Many people seem to want to know if you can just exercise lower back
pain away. Is it only about exercise? That is, did you end up with lower
back pain due to a lack of exercise? Or could it be something else?
Your back pain is not necessarily caused by a lack of exercise, but
it’s probably a good place to start looking. When I ask patients if they
exercise, most are still saying “no.” Those that do exercise tend to
stick with the same machine or routine for their entire program. (And
almost none of their “routine” exercises focus on improving their back
muscles.)
So on one hand, we have those that don’t exercise and have lower back
pain. It’s easy to take a guess and see that their spine is having
problems due to a lack of muscular support. While their spine may need
more work at this point (check with your healthcare professional),
eventually they’ll exercise lower back pain away by creating a muscular
back support around their spine with regular exercise.
Those that do exercise, but are not performing a variety of movements
are causing a different problem; muscular imbalance. They are likely
only developing certain muscle groups while largely ignoring others.
Worse, they may be performing activities that are alarmingly similar to
what they already do all day.
They are strengthening muscles that are already overworked (muscles
in the front of the body) and not strengthening muscles that are
typically ignored (back muscles). This is a standard recipe for
developing lower back pain problems and should be avoided.
Overall, maintaining a variety of activities that includes exercises
to enhance cardiovascular health, strengthening and stretching will help
exercise lower back pain away for good. The same formula works for
almost everyone. First, due some exercise regularly. Next, make sure you
take some time to strengthen your back muscles (especially if you
already know you need it!).
Dr. Natalie Cordova is a posture exercise expert, chiropractor, and health educator. More information can be found at his website at http://www.postureconfidence.com
k
3/11/2014
The Corporate Athlete
Are you an athlete? No? How about a corporate athlete? Do you compete
in the corporate world while sitting at your desk? Still no? You are an
athlete! You have to understand, I see an athlete as someone that uses
their body to compete. An athlete’s body must be a highly tuned, well
functioning machine. Still, many corporate athletes have forgotten that
they need their bodies to work as well as possible in order for them to
perform at their highest level… even if they never leave their chair.
Many corporate athletes have bodies that are not working the way they should, even beginning to break down and leave them dealing with regular aches and pains as a part of their normal day. Why do our bodies break down? Typically, you can trace most of your body’s musculo-skeletal problems to imbalances, posture, and overuse.
Imbalances are easy to identify, if you know what you’re looking for. Take a look at the movements and activities you do during an average day you will see that you basically do the same things each day. Over and over again. Day in and day out. Not much variety, and not much balance. Balance would mean that you do many activities involving muscles of your front as well as your back. Good balance would also involve movements on the right and left sides of your body.
The computer user keeps their hands in front of them all day, head pushed forward and eyes glued to the screen. They keep this nearly identical posture as they drive into work, and when they drive home, before resuming this posture again at the dinner table and the couch. How many hours in a day are they imbalanced in a forward position? Eight? Ten? Sixteen? Is it any wonder that their muscles, ligaments, and tendons start to change shape?
Bad posture is also easily identified… usually on someone else. Have someone take a look at you while you work at your desk. Is your monitor up high enough or are you looking down at it by bending your neck? How’s your chair? Does it allow you to sit up straight? Are your shoulders hunched?
What about the position of your mouse, where you put the papers you are reviewing, how you hold your phone, the angle of your wrists… it can be a lot to look at! You want to make sure that your body can stay in as much of a good, well-balanced posture for as much of the day as possible. Having a friendly co-worker take a look at you and your body position can allow you to address potential issues before it’s too late. It only takes a minute, and you can return the favor by observing them at their workstation.
Overuse injuries come from doing any movement over and over again until the body part just plain wears out! These injuries can occur over a shorter period of time when imbalances and poor posture are also a part of that movement. Trauma is usually easy to identify when it involves falling down or a car accident. What about repetitive trauma, also called micro-trauma?
Micro-trauma is not so easily noticed until symptoms start to appear. The same movement or action that caused the injury becomes painful to do. That should be your red alert that you cannot keep doing that movement in the same way. Even treatment will only temporarily relieve the pain if you go back to doing the same thing the wrong way again every day.
