I am only just learning this blogging thing, but I think that if you put your e mail address in the blank white strip at the top of this page you might get advised of new blogs automatically.
Even looking up can give you a back twinge!
Sometimes
when I am teaching casting, or fly fishing with a friend, after an hour or two my
companion will complain that standing for so long is giving him backache. Almost
always it was their lower back that was unhappy. This response surprised me because often they
were half my age or less!
I used to
suffer from lower back pain quite a lot. I put this down to being tall (6 foot
5 inches, if you think that’s tall my son Dan is 6 foot 10 inches). My height coupled with a lot of time either
sitting at a desk or driving meant I could get a sudden twinge just bending
over a wash basin. Now at the age of 66
years I hardly ever have a back concern. The reason is that many years ago I
read a book, published by the UK Consumers Association (Which) called “Understanding
Your Back”. In that book there were a
series of exercises designed to keep backs in good shape. Since reading the book I have done the
exercises regularly every 2 or 3 days and my back problems have gone away. If I
slip up and miss exercising for a few days I risk getting a twinge!
So here in
an effort to help you, are five exercises with brief video clips. If you have existing back problems either
start very cautiously or seek medical advice first. I usually do 10 repeats of each movement. Rather than have an old veteran like me
demonstrate them I thought it would be more appealing to have my daughter
Lorraine take to the floor, however, she was busy so my wife Rosalind kindly volunteered. I hope the video clips work, they are a first for me!
Exercise 1
Lie flat on
your back on the floor and bring your feet close to your bottom, so that your
knees are sticking up. In that position
you should be able to slide your fingers in the gap under the small of your
back. It is that gap that you want to
try and close by pushing your spine down flat onto the floor. Keep pushing then small of your back down and
then relaxing for the 10 reps.
Exercise 2
Still in the
same position as for Exercise 1, extend first your right leg, keeping the left
still with the knee sticking up. Now push the right leg along the floor away
from you, such that your pelvis is moved flexing your lower back. Then pull the
leg back tilting the pelvis the other way. Repeat 10 times then do the same
with the left leg. This tilting of the pelvis loosens up your lower back.
Exercise 3
Still lying
flat on your back on the floor with your legs extended, raise your right leg as
high as you comfortably can, keeping it straight. Then raise your left leg.
Repeat 10 times. This loosens your hips and stretches your ham strings.
Exercise 4
Now for my
favourite move! Lie flat on your back on
the floor, bring your feet close to your bottom, so that your knees are
sticking up. Then keeping your shoulders
and back flat on the floor let your knees and legs flop first to the right and
then to the left. Repeat 10 times. This really loosens up the whole of your
spine. It makes me feel my back is flexible.
Exercise 5
I then tuck
my toes under something and with bent knees do 10 sit ups. You might want to
approach that exercise more gradually if you have a history of back problems. I didn't do a video clip for this (I didn't want to push my luck).
Well, the
choice is yours. You can take a few
minutes every couple of days and give it a go, or you can risk spoiling a
fishing trip by getting a back trauma lifting your gear out of the car, or even
picking up a fly you have dropped!
Whatever you decide I wish you well, meanwhile for me, it’s back to the
exercises then a run (I want to fish forever)!
I thought that my Mother-In-Law did extremely well there!
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