Growing up I dismissed people with lower back pain but now I understand how debilitating it can be. More and more women are having issues during and after pregnancy. So many of my friends see chiropractors and therapists. Back pain is a huge problem in our generation.

I highly recommend seeing a physical therapist at least a year before you get pregnant so you can do the exercises to strengthen your core. This will help you during the pregnancy and afterwards when you are carrying a heavy toddler all day. I also recommend focusing on your diet not only for you but also for the baby.

If you are done having kids and want to feel good again, hire a professional trainer or go to a physical therapist to show you core strengthening exercises. I cannot say enough good things about my therapist, Alan Grodin at Sovereign Rehabilitation. He is a miracle worker.

Please be careful on who you hire. You do not want to injure yourself by doing exercises the wrong way. I have been to several parks and watched trainers working with new moms and am appalled at their lack of expertise. They have them touch their toes and then jump into the air while they are arching their backs. These trainers never said a word about the correct form. Their only concern seems to be weight loss.

Another important part to healing your back is nutrition. When researching nutrition and spinal issues, I came across this website and found it very interesting and helpful. It reinforces eliminating foods that have high inflammatory properties and is worth reading.

“Here are some changes you can make to improve your spine condition. Most people will notice results in less than two weeks by following these general rules.

• Drink at least eight large glasses of water or herbal tea daily. Avoid fruit juices or other beverages with coloring and preservatives added. This includes soda pop.
• Eliminate simple sugars. Get rid of sweets and starchy, refined white flour foods from your diet.
• Avoid packaged foods with added preservatives and colorings
• Take a high quality multiple vitamin/mineral supplements three times daily with each meal
• If you have any form of arthritis or any inflammatory condition, take a pure fish oil supplement. Most people are helped by one to three grams of combined omega 3 fatty acids daily. Look for EPA and DHA on the label.
• Add vitamin D3 to your supplements; make sure you are get 800 IU to 1000 IU daily. You may need more if you have a history of malabsorption (e.g., celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cystic fibrosis, gastric bypass surgery)

Long-term dietary changes can benefit your spine condition. If you are overweight, ask a health professional to help you lose weight, especially abdominal fat. Most people can do this safely by

• eating fresh, raw, or steamed vegetables every day
• eating two or three pieces of fresh fruit every day
• eating five to seven fish meals a week
• eating three to six ounces of clean, lean beef, poultry, lamb, or game meat daily ? eggs are also an excellent source of protein for most people
• using olive oil on salads and for cooking daily
• eating fresh nuts and seeds. Almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds give us high quality, healthy fats

If you do not have a regular habit of exercise, invest in instruction with a professional who can teach you how to strengthen your muscles and protect your joints. Certain exercises will be very good for some spine conditions, and possibly harmful for others. An exercise professional is your best choice for guidance to design a safe, effective program just for your needs.” read more

Back pain can drastically affect your mood and is mentally as well as physically exhausting. You expect to have limitations when you are seventy but when you have pain which prevents you from doing certain things at 30 or 40 years old it is depressing. To deal with the pain, you can pop Motrin, Advil or Aleve all day but is not really good for you. Long term it is not addressing the issues either. Try foods that help remove the inflammation. I can tell a difference when I eat the right foods.

Here are my favorite foods and supplements to lessen my back pain:

Dinner, Desserts and Snacks

Honey Horseradish Dijon Salmon
Honey Glazed Grilled Chicken
Wild Sockeye Salmon Wrapped in Fillo
Steamed Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese and Olive Oil
Green Apple Slices with Almond Butter
Maryland Crab cakes with a Maple Citrus Sauce
UnBEETable Chocolate Cupcakes with Almond Cream Cheese Icing
Unbelievable Eggless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (coconut sugar)

Smoothies & Teas

Lemon Balm tea- relaxes your muscles and decreases stress
Super Healthy Smoothie
Acai Blackberry Mint Smoothie
Tropical Delight Smoothie
Cherries Jubilee Smoothie- cherries really help with inflammation

Supplements & Topicals

Calm- magnesium powder
Fish oil-Ascenta NutraSea with 2300mg Omega-3 fatty acids, 1500 mg EPA, 500mg DHA
Vitamin D3- Pure Essence Labs 5,000 iu
Vitamin E- Whole Foods soft gel 400 iu
Arnica Montana 30c- muscle and tendon soreness
Tiger Balm- extra strength; rub on the tight muscles; warning it gets hot

I hope this helps reduce your back pain or even better it prevents you from having pain. Your stomach will be flat again with all your core exercises and you will feel good. Your skin should look better too with all the vitamins!