According to the National Institutes of Health, 83% of adults over 50 experience back pain at some point in their lives. That's a lot of people! (raising my hand here) If you’re one of us, you know back pain can be really debilitating. It can make it hard to get around, complete your everyday tasks, and enjoy your hobbies.

We use our core and back muscles in almost every movement we make, including:

• Standing up from a chair
• Lifting a heavy object (like a grandchild or a pet)
• Gardening
• Carrying groceries
• Getting in and out of the car
• Playing golf or tennis

When your core and back muscles are strong, they can help you move easily through your day while helping prevent back pain. But before you get down on the floor to do 100 crunches, read on…

Why are traditional crunches bad for your back?

Traditional crunches can put a lot of strain on your spine without much benefit and with a high risk of injury. That’s because they involve spinal flexion (rounding your lower back to allow you to bend forward at the waist). The repeated force of crunches can cause the discs in your back to bulge, pressing on nerves causing lower-back pain and potentially causing a herniated disc.

In addition, traditional crunches can increase risk for people with osteoporosis. When you do traditional crunches, you put a lot of stress on your vertebrae, from neck to tailbone, which can lead to microfractures.

Now that you know the risks, what about the benefits?

Unfortunately, there aren’t many. That’s because crunches focus on the "six-pack" muscles, which are located in the front of your abdomen. An effective practice will include movement to strengthen the back and side body, and it will also focus on both contracting and lengthening those muscles.

An Alternative to Traditional Crunches

Yoga is a great way to strengthen and lengthen your core and back muscles along with the added benefit of improving your flexibility and balance. And you don’t even need to get down on the floor!

In this week’s Take 5 Yoga video, we’ll practice a standing series that strengthens and lengthens the front, side and back muscles that support your spine.

Are you ready to join me? Click here to learn more & register for any Midlife Yoga class.

Until next time,

~ Rosemary