The symptoms of your body breaking down are not always pain. Other warning signs can be there for years before pain shows up. Bad posture is already a warning sign that trouble is ahead. The typical shoulder slouching head forward posture is rampant in our society! You likely don’t have to leave your house to find someone living with this posture.
Bad posture leads to further imbalances and a speeding up of the overuse injuries. If you take a look at someone with this posture, you’ll notice that muscles in the front (like the chest muscles) start to become shorter, while the back muscles start to become longer. This is not just a visual change, but a physical change. Your muscles are actually becoming short in the front and long in the back, a serious imbalance.
Another symptom is a loss of range of motion, or a loss of the normal ability to move the spine or any other joint through all of their normal movements. Does your head turn painlessly right and left to the same degree? Can you move your head forward and back easily, or just forward? What about your low back or other joints like your wrists, elbows, and shoulders? Compare side to side and see if they are equal. Of course they could both need help, but this is a good starting point.
The good news is that most of these problems can be helped without surgery. Of course, every person is different and when they decide to do something about their problem is also very important. Wait too long and you may eliminate many conservative treatment options. Catch it early and make some changes to your workstation and you can avoid many painful lessons later.
For now, concentrate on your posture and evaluate your work station. Seek out activities that will allow some balance back into your movements, including weight workouts and stretching. If you are already experiencing pain, now is the time to do something about it. These problems rarely resolve themselves on their own. You must act by seeking the assistance of a qualified health professional.
Dr. Natalie Cordova is a posture exercise expert, chiropractor, and health educator. More information can be found at his website at http://www.postureconfidence.com
Many corporate athletes have bodies that are not working the way they should, even beginning to break down and leave them dealing with regular aches and pains as a part of their normal day. Why do our bodies break down? Typically, you can trace most of your body’s musculo-skeletal problems to imbalances, posture, and overuse.
Imbalances are easy to identify, if you know what you’re looking for. Take a look at the movements and activities you do during an average day you will see that you basically do the same things each day. Over and over again. Day in and day out. Not much variety, and not much balance. Balance would mean that you do many activities involving muscles of your front as well as your back. Good balance would also involve movements on the right and left sides of your body.
The computer user keeps their hands in front of them all day, head pushed forward and eyes glued to the screen. They keep this nearly identical posture as they drive into work, and when they drive home, before resuming this posture again at the dinner table and the couch. How many hours in a day are they imbalanced in a forward position? Eight? Ten? Sixteen? Is it any wonder that their muscles, ligaments, and tendons start to change shape?
Bad posture is also easily identified… usually on someone else. Have someone take a look at you while you work at your desk. Is your monitor up high enough or are you looking down at it by bending your neck? How’s your chair? Does it allow you to sit up straight? Are your shoulders hunched?
What about the position of your mouse, where you put the papers you are reviewing, how you hold your phone, the angle of your wrists… it can be a lot to look at! You want to make sure that your body can stay in as much of a good, well-balanced posture for as much of the day as possible. Having a friendly co-worker take a look at you and your body position can allow you to address potential issues before it’s too late. It only takes a minute, and you can return the favor by observing them at their workstation.
Overuse injuries come from doing any movement over and over again until the body part just plain wears out! These injuries can occur over a shorter period of time when imbalances and poor posture are also a part of that movement. Trauma is usually easy to identify when it involves falling down or a car accident. What about repetitive trauma, also called micro-trauma?
Micro-trauma is not so easily noticed until symptoms start to appear. The same movement or action that caused the injury becomes painful to do. That should be your red alert that you cannot keep doing that movement in the same way. Even treatment will only temporarily relieve the pain if you go back to doing the same thing the wrong way again every day.
The symptoms of your body breaking down are not always pain. Other warning signs can be there for years before pain shows up. Bad posture is already a warning sign that trouble is ahead. The typical shoulder slouching head forward posture is rampant in our society! You likely don’t have to leave your house to find someone living with this posture.
Bad posture leads to further imbalances and a speeding up of the overuse injuries. If you take a look at someone with this posture, you’ll notice that muscles in the front (like the chest muscles) start to become shorter, while the back muscles start to become longer. This is not just a visual change, but a physical change. Your muscles are actually becoming short in the front and long in the back, a serious imbalance.
