5 Key Tips To Relieve Lower Back Pain

ByJarrat Wood

Are you experiencing lower back pain or have you at some point in your life? 

If you’ve answered yes, you are one of the estimated 70-90% of Australians that will suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lives. In other words, lower back pain is a common condition and you’re not alone. 

It can range from a slight niggle, to constant and even severe pain, resulting in immobility and bad posture. Usually lower back pain isn’t experienced in isolation, it can affect other parts of the body and your mental and emotional wellbeing too.

 

For many, it is still a grand mystery to know exactly what steps to take, which practitioners to see and how to exercise effectively to release and even prevent lower back pain. There are many reasons as to why people experience lower back pain and many solutions. Here are 5 of my top tips, effective in relieving lower back pain. Read on for my 5 top tips to prevent lower back pain:

Introducing Michael Bloch..

ByJarrat Wood

Michael Bloch is the first of a number of superstar trainers that will be joining the Jarrat Wood PT and www.personaltrainingprograms.com.au team. We have undertaken an exhaustive search to bring on the best and brightest trainers that will deliver World Class personal training sessions for our clients. Michael is an experienced trainer having most recently worked at the RACV City Club in Melbourne. Michael will bring a range of complimentary new exercises and styles of training to the team. His qualifications and experience include:

  • B Science (University of Newcastle)
  • First Aid/CPR Certificate
  • Anthropometry Research
  • Myofascial Release
  • Kettlebell Training
  • Functional Movement
  • Running Technique
  • Boxing Level I
  • Certificate III and IV in Fitness (Australian Fitness Academy)

Read on for more information about Michael and his health philosophy:

It’s City2Surf Time Again!

ByJarrat Wood

The 9th of August is rapidly approaching and here is a re-post of my tips to get you through each section of the City2Surf. Here are some of the do’s and don’ts of the world’s most popular fun run and a little bit of my story:

I first competed in the City2Surf when I was 16. I was fortunate to enough to be sponsored by the Department of Sport and Recreation and it was quite the adventure travelling to Sydney for the first time by plane from Gunnedah.

That year I made a lot of mistakes but still managed a great time of 51mins 15secs which was aided by having the luxury of a preferred start position. The race record is 40mins 3secs set by Steve Moneghetti in 1991 (see picture above). Since then I have run the race a further 5-6 times with all times under 60mins. I have to say that running under 60mins from the back of the pack is probably tougher than a 51min from the preferred start line! It’s not easy running on the gutter for 14km to avoid the crowds and prams. That said, if you know a few tricks you can save yourself a lot of time and energy. Here is my breakdown of how to run a strong City2Surf time:

City2Surf Wrap 2015

ByJarrat Wood

Congratulations to all of our clients and contenders in the City2Surf this year. I want to dedicate this post to everyone who took part in the City2Surf last Sunday and performed so well. It’s one of my favourite Sunday mornings of the year as the text messages of results roll in and there is always a little story behind everyone’s performance. Click ‘read more’ for the full wrap:

Your Shoes Need to Fit You and Your Training

ByJarrat Wood

Did you do the city 2 surf? If you did, well done and if not, there’s always next year. 

 

If you did there’s a strong possibility that you experienced some form of physical discomfort, which is to be expected as it’s a tough course. In this post I want to particularly focus on your feet and by extension your knees, hips and lower back. If you experienced pain in any of these areas it’s possible that your shoes may have caused or contributed to that pain. If you are taking part in regular exercise that involves running or walking on hard surfaces it’s very important to have a good think about your shoes…and here are a few key points to consider.

Doing Your Homework – It’s Not As Hard As You Think

ByJarrat Wood

Good health is important to us all and that’s why we come to the gym. With our busy lifestyles it’s still hard to find the time to fit everything in, especially for those with specific rehabilitation exercises which need to be performed daily. When you really think about it, we spend minutes here and there literally doing not much at all. Waiting to cross the road, watching TV, in elevators, brushing your teeth, etc. If we can try and fill those valuable seconds and minutes with simple effective exercises then we can increase our fitness and achieve our goals faster. If you are ‘on the ball’ you will find that you have much more time than you previously thought!

Here are 5 suggestions for simple exercises you can do daily to fill up your time:

Welcome Naomi Wallis

ByJarrat Wood

Naomi joins the team at Jarrat Wood PT with four years experience in the high performance sporting industry, working as a sports scientist for such clubs as the Parramatta Eels and most recently was the head sports scientist at the Wests Tigers Rugby League Club. She has a passion for health and fitness and now wants to bring her expert knowledge to the clients at our Edgecliff base.