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How to keep your back healthy at work..

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WORKPLACE WELLBEING

Back Pain!

Ways to maintain a Healthy Back and Bones

‘Bone health’ largely refers to bone density – the amount of bone mineral in bone tissue, but also the ability of our skeleton and its bones to protect, repair and recover from serious injuries.

The bones in our body work as a support system, providing structure and shaping our posture, but they also provide protection for many of our vital organs and aid in the production of blood cells.

It’s needless to say that bone health is important!

But how is our Bone Health affected by what we eat…?

To maintain healthy bones, it is important to consume foods that are rich in calcium. Foods high in Vitamin D also help the body to absorb the calcium that we eat, which encourages the growth and strength of our bones.

Try to consume foods that encourage healthy bone development and help to maintain the skeleton’s vitality.  These include, but are not limited to:

Salmon – One serving provides all the Vitamin D you need for a day, aim for fresh where possible, but even the canned servings with edible bones are packed with lots of calcium.

Low Fat Yogurt – One 8-ounce serving can provide 42 percent of your daily calcium needs.

Breakfast Cereals and Milk – Consume cereals fortified with Vitamin D and reap the benefits of calcium absorption at the same time.

Dark Leafy Greens – Kale, greens, swiss chard and spinach are rich in Vitamins C, A and K, which also helps calcium absorption.

Soy or Almond Products – These can be used as milk alternatives, both for breakfasts and when cooking. Such products are often also enriched with calcium and Vitamin D.

Just a few examples of foods high in vitamin D

Add these to your diet to stay

Fit-2-Work!

How can our lifestyle and what we eat help us avoid back pain?

According to research, younger adults between ages 25 to 45 are more likely to experience back ache, such as; lumbar disc herniation or degeneration disc disease.

Leading an active lifestyle is also a great way to take care of your back, prevent common injuries and improve your posture. Even if going to the gym to exercise isn’t your thing, performing simple but effective exercises can be done anywhere and can help to keep the structures of your spine healthy and strong.

Try out Fit-2-Work’s

Top 3 Back Exercises

for Reducing Pain and Improving Posture

Planks – Lie face down on the floor with your elbows beneath your shoulders and your feet and legs hip width apart.

Raise yourself from the floor maintaining a straight back and continuing to breathe. If you are a beginner, aim to hold for 30 seconds and gradually increase your time.

Planks are great for working the deep abdominal muscles, shoulders and back.

Back Extensions – Lie face down and extend your arms by your side, keeping your palms face up.

Slowly lift your chest as high as possible, keeping your head in line with your spine.

Repeat for multiple repetitions. This exercise is great for the posture as it strengthens the lower back and the muscles of the pelvis.

Shoulder Rolls – An easy exercise that you can do sitting or standing. It can help to relieve tension in the upper back and neck, which can contribute to an improvement in your posture.

Raise your shoulders towards your ears as you inhale and gently release and lower your shoulders as you exhale. Repeat 5 to 10 times rolling forward and backwards with control.

Back Health for

DESK WORKERS

Check that your workstation is right for you. If you spend the majority of your day sat at a computer, avoid sitting too far from the desk. Ensure that your sight and arms are aligned to the computer and that you’re sitting all the way back in the chair, to help with the natural curve of your spine.

Is your DESK setup affecting your BACK?

Download our FREE Workstation Assessment Guide

Back Health for

MANUAL WORKERS

Always perform warming up exercises prior to manual handling. This is a good way to minimise the risk of musculoskeletal injury.

Practising  neutral postures and mobilising the joints will help in activating your core muscles effectively and can decrease inflammation, which causes spinal degeneration of discs.

Perform safe and effective lifting and manoeuvring techniques…

If your job requires the lifting and moving of heavy objects, always use the right equipment and effective techniques to avoid any form of injury to your spine.

  • Always push heavier objects rather than pulling
  • Keep your spine aligned even when reaching to pick something light off the floor
  • Avoid twisting your back while lifting

Even the slightest twist in your back could cause serious pain, and left unattended could lead to further injury as well as other spine related problems.

Remember – always use your legs as much as possible to lift and never your back!

Simply stay active and eat well to maintain a healthy back and bones!

In the event of prolonged pain or serious injury always consult your medical professional

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