Another symptom is a loss of range of motion, or a loss of the normal ability to move the spine or any other joint through all of their normal movements. Does your head turn painlessly right and left to the same degree? Can you move your head forward and back easily, or just forward? What about your low back or other joints like your wrists, elbows, and shoulders? Compare side to side and see if they are equal. Of course they could both need help, but this is a good starting point.
The good news is that most of these problems can be helped without surgery. Of course, every person is different and when they decide to do something about their problem is also very important. Wait too long and you may eliminate many conservative treatment options. Catch it early and make some changes to your workstation and you can avoid many painful lessons later.
For now, concentrate on your posture and evaluate your work station. Seek out activities that will allow some balance back into your movements, including weight workouts and stretching. If you are already experiencing pain, now is the time to do something about it. These problems rarely resolve themselves on their own. You must act by seeking the assistance of a qualified health professional.
Dr. Natalie Cordova is a posture exercise expert, chiropractor, and health educator. More information can be found at his website at http://www.postureconfidence.com
3/10/2014
Top 5 Off-Site Optimization Strategies for the Newbie
Good Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves both on-site and
off-site strategies. These strategies involve several procedures geared
towards building backlinks which is critical to you ranking highly in
the search engines. However for this article I will be looking at off-site optimization strategies.
As the name suggests, off-site optimization is employing procedures off
your website itself that relates to how the site is linked to external
pages. A link that points back to your site is known as a backlink.
Some procedures of off-site optimization include the following:
Post your site on web directories
Submission of sites to web directories is an old off-site SEO strategy geared at obtaining more backlinks. Submissions have to be done manually and based on my own experience it’s a tedious and time consuming job so, if you can outsource this function I suggest you do so. With all the recent updates by Google to their algorithms this optimization strategy has lost some of its importance. But it’s still considered a good method of improving your page rank. You should bear in mind though that you need to post only to high ranking and reputable directories. Be careful of less popular and possibly blacklisted sites, they can actually hurt your business.
Video Marketing
Creating videos about your business and or products and then posting them on video sites is a great way to help with your off-site optimization strategies. You should then embed the code on your own site. Video sites like Youtube are seen as an authority site and will provide you with high quality backlinks. Another advantage from this optimization strategy is getting even more traffic if your video becomes popular.
Social Media: Facebook
Did you know that the Social Media can be a form of Off-site SEO? Bet you didn’t. Links from Facebook won’t carry much weight where Google is concerned but with proper use of Facebook you can attract tons of visitors to your websites. You can do this by creating Facebook Fanpages, Groups, and Events.
Don’t waste your time on reciprocal linking
Reciprocal linking is basically you linking to someone’s site and then having them link back to yours. It’s actually an old SEO strategy of trading backlinks which is seen to be ineffective these days as it’s rather time consuming and doesn’t produce the desired results. So it’s not recommended as it can actually do more harm than good to your off-site optimization strategies. What you want to do instead is concentrate your energies on getting links from relevant sources where you can chase the links.
Perfecting your techniques
You need to stay on top of your SEO game to get the most from your off-site optimization strategies. How do you do this? By always, always, questioning yourself and your methods. You should test different methods and try new things. If there’s something you can’t figure out take the time to do some research and learn all you can about the area. That’s one of the purposes of the internet, to teach you.
Off-site optimization strategies are extremely important and shouldn’t be underestimated. It takes constant vigilance to be successful at your optimization strategies and the results you desire won’t come overnight. But if done right, you will get that high page ranking and the traffic will come, making a huge difference to your pocket. For easy an SEO guide containing more off-site optimization strategies click this link
Some procedures of off-site optimization include the following:
Post your site on web directories
Submission of sites to web directories is an old off-site SEO strategy geared at obtaining more backlinks. Submissions have to be done manually and based on my own experience it’s a tedious and time consuming job so, if you can outsource this function I suggest you do so. With all the recent updates by Google to their algorithms this optimization strategy has lost some of its importance. But it’s still considered a good method of improving your page rank. You should bear in mind though that you need to post only to high ranking and reputable directories. Be careful of less popular and possibly blacklisted sites, they can actually hurt your business.
