting yourself. Even if you want to prove how much you can stretch, it is not worth it to get injured to impress your friends. Stretching helps you avoid injury, especially with exercise. It can help relieve and prevent lower back pain and give you the ability to work at your best.
Final Thoughts: The 10 Amazing Ways to Keep Your Back Healthy
There you go have it! These are the 10 amazing ways to keep your back healthy. Just like any other body part, you can keep your back healthy in a variety of ways. While many of these ways are much the same as past entries, the ways listed here are the best. They are all applied differently depending on the body part. While you may be looking for a miracle solution, these are what you have. You just have to be willing to do them. If you think you have anything to add, be sure to let me know in the comment section down below.