By Jason Greenspan
Have you ever complained about soreness on one side of your body? Or blamed your workout for the recent injury you might have suffered from?
Exercise and sports are both potential culprits, but sometimes there’s more to it.
We all have unique ways of moving, and when certain muscles are overused and others are underused, compensation patterns result. Muscles remember frequent ways that you move and then perform them automatically. The overused muscles can become tight, inflamed and irritated, and the underused muscles can become weak.
Jason Greenspan, owner of Silver Stars Fitness.
It’s tough to know the source of the problem, but you can reduce the amount of uneven stress being placed on your body. While it’s unrealistic to be perfectly balanced all the time you can minimize aches and pains by being aware of the following common habits that cause certain muscles to become tight and weak.
- STANDING UP WITH YOUR WEIGHT ON ONE SIDE OF THE BODY. By placing all your weight on one side of the body, the hip and low back on that side eventually become very tight, which can cause pain both areas. Instead, make sure you distribute your weight evenly through both legs. Think of standing tall and not leaning to one side.
- SLEEPING ON THE SAME SIDE OR ON YOUR STOMACH. Avoid sleeping on the same side or on your stomach with your head turned the same way every night. Instead, try sleeping on your back for part of the night. When laying on your stomach or side, make sure to switch sides.
- ALWAYS LEADING WITH YOUR DOMINANT SIDE WHEN CLIMBING STAIRS. Pay attention to your stair-climbing and descending habits. It’s likely that you have a dominant side. Work on becoming aware of your stepping habits and try to alternate your lead leg each time.
- SITTING TOO MUCH. When you sit for extended periods of time, the front of your body typically gets tight and the back of your body gets weak. Try not to sit for more than twenty minutes at a time and if that’s not realistic, try to get up every hour. A great and simple idea to help you get up is to have a water bottle on your desk and drink every twenty minutes. This habit is not only good for you, but will ensure you have to get up to go to the bathroom. Also, try incorporating some anti-sitting exercises, like the bridge to activate the buttock muscles and a hip flexor stretch to stretch out the muscle that gets tight while sitting. By doing this you might avoid low back pain.
- GOING TO THE GYM AND WORKING ON THE FRONT OF YOUR BODY AND NOT THE BACK. Most fitness enthusiasts go to the gym and work on the muscles that everyone can see. These muscles are the chest and front of the thighs. The muscles of the back of the thighs, buttock and back muscles typically are neglected. By following this routine, your posture will suffer and gradually cause your shoulders to round forward. And if you’re doing tons of lunges and squats and not working on exercises like bridges, hamstring curls and deadlifts, you could be setting yourself up for knee problems. Make sure for every chest exercise you perform, you try to incorporate two for the mid-back. And for every set of squats, make sure you do an extra set or exercise that emphasizes the back of the legs and buttock. This will ensure good posture and decrease the risk for knee and back pain.
- CARRYING BAGS ON THE SAME SHOULDER. Do you carry everything (e.g.. purses, children, groceries) on the same side of your body? After you identify which shoulder you use more for carrying, work on switching side and lightening up the load. This will help protect your neck, shoulders and back from pain.
- SITTING WITH YOUR LEGS CROSSED. This is a tough one, especially for the ladies. By crossing your legs, the leg that’s on top becomes higher than the opposite hip. In addition, the hip and buttock will tighten. This is a recipe for low back pain. Instead, try crossing your ankles, or even better, try to extend your heels as far away from your buttock as possible. By doing this, your hips and the back of your thighs will not tighten up as much as crossing your legs and will make you less prone to pain.
Silver Stars Fitness studio specializes in working with the baby boomer and beyond client. We offer small group classes, in-home services and private training, Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Stretching and Massage therapy. To find out more about how you can avoid muscular imbalances, sign up for Silver Stars services, or to schedule a free consultation, contact us at the email and phone number below.
Silver Stars Fitness
850 7th Avenue, Suite 305
New York, NY 10019
646-573-9724
info@silverstarsfit.com
www.silverstarsfit.com