Video Marketing
Creating videos about your business and or products and then posting them on video sites is a great way to help with your off-site optimization strategies. You should then embed the code on your own site. Video sites like Youtube are seen as an authority site and will provide you with high quality backlinks. Another advantage from this optimization strategy is getting even more traffic if your video becomes popular.
Social Media: Facebook
Did you know that the Social Media can be a form of Off-site SEO? Bet you didn’t. Links from Facebook won’t carry much weight where Google is concerned but with proper use of Facebook you can attract tons of visitors to your websites. You can do this by creating Facebook Fanpages, Groups, and Events.
Don’t waste your time on reciprocal linking
Reciprocal linking is basically you linking to someone’s site and then having them link back to yours. It’s actually an old SEO strategy of trading backlinks which is seen to be ineffective these days as it’s rather time consuming and doesn’t produce the desired results. So it’s not recommended as it can actually do more harm than good to your off-site optimization strategies. What you want to do instead is concentrate your energies on getting links from relevant sources where you can chase the links.
Perfecting your techniques
You need to stay on top of your SEO game to get the most from your off-site optimization strategies. How do you do this? By always, always, questioning yourself and your methods. You should test different methods and try new things. If there’s something you can’t figure out take the time to do some research and learn all you can about the area. That’s one of the purposes of the internet, to teach you.
Off-site optimization strategies are extremely important and shouldn’t be underestimated. It takes constant vigilance to be successful at your optimization strategies and the results you desire won’t come overnight. But if done right, you will get that high page ranking and the traffic will come, making a huge difference to your pocket. For easy an SEO guide containing more off-site optimization strategies click this link
Afraid To Take A Vacation? Put Your Business On Cruise Control
“I started my business so that I’d have freedom, but I’ve never felt more trapped….”
I come across a statement like that at least once a day on a forum post or in email. You start your internet business because of the freedom of being your own boss and working on your own schedule and then promptly sit on your hind-end for 12 hours/day EVERY DAY. No wonder you feel burnt out. And no wonder family and friends are feeling neglected when all you can think and talk about is your business.
Freedom sounds pretty miserable to me if it means freedom from fun and the ones that I love.
So, how do you break free?
Start by taking a good look at your business and getting your goals and priorities straight. Don’t worry, it’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds. I’ll walk you through it right now. Ready?
Grab a pen and a piece of paper or open your favorite word processor. Divide your page into four columns.
Now you’re ready to brainstorm. Write everything down as it comes to mind. Don’t overthink this. Just start writing.
First, figure out what is working. Whatever it is. It may be one of your websites, your ecourses, a joint venture, a certain marketing method. Where is the bulk of your money coming from, currently? (If none yet, where do you believe will be the place where the largest profits will come from?) Write those items in column #1 under: “Do More”.
Second, figure out what is not bringing in money. Is it hanging out on forums or posting classified ads to freebie sites? Is it endlessly checking your stats, or email? What are your daily time-suckers? Write those under column #2: “Do less”.
Third, figure out what could work better. Do you have upsells in place? Are your websites designed to bring you cash from every visitor? Make a list of ideas in column #3: “Improvements”. (If you don’t know yet, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to improve your business as you learn and grow.)
Fourth, figure out what can be automated. Which tasks are repetitive and boring, albeit necessary? Many of those types of tasks can be automated with simple tools. For instance, if you’re submitting articles to directories by hand, there are tools and services to do that for you. Add these to column #4: “Automation”.
Now that you’re armed with your list, it’s time to get to work.
Look at your list in Column #1: “Do More”. Those are the tasks that you should focus your energies on. It’s a good idea to tackle one or two of the tasks on that list first thing in the morning – every morning. Believe me, it’s much more productive than checking out your favorite blogs or logging into twitter. And you’ll be amazed at how much you can get done quickly when your mind is fresh.
Look at your list in Column #2: “Do Less”. These activities should be forbidden until after you get your #1 list done, if you do them at all. For instance, hanging out on Twitter is fun, but do not do it until everything in column #1 is finished for the day.
Now, go back to Column #1, 3, and 4. Your “Do More”, “Improvements”, and “Automation” lists.
