Low back pain. For so many people, it’s a pain in the.... back. And as boring as it is, low back pain is a red flag that says your mechanics are out of whack and need re-tuning like a piano that’s out of key. And it’s something you should DEFINITELY pay attention to before you start smashing out the reps you have committed to for your New Year’s Resolution.

It can be as mild as a twinge when you lean over to pick up your toothbrush or as major as keeping you bedridden and dosed up on painkillers. Either way, low back pain can get in the way of living life (and exercising!), but most of the time you can beat it with stretches and strengthening. Not exciting stuff, but it can really make the difference to your quality of life. Here are four basic tips to preventing or relieving your next flare up, and making sure your resolutions don’t cause you more harm than good.

1. Stretch your glutes. Sit up straight in a chair and put your right ankle on top of your left knee. Sit up really tall and let your right knee drop towards the floor. If this is enough, stay here for 30 seconds and breathe. If not, gently lean forward and push down on your right knee to intensify the stretch, then hold. From here, sit as tall as you can and hug your right knee up towards your left shoulder, rotating your body slightly to meet your knee. This will change where you feel the stretch; again hold for 30 seconds. Repeat both stretches on the left side. 
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2. Stretch your hip flexors. Standing upright, take a step forward with your left leg. Squeeze your bum and put a slight bend in your left knee, this will push your pelvis forward. Then, think about your whole pelvis as a cup full of water – try to tip it backwards so the water runs down the back of your legs. Reach your right arm up and try to touch the ceiling, keeping your hips pointing straight ahead. You should feel a stretch in the front of your right hip. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
 
3. Strengthen your pelvic stabilisers. Standing facing the back of a chair, put your weight on your left leg. Hold your pelvis steady and slowly lift your right leg straight out to the right. Raise it as far as you can before your pelvis/back/torso moves – everything should stay still except your right leg. Lift your leg 10 times, then swap to your left and do three sets on each side. Jane Fonda, eat your heart out!

4. Heat, heat, heat. Invest in a good wheat bag and you won’t go wrong. I recommend lying in a Yoga ‘Child’s Pose’ for as long as you are comfortable with a heat pack on your back, then swapping to lying on your back with the heat pack under your low back and sacrum so your pelvis is lifted slightly, with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. No heat pack? Turn the shower on super hot and lean down to touch the floor with your knees slightly bent. ​Ahhh, bliss!

If all these don't get you 100% pain relief, it's time to get the professionals involved. Don't make it worse for yourself by waiting - usually your massage therapist (I mean, me) can get you sorted in just a couple of sessions. Click below to book in now!

As a mum of triplets plus one, I know how much lifting there is in the early days for parents with newborn babies: shuffling babies from room to room, up onto change tables and down into play pens – and don’t even start me on the endless baskets full of washing. It’s back-pain inducing stuff! But for those who also suffered through a pregnancy before the bouncing bundles arrived (I’m looking at you, mums), another problem can also arise, in the form of a weak pelvic floor and bladder leakage.

Yes, let’s talk about this uncomfortable topic! Because statistics by the Continence Foundation of Australia (CFA) say that 1 in 3 women who have ever had a baby wet themselves, so you definitely aren’t alone if this is happening to you. No need to be embarrassed! It’s a strength problem, and it can definitely be overcome. Here is a great video by CFA that explains why you are wetting yourself, click here to check it out. 

So now you know the mechanics of why you want to hold yourself when you sneeze, here are my top three tips to strengthen your pelvic floor and stay dry all day.

1. When lifting up a weight, eg your baby, don’t hold your breath and brace against it. This is effectively pushing down on the pelvic floor by increasing your abdominal pressure and is squeezing your bladder like a lemon. Instead, take a breath before you lift and breathe out for as long as it takes to complete the lift. This will raise your diaphragm, decrease your abdominal pressure and reduce the strain on your bladder.

2. Before you lift anything, you should turn on your core in preparation. There are three steps to this process:
     a. Activate your Transverse Abdominus (TA) muscle, by sucking your belly button towards your spine. Pretend that you are doing up the zip on a pair of jeans two sizes too small – you want to concentrate on the lower part of your abs.
      b. Lift your pelvic floor, like you are busting to get to the toilet and need to hold in a wee and a fart at the same time. Yes, we’ve all been there.
      c. Gently squeeze your bum muscles like you have a $100 note between your cheeks and don’t want to let it drop out. Sounds strange, but actually helps to further activate your abdominal muscles for support and takes the pressure off your lower back. Then take in your preparation breath, hold the contraction and breathe out as you lift as per number 1 above.

3. Use a strong cue to actually do your pelvic strength exercises several times a day! For example, every time you go to the toilet, or have a cup of tea, or change the babies’ nappies, do the following routine. Lift your pelvic floor strong and hard, count to three and release. Try to keep breathing throughout, and repeat three times. You want to build to a six second squeeze, six times in a row, and repeating three times a day at least. Consistency is key, and you will get control back over time. You deserve it!
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Post-natal women looking to get into exercise WITHOUT wet knickers can come in for an appointment with me, I am able to help with both your upper and lower body mechanics, any joint or back pain, and have a specific gym program for post-natal clients. Click this button to book now!

If you have babies or toddlers, you know what it means to have tightness in your upper back from being hunched over like Quasimodo all day. You are forever lifting them, feeding them, changing them and falling asleep exhausted in an armchair, all of which causes roundedness in your upper back - and if you are unlucky, you’ll also experience the associated shoulder/neck/back/arm pain that goes with it. Here is a routine of four things I recommend to relieve the pain and lose the ‘parental hunchback’ (hint: it’s even better to do after a super hot shower).

1. Back extension stretch. Fold a towel lengthways, roll it up and lie down with it under your shoulder blades (running across the shoulders not down the spine). For comfort, bend your knees with your feet on the floor, and put your hands behind your head for support. Allow gravity to stretch you back into shape for a minute or two. Relax and breathe deeply.

2. Chin tucks. Remove the towel and lie flat with your arms by your side, knees bent and feet flat on the floor (this will feel good already!). Actively tuck your chin down to your chest, like you are trying to flatten the back of your neck to touch the floor and pull the crown of your head to the wall behind you. Hold for eight to ten seconds and release, then repeat the contraction 4-5 times.

3. Massage your chest. Grab some moisturiser and use your right hand to find your left collar bone. Move directly below the bone and feel the soft tissue that runs from your sternum all the way along to the front side of your shoulder, and down about 5cms in a large rectangle. Using plenty of moisturiser, rub all through this area running from your midline to the shoulder, spending time on any points that are sore and feel good to massage. The do the same on your right side.
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4. Back strengthening. Stand against a wall with your head, upper back, pelvis and feet touching it. Put your arms up as if you were being robbed and someone said ‘Stick ‘em up!’. With the backs of your elbows and wrists also touching the wall, slide your arms slowly up the wall to 45 degrees, hold and bring them back to the start position. Repeat 10 times per set for two sets, making sure your shoulder blades stay back and down. 

​If all these don't get you 100% pain relief, it's time to get the professionals involved. Don't make it worse for yourself by waiting - usually your massage therapist (I mean, me) can get you sorted in just a couple of sessions. Click below to book in now!