“Back In Shape Naturally”… Your Key To Healing Faster!

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Rick
“Back in Shape Naturally” is a unique and comprehensive program empowering people with herniated disc injuries and/or back pain to heal themselves naturally and permanently.  Filled with tips and techniques that work in real life (not just theory), this package is for anyone serious about taking control of their own healing.  Click here for more information!


 

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Proper Seating Posture

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Rick

This video offers a clear and simple explanation of proper posture, especially while sitting.  It’s so important that we remember to sit up straight, especially if we are seated for long periods of time.  The 50/50 rule they mention is important - make sure you balance equally every negative force with a positive one, and every bad position with a good one.  I’m not too sure what purpose the man in the blue shirt serves aside from court jester, but if you don’t allow him to distract you the rest of the video itself is very informative.

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Using Dreams to Inspire and Heal

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Rick

It often takes our comfortable life as we’ve known it being taken away from us before we realize how precious every day is, and for that matter our lives. Being diagnosed with a herniated disc, back injury, or any type of serious illness gives us a chance to reflect on our lives, and quite often during these times we find ourselves begging for a second chance. If you’re given that second chance are you going to take it? Are you going to do all those things you’ve always dreamed of doing?

Without a clear direction or goal the winds of change will continue to blow you around and you may never get to realize you’re dreams or, worse yet, you’ll even forget what they were. If you’re in the midst of an injury or illness right now, see the blessing that comes with that. Yes, this down time may be the most frustrating thing you’ve ever experienced, however this is also your chance (time) to get clear again on your life, your dreams, the things that inspire you, those things which wake you up in the morning looking forward to a new day and the future.

Focusing on these dreams will build up a kinetic energy inside of you that will explode into potential and momentum once you’re given that second chance and ‘released’ back into good health. Not only that, but those positive vibrations within you will help speed up your healing process.

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Yoga Can Help Decompress Spine

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Rick

While rest is initially important for your back after a herniation, mild exercise and stretching is also important. The key word however is mild. One of the benefits of yoga after a disc herniation is that the stretches stretch the spine, therefore taking pressure off the vertebrae and allowing the discs to decompress. Below are a couple of yoga stretches that can help.

Warning: If any of these movements seem uncomfortable do not do them.

CORPSE POSE (Savasana): Lie flat and relaxed with your back on the floor, arms resting at your sides. Keep your palms down. Your legs are out straight with your knees slightly and naturally turned outward. Slowly inhale and exhale several times while allowing all tension to leave your body.

CAT STRETCH (Marjarasana): Begin on your hands and knees with your back flat. Ensure your hands are directly under your shoulders, fingers spread wide, and knees under your hips. Let your head hang naturally. Inhale. On the exhale, arch your back upward while tucking your chin in toward your chest and tucking in your tailbone. Hold for 5 seconds, and then release.

The following two poses are slightly more advanced and should not be attempted until a couple of months into your recovery.

WIND-RELIEVING POSE (Pavanamuktasana): Get into the yoga Corpse pose, lying flat on your back. On the inhale, bend your left knee and using your hands (behind the knee) bring the leg towards your chest. Keep your right leg flat on the floor. On the exhale, lift your forehead up towards your knee. Inhale. Then exhale as you return to the relaxed Corpse position. Switch legs and repeat.

LOCUST (Salabhasana): Lie face down with arms at your side, palms down. Your elbows are slightly bent and fingers are pointing toward your feet. Very gently raise both legs and thighs off the ground, if even just a few inches. Be careful not to strain yourself and if any unusual pain is felt stop immediately. Try to hold your legs off the ground for 1 or 2 seconds, and then lower.

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Positive Focus vs Positive Thought

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Rick

The daily infusion of positive thought can have tremendous impact on our lives and health.  Positive thought alone however will not do much. We can think a positive thought “I feel great” and yet the little voice in our head replies “Ya right, I feel like crap”.  Instead, we must have positive focus. Positive focus is more than just a thought, it is the allowance of only positive impulses and messages to enter our mind. It’s therefore important to surround yourself as much as possible with positive vibrational energy throughout each day. Some tips for doing this are presented here:

1. Surround yourself with supportive friends. If you are healing the last thing you need are negative people around you. Be with people who believe in you, are positive, uplifting, and supportive of your healing journey.

2. Attend personal consciousness building workshops. Not only will you be inspired and possibly see things in a whole new light, but these are also great venues for meeting like-minded positive and inspiring people who can further support you.

3. Read uplifting and inspiring books, even if it’s just a few pages each day.

4. Start a gratitude journal in which each day (or night before retiring) you write down a list of all the things you’re grateful for that day.

5. Choose to listen to songs with positive lyrics. A lot of songs, however catchy they may be, are laced with a lot of negativity and sadness. Listen to the songs with lyrics that inspire.

