Hey everybody Mike Uhrlaub coming at you with another episode of Power Your Life. Last time we talked about how important movement can be when you are dealing with back pain. The right movement can actually help you. Today I am going to go into more detail and provide you with a couple more movements to try. I know we’ve had a little bit of a break with our episodes but I am so super stoked to be back here with you all. I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving and had all kinds of food, fellowship, and friendship. I know it was a bit unusual this year because families couldn’t get together due to COVID-19; But I still hope everyone had a wonderful and enjoyable Thanksgiving.
A few weeks ago I was at the West Omaha clinic unpacking my computer bag when I realized I forgot the charging cord for my computer. Normally, this would not be an issue because I’d be at one of the Council Bluffs clinics, I could run home to grab it and everything would be fine. But, when I go out West, it’s a 45 minutes one way. Going home and getting my charging cord really wasn’t an option.
I thought buying a charging cord at Best Buy was the best option. Until I saw the cost of the cord and realized it was going to be close to a hundred bucks! I didn’t feel like spending that much money on an extra charging cord.
Why Are Charging Cords So Expensive?!
I had about two hours of charge on my computer; This definitely put a monkey wrench in my plans for the day. I had my day all planned out; The actions and everything I was going to be doing. At first, I couldn’t believe I forgot my charging cord. It was like my world was coming to an end. Have you ever done that self-talk? Then, I took a step back and had to tell myself everything was going to be fine and work out. My plans just had to change.
I looked at the schedule and realized the patient load was fairly light that afternoon and it gave me the ability to go home a little early to work from my home office. What I initially thought was going to be an unproductive day turned out to be an extremely productive afternoon. I ended up finishing quite a few projects that had been hanging over my head for a while. At the end of the day, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment.
This feeling made me realize how amazing it was that things often have a way of working out.
It’s All In How You Look At It
When you look at a situation where all of your plans are being thrown out the window’ It’s not going to work and you don’t know what’s going to happen. I think all too often, many of us try too hard to control how our day will go. When the day doesn’t align with what we had planned, it creates anxiety, stress, frustration, and irritation at the situation. But, if we can take a step back, we often see things work out for the best at the end of the day. I think this happens to us more than we realize. We often fail to see the beauty and God’s plan for us.
It made me realize none of us have control of things we think we do. The tighter we try to hold on to that false reality, the more frustrated we become. It’s almost like, the harder you try, the worst things get. But, when you learn to relax, you see what you thought was a problem can actually be a blessing. Your attitude will completely change and that mindset shift will revolutionize your life.
Speaking of revolutionize… Let’s do that now with our next amazing back healing movement.
As we discussed last time, the movements that heal back pain are the ones that key muscle groups contributing to back issues. They work multiple muscle groups at the same time, prime your nervous system, and are capable of creating structural change in your body.
A Key Muscle Group – The Glutes
When it comes to back pain, one of the key muscle groups is your glutes. There are three individual glute muscles. There’s the Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, and Gluteus Minimus.
The Gluteus Maximus is the rear glute muscle, also known as your rear end or butt muscle. The Gluteus Medius and Gluteus Minimus are the side glutes also referred to as the rear glutes.
The rear glutes extend the hip, meaning it brings your leg back and stabilizes your spine through actions at the hip. They also keep your pelvis stable when you’re walking. If I were to stand on one leg, these are the muscles that keep my hips and pelvis in alignment. If they’re not working, they drop and don’t keep good stability. When you’re walking and running the side glutes are critical in lower body stability.
I can show you one or two movements for each of these muscles, but you’re going to end up getting three to six different movements. It just takes way too much time and I like to be efficient. Instead I would like to show you a multifunctional movement.
Multifunctional movements are movements that engage both the body’s natural synergies and its nervous system during the exercise. They utilize multi-joint and multiplane sequences and are simple and easy to do at home. If you do them right, they can be very challenging and extremely effective.
Let’s Review the Principles of Movement…..
- Never hold your breath. Make sure you breathe because it is extremely important. (We did an episode a couple of weeks ago on breathing. If you are unsure, go check it out HERE!)
- Always keep your abdominal muscles and midsection engaged. Simply pull the belly button in towards the spine and hold that position while you are doing the exercise.
- Never force into your primary pain. You may get some muscle soreness created by doing the movement and that is good. But an increase in your primary pain level is not okay. If this happens, discontinue that movement.
- Don’t do anything to aggravate your primary pain. A correct movement will decrease the pain, not make it worse.
- Make sure you challenge yourself. Perform this movement to the point where you feel at LEAST 40% challenged. If you’re not, it’s pointless and you wont gain much from it.
Duck-Unders
- This exercise hits all three of those glute muscles, quadricep muscles, and can challenge your cardiovascular system once you add speed.
- Things you might need: A band, athletic tape or duct tape, and a doorframe.
- Tape a doorframe straight across about shoulder height. If you want more of a challenge, set the tape lower.
- Focus on your form over speed. If you do not stick to the form, you will not get the full effects from the exercise.
- Start off with 20 Seconds on each side with about a 15-20 Seconds rest between each one totaling 3 Sets. You want to try and do as many reps as you can within that time frame. Just make sure you are keeping form the entire time. Form is more important than the amount of reps.
- Ultimately, you want to build up to 40 Second reps with 40 second breaks. Do this up to 3 times once a day.
- DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE!
Step 1: Stand next to the taped doorway. From here, step under the tape.
Step 2: Keeping your shoulders square, body upright, and head up, squat under the tape.
Step 3: Stand up straight on the other side of the tape. Make sure to keep your shoulders square and head up. When you get to the top, make sure you are squeezing your glute muscles so they stay engaged.
Next Step Challenge
- Things you might need: A synergy or exercise band, athletic tape or duct tape, and a doorframe.
- Really kicks in the side glutes.
- Place band above the knees.
- Start off with 20 Seconds on each side with about a 15-20 Seconds rest between each one totaling 3 Sets. You want to try and do as many reps as you can within that time frame. Just make sure you are keeping form the entire time. Form is more important than the amount of reps.
- Ultimately, you want to build up to 40 Second reps with 40 second breaks. Do this up to 3 times once a day.
- DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE!
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
As it gets easier, you will want to lower your tape. This exercise will challenge your nervous system as well as improves balance, quads, and glutes. Plus, your back is going to feel a lot better very quickly.
We are now offering our new breakthrough exam session for only $49. All you need to do is follow this link to set up your session.
As always, I would like to leave you with this inspiring and thought-provoking quote from Steve Farrar, “When we look backward, we see that God was in control even when it looked like our lives were out of control.”
Until next time. Power Your Life and keep moving forward!
