Ahhh this grey weather! Im missing blue skies and the heat already. We had an amazing trip in France & Spain this Summer. So firstly I wanted to share a few quick tips I used to help keep my back ache at bay. when I take hols I'm less active so I end up broken and in pain. Not this year :)

1. Stay hydrated, your discs between the spinal vertebrae can get dehydrated and less plumped up causing compression and ache so drink lots of water

2. Move! Sitting down all day in the campervan or at a desk causes compression of the discs. Aim to walk at least 10k steps a day (we did well over this each day). Break the walk up into several shorter ones I find this more effective than one big one. Walk to the shop, take the stairs. It all counts. Swim, run, hang, climb, roll. Move in all ways possible. If I don't move and walk alot every day, I get very achy.

3. Yoga every damn day! Our spines have 6 different movements - forward bend, back bend, twist right, twist left, lean to the right side and left side. I practiced yoga every day. Sometimes it was just 5 mins twice a day, sometimes more. I use poses from my Yoga for Lower Backs Program, Pilates and many other modalities I've picked up along the way

4. Keep the glutes active. Sitting down all day means our bum muscles go to the sleep, they get inactive. Then when we need them for things like lifting, our backs take the stain instead of the glutes doing their job. Get the glutes fired up with body weight squats, bridge lifts, walk up steps and hike. Keep them in shape! Similar scenario for abdominal muscles, strengthening them is key for me to reducing back pain as I tend to lift my rib cage too high so strong abs keep my rib cage down and in the right position. So I did some ab exercises and pilates movements like roll up, roll down and leg raises

5. I normally lift weights a few times a week so I did body weight workouts to keep those movements fluid and familiar. So for example I did 20 squats - 20 good mornings / deadlifts - 15 reverse lunges / split squats on each leg - 10 push ups - 30 secs side plank, 30 seconds hollow hold - side plank. Repeat x 3. I did this twice the week we were away.

6. Watching my posture. Do you know what a neutral pelvis and spinal posture look and feel like standing, sitting, lying? Because if you don't and you have back ache there's a good chance your posture may not be neutral where we are most comfortable, can breathe most effectively in, can engage abdominal muscles best and our back is happiest. Imagine sitting for 8 hours a day where I roll back on my tailbone causing the lordotic or lower back curve to flatten and my upper back to round forward (typical laptop position!). This is going to cause aches and pains. So I tried to be very aware or my posture and brought a chair back support for the boat trip and for driving in Ireland. I put a pillow behind my back in France and Spain for support to keep the curve in place. This made all the difference.

7. Breathe and Qi Gong! When I get stressed, my back aches more. I have all the natural worries about restarting classes and if they will be busy, how it will feel going back to indoor classes. I was really anxious in the airport leaving Ireland too. All normal and natural stuff but I can feel a direct correlation between my emotions and my backs health. So l used the deep breathing techniques I've learned over the years and an approach called Clearing, Filling, Sealing from Qi Gong to help me settle. I even do this in my minds eye now as a visualisation for times when I can't do it physically (like in the airport queue!) it helps release tension in my body and the muscles respond and relax.

8. I go to physio once a month for a massage. I call it my loosener upper! It helps release trigger points and keeps me right. I got my fix just before I left.

So it might seem like a lot but these are the tools I have in my tool kit to help me with my personal back ache. I had 2 herniated discs, both herniated 4 yrs ago and 3 yrs ago respectively. And I manage it well without the need for painkillers, anti inflammatory drugs or having to miss out on the things I love. My own back issues have taught me so much. I have been in so much pain with it, I've been laid up unable to move with it. I had to stop doing some of the things I loved but then I learned. It led me down the route of teaching others how to manage their back ache and discomfort. Learning how to do this for myself changed my life, its an honour to help others do the same now for themselves in the research proven Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs 12 week program offered twice per year. Get in touch about booking your space in this small specialised and life-changing class.

Contact me to join in Maeve 087-3679132.

Movement is medicine!