6. Set goals for yourself in terms of what activities you want to be doing and what person you want to be. Get clear on what it is you want and who you really are. Focus on this vision often. Do not however set a definite time limit when you will be healed, or compare your progress to that of anyone else. It is not time, but rather faith that determines when healing will result.

7. Celebrate every small victory you achieve on your healing path. Focusing on victories attracts more victories, and allows you to appreciate yourself.

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Support Your Core With Core Shorts

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Rick

To help with the recruitment and support of your core muscles during times of rehabilitation (or simply even as a preventative measure) you may want to invest in a pair of Core Shorts. If you are recovering from a lumbar disc injury or a weakened core, these shorts should be worn as often as possible throughout the day when doing any activity until you’re fully healed.

Many top professional sports teams now require the use of Core Shorts as standard gear to protect their athletes. These shorts fit tight to your body under your regular clothing. Core shorts were designed to assist in the rehabilitation of Continue reading →

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Are Bad Sleeping Habits Causing You Back Pain?

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Rick

How you sleep, and the mattress you sleep on, can play either a positive or negative role in the health of your back. For anyone with a back problem it’s recommended that you use a medium-firm mattress for support – not too soft, not too hard. Avoid pillow-top mattresses. Although they might be comfortable, they don’t provide as much support for your back. Allowing your body to sag unnaturally for several hours each night into a soft unsupportive mattress is NOT a good idea and can actually create back pain by throwing your spine out of alignment. A mattress that is too hard on the other hand creates pressure points where the body makes contact with the mattress (cutting off blood flow to those areas) and gaps where your body does not make contact. Since the support provided by a firm mattress is not evenly distributed to your body (because of the gaps and pressure points), sleep comfort is affected. While a medium firm mattress is best, as a general rule, the heavier the person the firmer the mattress can be.

It’s also best for the back to avoid Continue reading →

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Using Positive Focus to Promote Healing

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Rick

The Law of Attraction states that what we focus on expands. If we focus on the pain, or illness, we will attract more pain and illness. If we are negative and fearful in our thoughts, we will tend to attract the very things we are trying to avoid. Everything we create we create first in thought.

Ironically most people have a very negative and non-supportive dialogue going on their minds. This mind chatter (that little voice in your head) rarely seems to obey the ‘off’ button. This inner dialogue is what creates our outer reality, and then we wonder why things aren’t going the way we want. A sceptic might say ‘well, simply thinking about it isn’t going to cure my condition’. While it’s true that a fleeting positive thought will not cure you (the thought needs to be continually repeated with conviction), it’s also true and has been shown that blisters can be produced simply by the power of hypnosis. Consider that if the mind can produce ill health through negative focus, then the mind can also produce good health through positive focus.

Through the proper and repeated use of affirmations, visualizations, and meditations, we can train our mind and learn to control our negative thoughts, replacing them with not just positive thoughts, but moreover a positive focus on our goal of healing.

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The Proper Way to Lift to Protect Your Back

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Rick

Proper posture is not only essential for lifting objects, but also in almost everything you do both day and night. Ensuring you move your body in the correct way will help strengthen your lower back and help you avoid further injury in the future.

This articles provides important guidelines you should follow whenever lifting objects. These guidelines are important whether you have a back injury or not. If you’re currently recovering from a disc herniation, it is even more important to pay close attention to these tips and incorporate them into your every move. It may sound daunting and tedious at first, but before you know it your body will learn this new way of movement and it will soon become second nature.

When lifting objects, there are generally three safe ways to do this that won’t put your back at risk. With all of these it’s important to Continue reading →

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The Many Benefits of Aqua Therapy

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Rick

Performing any type of exercise that exerts added pressure on your spine is the last thing you want to be doing while recovering from a disc injury.  This is why aquatic therapy is so important.  There are a number of reasons why it is so beneficial.

First, the buoyancy of the water minimizes the weight load placed on your spine. Three fourths of your body weight is supported through buoyancy when you are submerged up to your chest. The buoyancy also supports weak muscles, reduces the risk of injury due to a loss of balance or unintended movements, and creates less impact on your joints. Imagine standing on concrete, jumping up as high as you can, and landing (on your feet of course). A lot of impact and pressure is put on your lower spine as you land. Now imagine doing the same jump in waist high water. As you come down, you almost float down through the water, landing controlled and softly, causing much less impact and compression on the spine. It’s also much harder to jump up in water, which brings up another benefit – drag, or resistance. Water creates natural resistance, allowing the development of muscle strength. The pool is the perfect transition from inactivity to returning to resistance training in the gym. Your abs, lower back, and legs can all greatly benefit from water resistance training. Floats and light weights can also be added to your water regime to further increase resistance.

Another benefit of training in water is that it Continue reading →

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