Being straight and having a strong backside puts the pressure of being upright on your bones, where it belongs.  That lets your bones become strong.

And you can read about preventing osteoporosis with good posture (which you can create with the SimpleStrengthening exercises.)

I’m here to testify…

I kind of hate to admit it, but from time to time, I trip.

I had a lovely “trip” just a few days ago.  A five-point landing.  No one applauded, but I’m quite sure it was very impressive.

And, once again, I did not break any bones.

And, I am grateful.

How do I keep my bones strong and healthy?

Let me count the ways:

1.  Plenty of sunshine (creates vitamin D.)  Bones need vitamin D to absorb calcium from your food.  (D3 is the best type.)

Most people in the northern United States are deficient in Vitamin D.  This happens because you don’t get enough sunshine on your skin for one reason or another.  Your doctor can do a blood test to check if you are deficient, if you want.

A good time to get sunshine is while you are…

2.  Walking.  Walking is weight-bearing exercise.  So is being on your feet while you watch TV.

Instead of sitting, stand and do side-swaying movements or lunges or toe raises and calf stretches.  Just do something while you are on your feet rather than on your seat.

3.  A good quality multi-vitamin and mineral supplement.

4.  Lots of green, leafy vegetables (they contain calcium.)

5.  A varied diet with all kinds of wholesome foods (this means not highly processed and sold in a box.)

6.  And, always fight gravity!  Gravity is a very powerful force.  It is always trying to pull your head forward and down.  Stretching to open up and relax your chest and front muscles is a necessity.  So is strengthening the muscles on the backside of your body.

By the way, walking also strengthens your arms and upper body.

How?

When you walk, you swing your arms.  Your arms have weight.  This is weight-bearing exercise for your upper body.  The muscles in your arms pull on the bones all around your shoulders, and this makes your bones stronger.

So, that’s my secret.  This is how I keep bouncing instead of breaking.

And, one more thing.

The people who are most injured, and who take longer to recover from a fall or accident, are the ones who are most “out of balance” before the accident.

So, recovering faster and having less injury is another big benefit of being as straight, strong and flexible as you can be.  When you are learning to have a strong backside (from the back of your thighs to the back of your neck,) you will also be learning how to move your shoulder blades and your joints into neutral positions.

Your bones and muscles will be healthier and stronger, and you, too, can bounce instead of break.

(Although I hope you never trip.)

For more help, go to http://www.SimplePainRelief.com and http://www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com.

I remembered working with a man who had severe damage to both knees.  He told me he could walk without pain, even on stairs, as long as he kept the muscles around his knees strong.  He did this with machine weight training.

I thought about him, and decided maybe I could strengthen my legs by walking.

So I began my “serious” walking program, and I have noticed lots of benefits already.  Several are benefits that I wasn’t quite expecting and am very pleased with.

I would have said before that I “walked,” but really, it was more like strolling, stopping to smell the flowers on the way.

So I decided I had better get serious.

I started walking as fast as I could while still able to breathe and talk.  In time, I could walk even farther and faster, with fewer breaks.

I already knew how to let my arms swing from my shoulders (thumbs forward, like shaking hands) and to hold my chest high.  I knew how to “roll” my foot from heel to toe.

So, off I went.

When I started just three weeks ago I had several reasons for walking.

• I’m going on a hiking trip and wanted to be able to easily keep up.
• I wanted to strengthen my heart with aerobic activity, but I hate bouncing around.
• My doctor asks me, “What are you doing for aerobic exercise?”  I always tell her I do massage all day long, but she doesn’t buy it.
• I wanted to drop a few pounds.

But, most importantly,

• I wanted my knees to have less discomfort.  I noticed they were starting to be painful and creaky when moving to a standing position from a seat.
• One day I realized my knees weren’t quite “working right” when I wanted to get up from the floor.  I wanted to; they didn’t.  I didn’t like that, either.

Here are the benefits I have already received from my walking program.

• My legs feel stronger (and they were already strong.)
• My knees have no discomfort.  It is much easier to stand from a seated position.  In fact, it’s just plain easy again.
• My back is stronger and straighter.  (I didn’t expect this benefit.  I am sure that it was caused by the proper arm movement during walking.)  This is a big benefit when sitting, standing and working.
• Stairs are easier, too.
• Of course, I also feel more energetic.