Look at all of the items that are on those three lists. Now, circle each task that you …
• Can’t Do
• Don’t Have Time to Do
• Don’t Want To Do
Those are the tasks that you’ll outsource.
Freedom means a lot of things. It means freedom to do the things that you want to do. However, it also means freedom to NOT do things that you really dislike doing.
For me, it’s graphics. I have outsourced all of my graphics since 2001. I don’t have the time, patience or inclination to learn how to make my own graphics. I have more important things to do, like write this article and then go on a bike ride with my son. Perhaps when I get back from my bike ride, my graphics will be waiting for me in my inbox.
Now, that’s freedom to me.
Want to outsource but don’t know where to start? Nicole Dean and Jimmy D. Brown invite you to http://www.OutsourceWeekly.com where you’ll learn how you can get free time (and earn more money) while others run your business for you.
I come across a statement like that at least once a day on a forum post or in email. You start your internet business because of the freedom of being your own boss and working on your own schedule and then promptly sit on your hind-end for 12 hours/day EVERY DAY. No wonder you feel burnt out. And no wonder family and friends are feeling neglected when all you can think and talk about is your business.
Freedom sounds pretty miserable to me if it means freedom from fun and the ones that I love.
So, how do you break free?
Start by taking a good look at your business and getting your goals and priorities straight. Don’t worry, it’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds. I’ll walk you through it right now. Ready?
Grab a pen and a piece of paper or open your favorite word processor. Divide your page into four columns.
Now you’re ready to brainstorm. Write everything down as it comes to mind. Don’t overthink this. Just start writing.
First, figure out what is working. Whatever it is. It may be one of your websites, your ecourses, a joint venture, a certain marketing method. Where is the bulk of your money coming from, currently? (If none yet, where do you believe will be the place where the largest profits will come from?) Write those items in column #1 under: “Do More”.
Second, figure out what is not bringing in money. Is it hanging out on forums or posting classified ads to freebie sites? Is it endlessly checking your stats, or email? What are your daily time-suckers? Write those under column #2: “Do less”.
Third, figure out what could work better. Do you have upsells in place? Are your websites designed to bring you cash from every visitor? Make a list of ideas in column #3: “Improvements”. (If you don’t know yet, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to improve your business as you learn and grow.)
Fourth, figure out what can be automated. Which tasks are repetitive and boring, albeit necessary? Many of those types of tasks can be automated with simple tools. For instance, if you’re submitting articles to directories by hand, there are tools and services to do that for you. Add these to column #4: “Automation”.
Now that you’re armed with your list, it’s time to get to work.
Look at your list in Column #1: “Do More”. Those are the tasks that you should focus your energies on. It’s a good idea to tackle one or two of the tasks on that list first thing in the morning – every morning. Believe me, it’s much more productive than checking out your favorite blogs or logging into twitter. And you’ll be amazed at how much you can get done quickly when your mind is fresh.
Look at your list in Column #2: “Do Less”. These activities should be forbidden until after you get your #1 list done, if you do them at all. For instance, hanging out on Twitter is fun, but do not do it until everything in column #1 is finished for the day.
Now, go back to Column #1, 3, and 4. Your “Do More”, “Improvements”, and “Automation” lists.
Look at all of the items that are on those three lists. Now, circle each task that you …
• Can’t Do
• Don’t Have Time to Do
• Don’t Want To Do
Those are the tasks that you’ll outsource.
Freedom means a lot of things. It means freedom to do the things that you want to do. However, it also means freedom to NOT do things that you really dislike doing.
For me, it’s graphics. I have outsourced all of my graphics since 2001. I don’t have the time, patience or inclination to learn how to make my own graphics. I have more important things to do, like write this article and then go on a bike ride with my son. Perhaps when I get back from my bike ride, my graphics will be waiting for me in my inbox.
Now, that’s freedom to me.
Want to outsource but don’t know where to start? Nicole Dean and Jimmy D. Brown invite you to http://www.OutsourceWeekly.com where you’ll learn how you can get free time (and earn more money) while others run your business for you.
How to Outsource Parts of Your Internet Business
One of my favorite topics to discuss is outsourcing.
You’d be amazed how thinking about outsourcing and where to begin outsourcing flummoxes everyone from the newest newbies to the seasoned gurus and everyone in between.
