In these times of quarantine, many people have suffered from back pain because they no longer exercise as much as they used to. Learn 4 pilates exercises that will improve your posture and help eliminate your back pain
Something as simple as getting out of a chair and incorporating regular stretching is one of the best things you can do to maintain the health of your back.
Sometimes we maintain bad posture or a stooped forward posture for much of the day, which affects our back a lot. Some Pilates exercises can actually be very helpful for your spine.
4 Pilates exercises for your spine that will improve your life
1. Rolling like a ball
- Bend your knees and grab your ankles.
- Curl your spine into a ball and roll forward and backward on your spine while keeping your chin tucked.
What most people find is that instead of smooth movements, there are bumps, which is because those parts of your spine that are stiff are going to be flat. The more you do this, the smoother it’ll start to feel.
2. Leg lever
- Sit on your mat with your legs out straight.
- Grab a yoga strap and hook it around one foot, leaving your arms out straight.
- Lift your leg up and push your foot into the strap, using your abdominals to help you articulate your spine down onto the mat.
- Then, lift your head back up and push through your extended leg as you peel your spine off of the mat back into the starting position. Do this slowly and with control.
3. Roll-back arch on an exercise ball
- Sit on the front edge of a large exercise ball.
- Curl your pelvis underneath you and begin rolling over each vertebra of your spine to hit your lower spine.
- Then arch backward over the ball to hit your upper spine.
- Roll several times over it to hit all parts of your spine.
4. Supine Spinal Twist
This is a typical stretching exercise that helps to stretch the back muscles and strengthen the oblique muscles.
- Lay on your back with your knees bent, your feet flat on the floor and your arms stretched out to the sides.
- Keep knees squeezed together and take them over to one side, while your shoulder blade continues being in contact with the floor.
- Breath out and drag the knees back to the center
Repeat the exercise 3-5 times to each side and stay in the stretch position for about 10-15 seconds.