When your back strengthens, your body shape improves.
If you have had lower back pain, you are not alone. Back pain is one of the most common reasons people see a doctor or miss days at work. Even young school-age children can suffer from back pain.
Most of it is caused by a weakening posture and poor muscle balance between the hips and back. Less talked about is how tiring the pains and aches are, how much stiffness ages us or the connection to our body shape.
When talking about strength the first step is to unload pressure from the joints. When the muscles begin to function properly, it is easy to move and the metabolism speeds up. This is the beauty of a balanced body.
Marja, you say that stretching and strengthening your back sometimes is not enough, what is missing?
Only now do I understand that, equally important than exercising, is to train the brain to recognise new positions. That’s why practice is also about learning to feel and sense what is this new placement, alignment, posture, or whatever this is called, that supports and works for your structure. We often use too much force. Less is more.
Marja you often say "To build a functional back and core stability is a beautiful process." What do you mean?
It is almost like you would allow your body to return to what it is designed for.
None of us are symmetrical and therefore to control the body is also learning how to control our own structural asymmetry. Even if your back is not functioning normally (the spine, muscle, discs, and nerves don’t communicate well) there is a lot you can do. There is no need for ‘sweat and tears’, instead ensure you initiate the movement from the right place and with the right dynamic. This would eliminate unnecessary pressure and stress from your joints.
You ask us to practise slowly and consciously, repeatedly until the muscle memory is reset.
The practice should be mostly learning how to readjust, align the positions of your body. Often the back is rather numb, almost a blind spot. That is why so many of us suffer from a weak back. This is also the reason why frequent repetition is needed to turn on deeper muscles.
Tell us about the result of proper exercising focusing on our back, why is it so rewarding?
There is no day that I am not grateful to have a body with which I can move. This is something I needed to work on for years to achieve. This is why I developed Method Putkisto I am keen to pass on my knowledge but also to make the process fun.
What is best in teaching?
There is no day that I am not grateful to have a body with which I can move. This is something I needed to work years to achieve. This is why I developed Method Putkisto (look…) I am keen to pass on my knowledge but also to make the process fun.
See you online!
Marja
Marja’s popular course “A Strong & Mobile Back” begins on Monday 28th February 2022. Registration opens on Friday 28th January 2022. Stay tuned!
During this six-week workout, you will strengthen your hips and build a foundation for a healthy, moving back. It teaches you Method Putkisto offering you a new way to get in touch with the deep muscles that support the body.
Fact box
Back pain is rarely sudden; it is the sum of many things. It is often the result of over- or under-mobility of the lower back.
We mostly feel the symptoms of the weak back: the nerves squeeze causing pain, the muscles supporting the middle body are weak and we get tired easily.
Weak or stiff back affects our breathing, thus also promoting chronically tensing of our hip flexors and shoulders.
Actual back pain can range in intensity from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp or shooting pain.
Back problems can begin as a result of structure, an accident or by lifting something heavy, or it can develop over time as we age. Getting too little exercise followed by a strenuous workout often results in back pain.
If you have scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, lordosis - an arch in the lower back, kyphosis, outward arch of the spine, exercises will help. The question is how to do them correctly.
Best tips to a maintain healthy back
Maintain a healthy weight and eat a nutritious diet with sufficient daily intake of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D to promote new bone growth.
Back pain is rarely sudden; it is the sum of many things. It is often the result of over- or under-mobility of the lower back.
We mostly feel the symptoms of the weak back: the nerves squeeze causing pain, the muscles supporting the middle body are weak and we get tired easily.
Weak or stiff back affects our breathing, thus also promoting chronically tensing of our hip flexors and shoulders.
Actual back pain can range in intensity from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp or shooting pain.
Back problems can begin as a result of structure, an accident or by lifting something heavy, or it can develop over time as we age. Getting too little exercise followed by a strenuous workout often results in back pain.
If you have scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, lordosis - an arch in the lower back, kyphosis, outward arch of the spine, exercises will help. The question is how to do them correctly.
©Method Putkisto
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