Hello Everyone, today’s article is a guest post from Adam Dallison – the inventor of PosturePlast.
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Burning fat, building muscle, improving cardiovascular fitness or finally fitting back into those jeans—whatever the reason, getting into shape means pushing ourselves and our bodies.
But what if our exercise regimes were actually taking a toll on our bodies rather than improving them? Adam Dallison, Osteopath at Surrey Medical Centre and inventor of PosturePlast explains the hidden dangers of exercise:
“The back is essentially the core body part at work in all exercises. From cycling to zumba, if we don’t look after our back during exercise we risk not only injuring it, but also not reaping the full benefits of our fitness activities.”
The trick, according to Adam, is to try to keep as good as posture as possible at all times when exercising:
“Not only does this mean you will be strengthening back muscles, but your entire core, including abdominals which is a problem area for many of us.”
“More importantly, however, proper posture during exercise reduces the risk of injury. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen patients who have pulled out their back from incorrectly bending when picking up weights, or doing crunches too vigorously.”
“Remember, having good core strength does not prevent back injury or make you lift and bend from the knees, this comes from posture re-education.”
Adam has put together some simple tips to ensure we keep our backs in tip-top shape while exercising:
1. ‘Bend with your knees’ is not just an old health and safety cliché. When lifting objects from the floor, specifically weights, be sure to bend your knees, essentially lifting the weight with your legs, rather than back and shoulders.
2. If you spend the majority of the day sitting at a desk, be sure to do some warm up exercises before heading straight to the gym after work. Gently bending down to touch your toes and doing gentle neck rolls will warm up the back, preparing it for something like a run or bike ride.
3. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it! While exercising, if your back feels strained or painful, immediately stop what you are doing. This is your back’s way of telling you that what you’re doing is all wrong—listen to it.
There are a lot of rumours and contrasting theories within the fitness world. A quick internet search on ‘how to lose weight’, for example, will provide thousands of different answers and opinions.4. Wear PosturePlast, a self adhesive back support which prevents improper posture from keeping the spine aligned. PosturePlast will train your back (and mind) to stick to proper posture, which will not only benefit you while exercising, but also prevent back pain and injury in many other aspects of life.
One thing that can’t be argued about, however, is that good posture and back health are vital to anyone who intends to regularly exercise, and even those that don’t.
About The Author:
Adam Dallison is the inventor of PosturePlast. For more information on Adam, or PosturePlast visit postureplast.co.uk.