Tag: exercises

Desk back pain, 5 useful exercises to fight it and get better – Italian Cuisine

Sitting at a desk for many hours a day can promote the onset of pain and contractures in the lumbar area. Here are the useful solutions

We spend an average of 8 hours a day sitting at the desk with negative health consequences. Confirmation comes from several studies. It promotes obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, two factors that predispose to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and many other ailments. But the negative effects are also others. Sitting at a desk for a long time increases the risk of experiencing muscle and joint problems that can affect the lumbar area and the spine and give rise to back pain, from which 4 out of 10 Italians suffer weekly (data from the international report Global Pain Index). "One of the most common causes of this disorder are above all incorrect postures that are assumed habitually and for a long time", explains Marco Paciotta, physiotherapist of the Monti Salute Più Group. So here's what to do to avoid them and 5 ad hoc exercises to combat desk back pain.

The causes

"Desk back pain is a disorder that usually occurs with pain in the lower back, which can also radiate along one or both legs," he says. Francesco Fasciani, physiotherapist of the Monti Salute Più Group. “The factors that most predispose to this disorder are of a constitutional nature. The combination of these factors with overweight, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, but also emotional tensions and stress increases the risk of encountering the problem . Another factor that promotes desk back pain is fatigue. "Sitting incorrectly for many hours pushes the body to compensate for the posture by assuming wrong positions that overload the muscles and joints and over time give rise to pain and contractures, which in some cases limit movement".

Mistakes to avoid

To stay away from desk back pain, the first strategy to adopt is not to assume incorrect positions when sitting. "Curling your legs on the chair, crossing them over each other, shifting the weight of the body to one side or bending forward are all mistakes that favor the problem," says physiotherapist Marco Paciotta. Then pay attention to the position of the computer monitor. «The screen must never be positioned too far away or to one side. And finally, we must avoid sitting for too long . Movement loosens rigidities. For example, strengthening the lumbar muscles, which have the task of stabilizing the spine, helps prevent pain.

Correct posture

«To avoid problems when sitting, you need to bring your torso to the desk and rest your elbows on the surface. Then you have to keep your shoulders down, away from your ears, and your feet flat on the ground, ”says physiotherapist Francesco Fasciani. To maintain the correct position, it may be helpful to place a cushion or a rolled towel between the lumbar area and the backrest. «It favors the distribution of the load along the physiological curves of the vertebral column.

Here are 5 useful exercises to combat desk back pain suggested by experts

Exercise 1

Set the smartphone alarm and try to correct your posture at regular intervals by stretching the column as if you were touching the ceiling with the top of your head. Remain in this position. Do the exercise at the beginning for at least 10 times and gradually increase the repetitions.

Exercise 2

When at your desk try to get up from time to time to stretch your legs and back. The movement acts on the neuro-muscular system, restoring the functionality and elasticity of the muscles and joints.

Exercise 3

Lie on the ground on your stomach. Raise yourself up on your arms and toes, keeping your head, back and buttocks aligned. The arms are perpendicular to the floor. Maintain this position for 30 seconds. Repeat this exercise 3 times.

Exercise 4

Get yourself a stick (or a broomstick). In an upright position with your legs as wide as your shoulders, grab it and place it behind your back, between your neck and shoulders. Bend your torso forward and bring your pelvis back slightly, without flexing your knees or arching your back. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions each.

Exercise 5

While seated, raise both arms up and alternating sides stretch them towards the ceiling. Repeat the exercise 5 times.

exercises against anxieties and worries – Italian Cuisine

They promote well-being, release tensions and help you feel better. Here are expert tips for stopping stress

Everyone, some more or less, has been faced with gloomy thoughts and negative emotions in recent months due to the Covid-19 emergency. To promote psychophysical well-being and find serenity, it may be helpful to devote time to activities that allow you to get in touch with yourself by diverting attention from anxieties and worries. The California Prune Board, consortium that brings together 800 growers and 28 packers of prunes from California, has identified with the help of some experts a series of fundamental steps for daily well-being inspired by meditation and mindful eating, two practices that allow you to develop a greater awareness of themselves and their emotions. Here are 5 things to do at home and exercises to try right away to get better.

Eat slowly

Don't rush during meals. Eating slowly, chewing every bite well and savoring the food has countless benefits for psychophysical well-being. It promotes proper digestion and first induces a sense of satiety, reducing the risk of bloating and extra pounds that make you feel heavier, fatigued and low in energy.

mindful eating

Eat your meals consciously

To experience meal times with greater awareness, the practice of mindful eating, a new approach to food that harnesses the benefits of meditation to consciously nourish the body. The advantages? "It allows us to distinguish real hunger from hunger that isn't," he explains Annamaria Acquaviva, dietician. "When choosing food, it is good to prefer satiating foods, which help us keep appetite under control. California prunes, included in a healthy and balanced diet, thanks to the richness of fibers promote satiety ".

