Losing weight and fat can be achieved via various ways and the most common of which is physical exercise. Various exercises such as cardio workouts and weight lifting are favored for this particular purpose. However, the same physical exertion can lead to or make worse problems such as back pain. This, however, does not mean that you cannot lose body fat or cut your weight when you have back pain. We recommend doing some research on knowyourbackstory.com to learn more about your lower back pain.
In the following sections, various aspects will be discussed with the focus being establishing ways of getting into shape without hurting the back further.
What causes back pain?
Your stability, support, and mobility are provided by the skeletal and muscular systems of the body. The muscles stretch and contract to allow various movements in all directions. The impact of the movements is absorbed by the discs in the spine.
The bones, muscles and cartilage tissue become weak and may even degenerate due to disease, age, and smoking leading to pains in various parts of the body.
The muscles stretch and contract to allow various movements in all directions. Ensuring optimal back support, especially during physical activities or when experiencing back pain, a 10inprogress back brace can offer additional stability and comfort by helping maintain proper posture and reducing strain on the spine.
Tips for losing weight for people with lower back problems
If you strain these parts further through physical exertion, they will only become worse. Thus, you need proper methods to carry out exercises without worsening the situation.
1. Keep an eye on your diet
No amount of workout will be effective without a proper diet. If you intend to lose weight, you first need to avoid some foods and replace them with better ones. For example, saturated fats, refined grains, salty and sugary foods should be avoided as much as possible.
Even before you hit the gym, changing your diet alone will have visible effects on your weight and outlook. Besides that, lowering the intake of food is also recommended by health experts as a way of keeping your weight within manageable margins given that it forces the body to shade excessive fat.
2. Focus on aerobic exercises
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you need about 30 minutes of aerobic exercises each day to keep your weight in check. These can be swimming or brisk walks. If you choose to cycle, choose a recumbent bicycle as an upright one will only make the back pain worse. If 30 minutes a day seems too little for you, keep going upwards to a level where you reach the edge of your workouts.
As you work out, ensure you only take on exercises that do not tax the back too much. As stated above, upright bikes should be avoided as they force the back to flex in uncomfortable positions leading to pain.
Also, you should know that these aerobic exercises strengthen the muscles and ligaments hence also a way of doing away with back pain. If you choose to do these exercises at home, avoid extreme intensity since you may injure yourself without knowing. You should also keep to the simpler exercises like swimming for the best results. Next time you step on that body fat percentage analysis machine, you will certainly notice a difference.
3. Lifting exercises
For a better back, you need a stronger core. This can be obtained with exercises that target the stomach area such as bird dogs and various forms of planks. To generally lose weight, you should include resistance-training in your plan as it improves the general metabolism of the body which leads to the burning of fats.
Using machines when lifting weights is recommended given that it supports the back while allowing you to physically engage the rest of the body. When you go to the gym, you will need the help of the gym instructor after you disclose that you have back pain. They will then choose the most suitable exercise such as chest press, shoulder press, seated triceps extensions, leg extensions and many others.
With the proper diet, exercise regime and consistency on your end, you will lose fat and weight without ever harming your back.
Even in the gym, the instructor will give you directions but it is your decision that counts when it comes to what you can and cannot do. To stay safe, start slowly with fewer reps, fewer weights, less intensity and shorter workout periods as you comfortably improve on them. That way, you be sure that your back is safe and your weight is in check as well.