I know there are a lot of different causes for knee pain.  I also know that, most of the time, pain in the legs and knees is caused by a muscular imbalance.

Walking can help correct your muscular imbalance.

And, if overweight is part of the cause for your knee (hip and ankle) pain, then walking will be doubly beneficial for you.

Here’s an example.

I met a woman in her thirties who had lost a couple of hundred pounds by walking.  She told me she did not change her diet at all!  When she first began walking, she could go only 6 houses down the street.  Eventually she could go around the block, then farther and farther.  By the time I met her, she was normal weight and race-walking.

So there you have it, and I have faith in you that you can do it.  For more help, go to http://www.SimplePainRelief.com

“Because You Deserve to Feel Better!”

Would you tell me the cause was stress? Overwork? Old age? Arthritis? Or from your nerves or bones?

Would you be surprised if I told you that the cause was most likely…in most cases…muscles?

But not any old muscles.

Overstretched muscles cause most back pain, especially pain between the shoulder blades.

Pain between your shoulder blades and spine can be on both sides or just one side, depending on how you use your body. Some people only get pain on the dominant side, which means if they are right-handed, the right side of their back will hurt.

When our muscles are continually overstretched, like our back muscles are when we have “forward head” posture, they have to react. If they did not react, the muscles would tear and we would be unable to function.

So, instead of tearing, the muscles “splint” themselves.

They become taut and protect themselves from being damaged or ripping off the bone. (Although that can happen in extreme cases.)

When your muscles become taut (think of a rope being pulled from both ends that can’t relax because no one will let go) they become less able to function fully.

They also become crabby.

The overstretched muscles are working way too hard. They are not working the way they were designed to work. Muscles are supposed to help us move. They let us flex and bend and stretch.

Bones are supposed to support us. We are not supposed to use our muscles as bones.

You can stop your muscles from being overstretched!

You can get your muscles back to being the way they used to be, but it will take some time and effort and you’re the only one who can do it. Well, you could get some help to loosen up from a knowledgeable massage therapist, but basically you are in charge.

(The reason I said a knowledgeable massage therapist is because many of them only work where it hurts–your back, in this situation–and your back pain is the symptom, not the cause. He or she will also need to loosen the muscles in front of your body.)

• You need to eliminate your forward head or forward arm posture to stop overstretching your back muscles.
• You need to strengthen your back.
• You will have to practice lifting your shoulder blades and rolling them backward, so they will become more movable.
• Practice squeezing your shoulder blades toward your spine.
• Read the rest of the simple strengthening articles here.

The purpose of this article and this site is to help you become pain-free.  Find more help at http://www.SimplePainRelief.com and www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com

“Because You Deserve to Feel Better!”

Well, maybe.  Maybe not.

We all have changes in our bones and joints that show up on x-rays.  Do we all have pain?

No.

But when a doctor can see something that could be the cause of pain, they usually figure that it is the cause.

“Oh, you just have arthritis.  You will have to live with it.”

Well, maybe.  Maybe not.

Large powerful muscles pass over our hip joint.  These muscles allow us to move our leg.  The hip joint occurs where our thigh bones connect to our pelvic bones.

Those large muscles can get overstretched from crossed-leg positions, overstressed from pressure like sleeping on our sides or car seats pressing on them, or tight from overuse or overstretch.

Your plan is to get back into balance and out of pain.

There are four sides to your hip joint.  Front of your leg, back of your leg, inside of your thigh and outer side of your thigh.  The outside of your thigh–your hip joint–is likely where you feel your pain.

Here’s the plan of attack.

(Please note:  Do and observe these moves thoughtfully, being aware of how your muscles are feeling.  Pay attention to how you feel afterward, too.)

1.  Standing in a secure position, lift your leg, with your knee bent, in front of you.  Does that cause you pain in your hip joint?  If so, your gluteal muscles (butt) may be tight.  Those large, powerful muscles need stretching or therapeutic massage to release them.

2.  Same position, lift your leg behind you.  Does that cause pain?  Your front thigh muscles are probably tight.  You may need to spend more time stretching your leg back like this, in a gentle and controlled manner, like a dancer.

3.  Lift your leg out to the side.  Did that movement cause pain?  The outside thigh muscles may need strengthening.  Just lift in the same way or lay in bed on your other side and lift your bent knee toward the ceiling–just a few inches.  You will feel those muscles contract and strengthen.

