When we press against an immovable object, like a wall, we build strength.  That is called resistance training.  Your bed offers some softness and it also allows you to move and press into it while it presses back at you.  Here are a few things you can try when you lie on your back.

Gently and thoughtfully

• press the back of your head into your bed or pillow
• press your shoulders backward into the bed
• squeeze your shoulders toward your spine
• squeeze your belly toward your spine
• press your heels into your bed

See if you can press one hip at a time into your bed.  Can you do the “wave” with your whole body?

It takes only a few minutes when you are in bed to start to get a stronger, straighter body.  When you were a child, you had a strong, straight posture.  You were moving all the time.  You used all of your muscles.  Help your body remember how it used to be.  Use all of your muscles, not just a few.

If you have aches and pains, you can find more information here at Simple Strengthening and at Simple Pain Relief.  There are lots more articles there for you.

So, I’m going to tell you about the most common cause of osteoporosis.

It’s really common to see people with their heads in front of their bodies.  Sometimes their heads are really far ahead of their bodies.  Not good.

We were built so that all of our bones stack up, one on top of the other.  When our posture is perfect (like it was when we were young children) then our bones support our bodies.

When we start to fall into a collapsed posture–when we get a forward head–then we start using muscles to support our body.  Our muscles are not designed to support us; that’s what our bones are for.

Using the Simple Strengthening program (everything you need to know is here) for easily making your back side strong will correct your posture.

When your posture is once again nice and straight, your bones will be supporting your whole body as they used to.

When your bones are supporting your body, they are “working.”  When they do the job they were designed to do, there is correct pressure on your bones.  This pressure helps your bones to stay and become dense and strong.

Skeletons need to be stacked up properly so your bones will work to support you, and so they will be strong.

When bones are not “working” to support you, they become weak.  So osteoporosis is caused by not letting your bones do their job.  If we take the pressure off the bones, they can’t rebuild themselves as they should.

When your skeleton is stacked in “neutral,” as it should be, inappropriate pressure is taken off your muscles.  Now, your muscles can easily do what they are supposed to do: their job is to let you move.

And, so, since muscles move bones, getting strong muscles on your back side will help move your bones back into the neutral position they need to be and avoid osteoporosis.

And, that’s a good thing.  For more help, go to http://www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com and  http://www.SimplePainRelief.com

“Because You Deserve To Feel Better!”

Do you have back pain between your shoulder blades?  Is the pain more on your dominant side?

Or, is it more lower back pain and/or your neck?

There are many possible causes for back pain and muscles are the usual culprit!  Honest!  Muscles!

That’s good news, because muscles can be fixed.

When your back muscles get overstretched, they will complain and cause back pain.

So, how do muscles get overstretched?

For your upper back it is usually from reaching forward, or working with hands in front of you, a great deal of time, especially with your dominant hand.  For example, most hairdressers use one hand more than the other, and the side they use most can get pain, unless…

They take the time to strengthen their back, and to do periodic stretches to lengthen the muscles which have become short in front of the arm and chest.  (The front muscles become short due to the arm being held in front of the body for so long.)

If you work with both hands in front (reaching or stretching) for long periods, your whole upper back can get overstretched and be uncomfortable.

So, how do the muscles in your low back become overstretched?

If you lose the nice low curve you used to have in your back, pain comes as a complaint.  Your muscles are telling you they are not happy, they are out of balance, they want to be back in neutral.

How did you lose the low back curve?  Mostly, it is from the way we sit, and sometimes how we stand.

Our couches, car seats and desk chairs don’t serve our muscles well.  They let us slouch.  They often don’t fit us.  Instead of looking for a better fitting seat, we allow our backs to round in the opposite direction of where we ought to be, of where we used to be, unless…

We strengthen our large gluteal muscles – our butt muscles – which are very powerful, and our hamstrings in the back of our thighs, and our backs.  Doing this will help bring the curve back into our low back, and help reduce our pain.

Strengthening your back side will help you stand and sit straighter.  That will cause less pull on your muscles, and so less pain.

How does your neck get overstretched?   Sometimes it is as simple as lying wrong in bed, or having our head turned in one direction for a long time, or any of the rotten things we do to our necks when we are slouching on a chair or straining to see a computer screen or game or driving.

Your neck will have a hard time staying in neutral, with its’ own nice small curve, if you have lost the curve in your low back.

What goes on in the low back, goes on in the neck, and vice versa.

Sometimes we just want to feel better…NOW!  That would be great, but…

It takes time.  It takes time for bodies to heal, but they do.  You know they do.  If you get a little cut, you keep it clean, and covered, and keep germs and dirt out, and it heals.

Muscles are bigger than a little cut.  They take longer to “heal” and get corrected.  A cut happens in an instant.  Muscle pain usually took a long time, a lot of overuse or abuse, until it started.  It will take longer to get rid of, but it can be done!

You can start getting a stronger back side by following the steps that I share with you here, or you can use another program if you prefer.

The important thing is that you start doing what needs to be done to feel better.

Why?

“Because You Deserve To Feel Better.” And, you can find more help at http://www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com and http://www.SimplePainRelief.com

You will feel good when your muscles are moving in the correct ways.

You will do the movements often, because it feels good.  You will be able to feel the benefits.  Your posture will be better.  You will have fewer headaches and backaches.  You will feel more powerful.

But, for starters, if moving is a new thing for you, do this:

Start with just one movement, or repetition.  It’s better to do one perfectly than a whole bunch poorly.

It’s better to understand the movement and to do it slowly and thoughtfully.  And, if you do only one rep, you won’t get sore and stop moving.

You can do “just one” three or four times during the course of the first day or two.

Do one in bed when you wake up.  Do one during the day, during the early evening, and then at bedtime.

By the third day, you can increase the repetitions to three.  You can do three reps, three or four times each day for the next few days.

By the end of the second week, you will be able to do up to ten or twelve repetitions.  You might want to do the movements two, three or four times each day, just because it feels good, and to stay in balance.

We’re only talking about a few minutes each time.  It really doesn’t take long to learn to move correctly.  You will feel the benefits, but you will not have become sore.

Now your body is getting used to moving like it used to.  Your muscles are adjusting to the movements.

In fact, your muscles are starting to enjoy being able to move, and they like feeling more in balance!

My Simple Strengthening movements are designed to help you get back into balance, so you will feel better and function better.  These movements are so simple you can do them in bed.  You don’t need any special equipment.

You will find the whole Simple Strengthening program right here.  Just scroll down through the previous articles, and keep watching for more to come.

You do deserve to feel better!

Find more help at www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com and www.SimplePainRelief.com

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.

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.