One of the biggest mistakes we make when forward bending is that we don’t move from the hips! We tend to bend (flex) the spine to reach and pick something up off the floor, even when we go to sit down we flex our lower back (lumbar spine) instead of moving at the hips. People find it hard to distinguish between hip movement and pelvic/spinal movement and one of my four principles that I teach in my ‘Healthy Backs 4 Life’ classes is how to recognise a neutral spine/pelvis and then we focus on Hip Mobility. The Squat is a wonderful exercise to help people understand a neutral spine and of course, done correctly improves hip mobility, not to mention how functional it is i.e for sitting down or standing, and the brilliant benefits for working those glutes, which we all know in people with back issues, simply do not work effectively! Yes, you probably guessed – I’m a big fan of the Squat. So, how do you do this magical exercises correctly? Stand with your feet wider apart than your hips and they will naturally want to turn out slightly – let them. I always cue ‘stick your bottom’ out in class, as this gets the result I want. To be a little more descriptive, you are pushing your hips back, flexing (bending) at the hips and knees, your spine does not bend, it stays still in space and travels backwards, keep your chest lifted and look straight ahead. Start small, little squats, preferably watching yourself in a mirror to check your spine is neutral! Then make it functional – use the same squatting action to sit down on your dinning room chair & to stand up, practise, practise, practise until it becomes natural – your spine will love you for it 🙂
One of the biggest complaints from clients is the ‘strain’ they feel in their back when the brush their teeth! Well, lets apply the principles above – most of us, collapse our thoracic spine (upper back – think slouching) when we stand over the sink and hold that position for a minute or two, then when we straighten up our spines are telling us they are not happy. So, instead of ‘slouching’, keep your spine neutral, soften your hips and knees, let you hips go slightly backwards and hey presto no strain on your spine! Again, it will feel strange at first but keep practising and lets spare our spines!