4.  Move your leg across the mid-line of your body.  Any pain?  Well, then, don’t do it and if you’re in the habit of crossing your leg, try to eliminate that habit.  You have probably overstretched your hip muscles.

5.  Lay on your back and let your bent knee slowly drop off to the side, away from your body.  What is the sensation in your upper inside thigh?  Is there tightness?  You may feel a direct relationship between the pain in your hip and your inner thigh muscles.  If you do, this is a move for you which will help release that hip pain. Use gentle, controlled stretches for just two seconds, back to neutral, and then another two second stretch.  Repeat several times.

Moves #3 and #5 are often the cure for hip pain.  It may take only several days of movement to relieve your hip pain.  Try and see!

Being your own doctor and physical therapist takes some work, but is well worth it.

You can avoid pain medicines and sometimes surgeries by not just having “arthritis.”  Find more help at http://www.SimplePainRelief and http://www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com

“Because You Deserve To Feel Better!”

1.  Strong shin muscles create balance between your strong calves and the front of your lower leg.

2.  They help prevent charley-horses, or cramps, in your calves.

3.   They help create balanced posture.  A balanced body has less pain.

4.   And, I can’t say for sure, but it might even help prevent shin splints (a painful condition from overuse.)

It is so easy to get strong shin muscles.

Sit, stand or lay down.  Lift your toes up.  Lift them closer to the front of your knee.

Imagine you are trying to touch the tips of your toes to your nose.  Make the movement from your ankle.

Move your ankle and your toes at the same time.  You are lengthening your calf muscles at the same time you are making stronger shin muscles.

And you are creating balance.

Balance is good.  It will help you feel better!

Find more help at http://www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com and http://www.SimplePainRelief.com.

Here is an example.  You may recognize this pain that lots of us experience:  The one on your back, between your spine and your shoulder blade.  If you are right-handed, it will be on your right side.

It feels like a knot, and almost feels like it is burning.  Do you know that pain?

Here is what happened.  The muscles in the front of your body, chest and arm, and probably your neck, become shorter and tighter.  This occurs because most of the time we hold our heads our arms in front of our bodies.   That makes the muscles in front become tight.

Unless you work to strengthen your back muscles, your tighter, stronger front muscles will win the body war.  They will make your body shorter in front and these shortened muscles will ”pull” on the weaker muscles in your back.

Your back muscles are getting stretched because they are not as strong as your front muscles.  Your back muscles go into a type of contraction, or spasm, to keep from being damaged by further stretching.  The stretching strains the back muscles.

You feel the contraction as pain or burning.  Your body is complaining.  It says, “Please fix me!”

So, when an area is stretched for a long time, or overstretched, the result is muscle strain.

How can you fix this?

Getting a strong back will balance your stronger front-of-body muscles.  A strong back will help you avoid muscle strain in your back.  A strong back will prevent your back muscles from being overstretched.

Strong hamstrings (the muscles on the back of your thighs) will help you avoid hamstring strain.

Strong muscles in the back of your neck will help prevent muscle strain that causes headaches.  When the muscles around the base of your skull or at the sides of your neck become strained, you can get a headache.

Strengthening the back of your neck will help you hold your head in the proper position to avoid straining those muscles.

There are Simple Strengthening Tips here to help you get a strong back side, and more to come.

It is never too late to change our bodies for the better.

Bodies sometimes just need a little assistance from us to feel better and perform better.

You can do it!

Find more help at http://www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com and http://www.SimplePainRelief.com.

Most of the time we hold our shoulders in a forward position.  Our head and shoulders are in front of our body during virtually all of our activities.

As a result, the muscles in our back get overstretched.  Then those muscles hurt and complain.  They don’t like being overstretched.

Strengthening your upper back will help prevent having pain in your shoulders.  Here’s a simple way to get a strong back.  And, the best part of it is, you can do it lying down!

So, get comfortable on your bed.  Lay on your back.

Gently press your shoulder blades into your bed.  Press them toward your spine.

Can you feel your shoulder blades (scapulae) moving?  If you’re not used to moving your blades, it may take some practice to get them to move and to feel them moving.   Rolling your arms, one at a time, in circles may help you feel your shoulder blades.

If you press your upper arms backward into your bed, you may be able to feel your shoulder blades move with your arms.  This movement also helps strengthen your upper back.

