Body Fitness Part 4: The Neglected Back

Ok..Ok…I have delayed part 4 of our Body Fitness articles a little bit, and many of you have been sending me emails about it.  I promise the next parts will follow soon. I am very happy though to see that several of you are following these posts.

So….Here we go with the 4^th installment of our Body Fitness articles.

Today we will continue our daily exercise program with some very important but often neglected exercises for the back.

 

Our back consists of a complex of several muscles.  While our back is theoretically very strong it is at the same time very sensitive as well.

 

The vertebral column, our spine, which supports the muscles on our back, is already working very hard.  Our sedentary lifestyles and lack of exercise place extra burdens on our back muscles, therefore it is very important to strengthen them with appropriate exercises.

Back muscles can be divided into two groups, and for simplicity we will call them the surface muscles and muscles located underneath the surface muscles. The surface muscles are quite broad and cover the muscles located underneath. It is therefore essential to include exercises that strengthen the whole network of muscles, which in turn will provide for better back and spine support.

Of course, in addition to the exercises, we should always try to adopt correct body posture, both when sitting and standing.

So let’s get started!  These are two very easy but also very effective exercises that you can do anywhere.

 

Exercise 1

  

• Lie down on your stomach with arms stretched forward.
• Lift your body upwards.
• The movement should be from the waist up while the feet remain constant.
• The movements should be slow and steady to protect your back.

Exercise 2

 

 

• From the same position lift simultaneously the opposite arm and leg.
• Make sure that your head is aligned with your body.

That’s it ladies.  Get ready for the next set exercises in our next post.  We will tackle the tummy!

Until then…..Be Beautiful!