Also at the table, check your posture

Controlling your posture even while eating meals promotes personal well-being because it allows you to be aware of the sensations your body feels in the here and now.

Learn to meditate

"Meditation is a form of regenerative nourishment for the body, the emotions, the mental and existential sphere," he explains Daniel Lumera, sociobiologist and international expert in meditation, creator of kindness meditation. "We can consider it to all intents and purposes as a supplement to our biological, emotional and mental diet because it has a profound impact on the slowing of aging processes (free radicals, cell death, inflammation), as well as on mood and clarity and mindfulness ". To practice it, choose a quiet corner of the house and set aside about twenty minutes during the day.

Here are 4 exercises of mkindness editing to try immediately

First exercise

Take a deep breath, put your spine straight and close your eyes. Slowly, gently, place your hands on your heart and bring your attention to the contact and sensation that your hands allow you to feel. Bring all your attention to the heart, to its rhythm and give your heart a smile.

Second exercise

Call in front of you a person you love. Keeping your eyes closed, thank her for her presence in your life and give her a slight bow. Inhale deeply. Exhaling from the mouth, open your hands and sincerely wish it well and its deepest fulfillment. Slowly put your hands back on your heart and looking at her say the following words: «I forgive and free forever all that has been in space and time. I am free and happy, thank you. I free you . Blow, let go of the person and thank him by bowing slightly.

Third exercise

Repeat the previous exercise thinking first of a neutral person you know, then of a negative person or one you don't like.

Fourth exercise

Slowly bring your hands back to your heart and dedicate a thought to your loved ones, thinking of the gifts received from life. Pay attention to the breath that is slow, natural, deep, gentle, relaxed. By inhaling and welcoming life with each exhalation, let go of all weight, all constraints, all pain. For the last time, breathe in and light a sun in your heart that radiates light of kindness. Then, opening your hands, exhale from your mouth and expand this light where you are.

Home gymnastics to lose weight quickly: 5 exercises without tools – Italian Cuisine

Tones, firms and sculpts the body at critical points. Here is the tailor-made workout to get back in shape and get rid of the extra pounds at home

Curtain arms, widened waist, less toned legs and extra pounds. According to Istat data, more than 4 out of 10 Italians have weight problems. A number that is destined to increase due to the more sedentary life at home and the cheats at the table of the long weeks of lockdown. To this mix of factors are often added hormonal imbalances caused by lack of sleep and stress, which favor the consumption of larger quantities of food and the accumulation of extra pounds. The lack of rest in fact stimulates a greater production of ghrelin, the appetite hormone. Emotional tensions, on the other hand, favor a greater production of cortisol, the stress hormone, which favors the increase of insulin and stimulates hunger attacks. To lose weight quickly and get back in shape it is necessary to adopt correct lifestyles and above all to move more. Here is the gymnastics to do at home to lose weight quickly suggested by the professional trainer Magda Franceschino, a 5-exercise workout without tools that sculpt the body in critical points.

To tone the arms

Stand with your legs slightly apart, knees bent, abdomen contracted and hands on hips. Bring your elbows together, keeping your chest up and your shoulders down. Extend your forearms back, keeping your elbows motionless and doing a slight twist to better activate your triceps. Return to the starting position and bring your fists up. Perform 3 series of 10 repetitions with a one-minute break between one series and the next.

For strengthen the shoulders

Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground and your legs hip-width apart. Imagine lifting a barbell: extend your arms up and then bend them bringing your elbows close to your hips. Repeat the movement slowly 10 times. While performing the exercise, keep the shoulder blades together and the shoulders lowered. Perform 3 sets, pausing for one minute each time.

To reshape the waistline

Sit in a chair, with your legs slightly apart, your hands behind your neck, your arms bent and your heels on the ground. The "core" (the abdomen, the dorsal area and the pelvic floor) is always contracted. Keeping your gaze forward and doing a slight twist with your torso, bend your right leg and bring your knee closer to the elbow of your left arm. Return to the starting position and repeat everything with the other leg. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps, pausing for one minute each time.

To firm the legs

In an upright position with the legs apart, the tips of the feet slightly turned outwards and the weight of the body resting on the heels. The hands are on the hips. By bending the right leg and keeping the gaze forward, the active abdomen and the elongated spine, move the pelvis (and the weight of the body) sideways. Then return to the starting position. Do 3 series of 20 repetitions each alternating leg, with a one-minute recovery between one series and the next. This exercise is super for adductors, quads, and side b.

To tone the buttocks

Standing with the abdomen contracted, the legs spread apart at the same width as the hips and the tips of the feet slightly turned outwards. Keeping the spine upright and your hands on your hips, bend your legs and bring your pelvis back slightly as if you would like to sit slowly on a stool positioned behind you. Then return to the starting position. Perform 3 series of 10 repetitions with a one-minute break between one series and the next.