You can also do this standing but, please, watch where your head is.  Sometimes we get so involved with our bodies that we forget where our head is and it moves forward.  When our head moves too far forward, it causes neck and upper back strain and pain.

That’s it.  So simple!  Just press your shoulder blades back, squeeze toward your spine and strengthen up!

Find more help at http://www.SimplePainRelief.com and http://www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com.

I tried it and as I followed along, I thought, “ha! This isn’t doing anything.”

I was wrong.  So very, very wrong.

I was so sore the next day.  Those simple little pumping movements create a lot of muscle activity, quickly.

Since the muscles we most need to build are those in back of our body, those are the ones we’ll talk about.  These are the muscles that hold us upright, straight and strong.

Here’s how to use these simple little pumping movements.

To strengthen the back side of your upper arm:  Lift your elbow slightly so it is behind you.  Squeeze your shoulder blades a bit toward your spine.

Now, lift your elbow just a little bit more, then go back to your starting point. Lift, lift, lift, lift.  Each pumping movement is that quick.  You can do both arms at the same time.

To strengthen the backside of your thigh and gluteals (buttocks):

Lift one leg behind you slightly.  Lift slightly more and go back to your starting point.  Lift, lift, lift, lift.  These are small pumping movements that use the muscles in back of your thigh and butt.

How Many Repetitions:  Don’t make the same mistake I did.  If you haven’t been strengthening or using the muscles in the back of your upper arm and thigh, take it slow.

Start with 10 pumps the first day or two, twice a day.  Then try 20 twice a day for a few days.

After that, you will be able to do these movements several times a day, when you feel the need to be strong and straight.

For more help, go to http://www.SimplePainRelief.com and http://CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com.

There are many causes for neck pain, but here is a very common cause and a simple strengthening solution.

Often our heads get “stuck” in a forward position.  This happens because of the way we hold our head for long periods.  The muscles both in front and in back of our necks can cause distress for us.

The front/side neck muscles attach from collar bone at the “notch” to our skull behind our ears.  The back neck muscles attach to our skull.

When we are in this “forward head” position, the muscles in the back of our neck can get weak and overstretched.

Here is a simple tip to strengthen the muscles in the back of our neck.  When these muscles are strong, they help us hold our head upright.

1. Lie on your back.  Your bed is fine.  Use no pillow or the flattest pillow possible for your comfort (only if you absolutely need to.)
2. Rock your head slowly by tilting your chin up and down.  When you find the position for your head that feels the most neutral and comfortable, stay there.  Your chin should not point up or down at this time.
3. Gently press the back of your head into your mattress.  Do this gently. Pay attention to what is going on in your neck as you do this.

If it causes discomfort, or feels inappropriate, stop.  It should only feel like movement with resistance from your mattress.  You are only pressing until you feel resistance.

It is not a competition!  Find your neutral, most comfortable neck position.  Press gently into your mattress until you feel resistance.  Repeat several times, assessing how your neck feels.  If you hear a little noise in your neck, like creaking, that is natural.

This is  the first step in strengthening the back side of your body.

A strong, balanced back is a happy back!

For more help, go to http://www.SimplePainRelief.com and http://www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com.

If we are a new mom, the position we are stuck in might be holding our baby.  If we work at a desk, it could be leaning over the desk.  If we are a mechanic or line worker or cook, it is using our hands in front of us all day while we look at our work or project.

So, our shoulders and heads get “stuck” in front of us.

Our poor back suffers as a result.  Muscles don’t like being in that position.

To lift your head, pretend a hook is pulling you skyward.  The hook is attached to your breastbone, near the top of your chest.

To do really nice things for your shoulders, lift them up and roll them back and down.  Since our shoulders are in front of our bodies all day, instead of out to our sides where they belong, moving them backward – toward our spine – is a good counter-move for them.

Lifting and rolling our shoulders back and down does several good things for us.

• It gets circulation going around our shoulders and neck.
• It loosens the muscles around our shoulder blades.
• It strengthens the muscles that hold our shoulder blades toward our spines.
• It gives our poor, overstretched muscles a break!

Some people like to roll their shoulders in a big circle, back to front or front to back.  If that feels good to you, do it.  But, if that feels to you as though you are overstretching your back muscles, then you probably are.  So, just move your shoulders up and back and down.  Squeeze your shoulder blades together.

Ahhhh.  Feels better already, doesn’t it.

For more help, go to http://www.SimplePainRelief.com and http://www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com