Aging is a gradual process of life. Certainly, every people aged differently. This depends upon our levels of activity, the food we consume, our general mental and emotional stability. For instance, we all know that as we get older, pains and aches become a daily routine in our daily lives. There is a reduction in our movement. We tend to get slow in our movement and perform less. The human body is made to move and perform several activities. It is our spine that helps us control our muscles and bones. At this stage, it is essential to know how to keep your spine healthy as you age. Maintaining the muscles, ligaments, and bones strong is yet another factor to consider. As we grow old, we tend to have pain in our back. This is merely a natural known side effect of aging.
You can get relief now by taking optimal care of your spine. Keep your spine healthy by doing regular exercises, eating properly and consulting medical treatment if there are any issues. Similarly, as you get older, it is common to experience stiffness in the joint, pains and aches. All these causes discomfort and affect spine functionality and flexibility. As you age, there may be expected deterioration of the bones and intervertebral disks. There are many ways on how to keep your spine healthy and maintain its flexibility and comfort. Below is a brief description of getting relief from painful spine conditions and keeping it as healthy as you age.
Practice good posture
Without any doubt, one of the most important steps to undertake to keep your spine healthy is to practice good posture. Maintaining a good posture will be beneficial to the whole body. No matter what the age, a good posture is always a must. When it comes to the spine, practicing good posture is essential because improper body posture can have a severe effect on the back and considerably cause serious pain. A bad posture will deteriorate the vertebrae faster than it would naturally. Therefore, you should pay special attention to your posture while you sit, stand, lift or bend. Furthermore, adopting a good posture will do wonders to your spine and overall health as you age.
Moreover, when you are at work, it is important to sit on a proper chair. A chair with a straight back or low back support is best for preventing back pain. It is also good to keep your knees slightly higher than your hips while you are sitting. From time to time, you can prop your feet on a stool to relax them. Consequently, it is a good idea to remind yourself to preserve a good posture regularly. Practicing good posture will improve spinal health, encourage mobility and the overall quality of life. If ever you have a bad posture, bear in mind that it is never too late to adopt a good posture. Consider this simple attitude for a longer period, and you will help keep your spine healthy.
Let your spine really rest while sleeping
Another great way to learn how to keep your spine healthy as you age is to let your spine rest while sleeping. It is imperative that you feel comfortable while sleeping at night. Getting pain in the spine will in no doubt cause trouble in your sleep. Everyone needs to have a good rest while sleeping. To get a back pain relief, think of the kind of mattress and pillow you use. For your spine to have a rest while sleeping, it is important to have the right mattress. Therefore, you should invest in a bed that provides firmness along with bringing support to your back and its natural curves. Also, it should be soft to be flexible at your hips and shoulders.
When you are sleeping, all the structures found in your spine will finally get the opportunity to relax and rejuvenate. This is vital after a hard day at work. For a good sleep, you will need a mattress that is comfortable to support and rest the spine. Consequently, if ever you feel constantly severe back pain, then this may stem from a mattress that is not adequate to your body. Hence, be sure to choose a mattress and pillow on your personal preferences of the position you adopt while sleeping.
Additionally, choose a mattress and pillow specific to your back pain. In the end, sleep on a mattress that will maintain your spine’s natural alignment. This will help you get relief from your painful spine.
Keeping active is key
A sedentary lifestyle is considered to be harmful over time. This affects the overall body especially your spine health. As a fact, being active is key to improving the whole body. Incorporating regular exercises into your daily activities will help develop long-term health benefits. An extensive variety of exercises will help to maintain your flexibility, mobility and reducing inflammation as you age. To keep your spine healthy, while exercising, ensure that the ligaments and tendons in your back remain flexible enough to be able to do a variety of movements. If ever you allow these key spinal components to lose their suppleness, this means that their connective fibers will become susceptible to breakage. This will in turn results in serious pain.
Along with regular exercises, you need to have a strong heart and lungs to pump blood to keep your organs in good condition. According to the American Heart Association, it is recommended to practice intense aerobic exercises for 30 minutes at least five days per week. Such exercises should have the inclusion of weight-bearing exercises and a supplement of Vitamin D and Calcium. These are critical to combat the development of osteoporosis and bone loss. Furthermore, these are critical components that weaken the spine and put you at risk for a spinal fracture and broken hip. Thus, keeping active is key to have a healthy spine as you age. It will help improve the posture and preserve the spine health.
Stretch often
Along with practicing exercises, consider stretching regularly to help improve that stability of your body. Stretch often to relieve the stiff muscles. Stretching exercises help to get relief and keep your spine healthy. Think of taking yoga classes to do some postures of stretching. To maintain good spine health, this can be easily achieved by getting up and stretching. At work, you can walk away from your desk and walk for a few minutes. Such activity will stretch your legs. You can also take some time to exercises your arms and back. These simple exercises will ensure that your joints are released from stiffness and ready for any activity.
Often stretch to help maintain the flexibility of your joints, relieve the stiffness in your muscles and also to improve your stability. Stretching increases your different range of motion and other important movements. Just keep in mind that all the stretching exercises that you are doing are correct and that you are not pushing too hard. Doing an excess might cause severe trouble to your spine. Therefore, it is better to experiment with different stretching exercises and see which one work best for you. Simple stretching activities will keep your spine healthy, and you will get relief from back pain.
Get enough calcium
Apart from thinking about practicing a good posture, rest the spine while sleeping, keeping active and stretching often, it is good to consider the consumption of some supplement. For instance, get enough calcium to reinforce your spine health. Take some time and talk to your doctor about your calcium intake and how to keep your spine healthy as you age. According to science, the recommended calcium intake for men aged from 51 to 70 years old is 1000 milligrams and to that of women aged over 50 years is 1200 milligrams. To keep your spine healthy, you can enhance your calcium intake by consuming broccoli, almonds and other nuts, tofu, sardines, canned salmon, a variety of fish and dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese.
Calcium is an essential nutrient for keeping your bone strength. However, at the age of 30, you should consider not building bones but rather consume calcium to keep them strong. Keep in mind that your daily diet plays a vital role in maintaining your spine healthy. Therefore, limit your food consumption to a balanced diet. Try to eliminate processed foods, take away and unhealthy sweets. Furthermore, eating foods that are high in calcium and other vitamins can alleviate the cause of spinal problems like osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Additionally, maintaining proper weight through exercise and consuming a healthy diet will eventually reduce pressure on the spine and finally minimize back pain.
Consider the points described above to get relief now from your painful back. Follow these simple ideas to keep your spine healthy as you age. Our spine is an essential part of our body which maintain our mobility. Be sure to prevent it from degrading.
