Your spine plays a key role in helping you displace stress and move around, so it needs to be up to the task. The best way to help your spine be prepared for the rigors of daily activity is by strengthening and conditioning the area and its supporting structures. But if you’re not into traditional running or a lifting routine at the gym, how can you go about ensuring you’re still doing right by your spine? We share some non-traditional ways to strengthen and condition your spine in today’s blog.
Different Ways To Strengthen Your Spine
Here’s a look at some of the more non-traditional ways to work out and strengthen your spine.
1. Swimming – Swimming is one of the best ways to strengthen your spine for a number of reasons. For starters, swimming inherently forces you to work a number of spinal muscles that aren’t targeted during traditional exercises like running. It’s also great for those who are recovering form a spinal injury or surgery because the water not only provides natural resistance, but you don’t need to bear your full weight when partially submerged, making exercises easier than they may be on land.
2. Yoga – Yoga is becoming more popular throughout the United States as it seems like studios are popping up on more street corners each and every day. This is great, because yoga is another low-impact way to strengthen your spine and improve its flexibility. Using targeted movements and positional holds, yoga really works to strengthen oft-ignored muscle groups, which can add much needed stability to your spine.
3. Balance Board – Balance boards have also become more popular for individuals who want to work out from the comfort of their home or while watching television. A balance board involves standing on a board whose base has been rounded, which requires to user to engage their core muscles to help stay balanced on the board. As we’ve talked about in the past, your core strength directly influences your spinal stability, meaning this is a great place to start if you’re looking to strengthen your spine.
4. Dance – One final activity that can help to strengthen your spine that doesn’t feel like a traditional workout is dancing. Taking a weekly dance class can help to strengthen key spinal muscles and improve your balance, which can help prevent fall-related injuries. Grab a partner and sign up for a dance class to help strengthen your spine and improve your abilities on the dance floor!
For help with any of your spine-related issues, reach out to Dr. Chang’s office today.