Buy why? Why is it so very confusing? Most of us manage to outsource quite nicely in our day to day lives.
I oftentimes pose these questions to my coaching clients -
When you go to a restaurant, do you head back into the kitchen and cook your own food? (That’s just silly.)
And, if your appendix burst right now, would you go online to find out how to remove it yourself? (Please say “no”.)
Of course not!
But, why do we think it’s ok to do everything ourselves in our businesses?
I can’t figure out what it is, but I think I’m starting to narrow it down.
* Fear of losing control.
* Not knowing who to outsource work to. (Needing a recommendation.)
* Not wanting to take the time to outsource. (You think: “It’s quicker to do it myself.”)
* Costs. (Oftentimes, though, you can get help for a lot less than you think it’ll cost.)
* Lack of confidence in ourselves.
* Lack of confidence in the potential of our business.
No matter which of those it is, there comes a point with all of us, where you HAVE to outsource — at least if you ever want to be able to go on a real vacation where you leave the internet behind and relax with your loved ones.
I know. I know. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time – you’ve heard this song and dance before. BUT! While outsourcing isn’t perfect, it’s a heck of a lot better than putting the chains on your wrists from a job that you’ve created for yourself – one where you can’t escape.
Start small. Don’t go crazy. But, when you find someone who you work well with – build on that relationship so you have access to great people who know your style and who you’re comfortable working with. When I need a project done, I have my own personal rolodex of fabulously skilled people who I turn to on a regular basis. Not only does it save me time – but it also helps me to get great prices because they already know what I like, they know that I’m easy to work with and that I pay on time.
I hope this inspires you to start outsourcing in your business.
Nicole Dean can help you to get more done in your business without going crazy in the process. Yes, you can have a business AND a Life! Check out OutsourceWeekly.com and sign up for her free “Outsourcing Mistakes” lessons on the top of the page to get started.
You’d be amazed how thinking about outsourcing and where to begin outsourcing flummoxes everyone from the newest newbies to the seasoned gurus and everyone in between.
Buy why? Why is it so very confusing? Most of us manage to outsource quite nicely in our day to day lives.
I oftentimes pose these questions to my coaching clients -
When you go to a restaurant, do you head back into the kitchen and cook your own food? (That’s just silly.)
And, if your appendix burst right now, would you go online to find out how to remove it yourself? (Please say “no”.)
Of course not!
But, why do we think it’s ok to do everything ourselves in our businesses?
I can’t figure out what it is, but I think I’m starting to narrow it down.
* Fear of losing control.
* Not knowing who to outsource work to. (Needing a recommendation.)
* Not wanting to take the time to outsource. (You think: “It’s quicker to do it myself.”)
* Costs. (Oftentimes, though, you can get help for a lot less than you think it’ll cost.)
* Lack of confidence in ourselves.
* Lack of confidence in the potential of our business.
No matter which of those it is, there comes a point with all of us, where you HAVE to outsource — at least if you ever want to be able to go on a real vacation where you leave the internet behind and relax with your loved ones.
I know. I know. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time – you’ve heard this song and dance before. BUT! While outsourcing isn’t perfect, it’s a heck of a lot better than putting the chains on your wrists from a job that you’ve created for yourself – one where you can’t escape.
So, my #1 tip for outsourcing is to try it.
Choose something small and work from there.- Submitting some articles that you’ve written to the article directories.
- Finding blogs to guest post on and contacting the owners.
- Answering some emails regarding customer issues.
- Graphics to promote your products.
Start small. Don’t go crazy. But, when you find someone who you work well with – build on that relationship so you have access to great people who know your style and who you’re comfortable working with. When I need a project done, I have my own personal rolodex of fabulously skilled people who I turn to on a regular basis. Not only does it save me time – but it also helps me to get great prices because they already know what I like, they know that I’m easy to work with and that I pay on time.
I hope this inspires you to start outsourcing in your business.
Nicole Dean can help you to get more done in your business without going crazy in the process. Yes, you can have a business AND a Life! Check out OutsourceWeekly.com and sign up for her free “Outsourcing Mistakes” lessons on the top of the page to get started.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)