5 Tips to Overcome Morning Stiffness

Do you find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, because of too much pain? Does it take you an hour or two for your body to warm up and your joints and muscles to loosen before you can tackle the tasks of the day? You are not alone.


According to the American College of Rheumatology, Fibromyalgia affects 3 to 6 million Americans. That's 1 in 50 Americans, with seven times more the frequency in women than in men.
Morning stiffness is one of the more common complaints doctors hear about from patients.

Don't let morning stiffness cut your day short, by starting it later... And while most people reach for muscle relaxants like Motrin and pain relievers like Aleve to get them going, you don't need to.

The basic causes of morning stiffness are lack of daily physical activity, being overweight, having a poor diet, not sleeping properly, and being in an environment that tends to be cold and/or damp.

Exercising on a daily basis (even walking while swinging your arms) is a great way to release those feel-good endorphins, get the blood moving and help clear nasty toxins from the body.

A poor diet that is high in simple carbohydrates causes weak muscles and bad posture.
Being overweight causes you to carrying unnecessary poundage, which puts strain on your joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments.
Living or working in cold or damp environment causes muscles to stiffen because the cold or damp affects the blood flow throughout the body.

You can be happy to know that what is causing your morning stiffness can be avoided or corrected...

Here are 5 easy things you can do to make a big difference in your life.

1. Be sure to get ample deep sleep, so your body can repair and recharge. Also, be sure to sleep either on your side or on your back—as stomach sleeping causes unnecessary stress on the low back and spine.

2. Do some easy stretches while lying in bed, then sitting up in bed—such as bending to the front and sides. This will stretch and loosen the muscles and help flush them with more blood.

3. Drink the best water you can get. Often the tap water in our cities is not the freshest or safest. Even big cities  have traces of   estrogenic-like compounds in its tap water—and these toxins build up in our systems over time, causing pain. It is advisable to drink either bottled water.

4. Take a hot shower. This serves as a means to induce sweating, promote blood circulation and release muscle spasms. Simply stand under the hot water and... relax.

5. Get some regular exercise. The idea is to go out and do some something physical with your body. Even a simple routine of 10000 steps a day (buy a pedometer!) will greatly improve your health!

These simple tips followed with a little dedication, along with some minor lifestyle changes and changes to the living environment, can help you overcome morning stiffness in no time.

3 Simple Exercises for Back Pain

Perhaps you've had a hard day, you had to shovel the walk, dig your car out of the snow, mailed a few heavy packages, are carrying around some extra holiday weight, or had to take your in-laws around town. You're tired, and it feels like your back is about to go out.

To keep your back in supple working order, you can simply do a few exercises that will help loosen you up and restore your posture. You should do these before running to your pain relievers or muscles relaxants. You don't even need a personal trainer or gym membership to do them, and they will prevent a visit to the doctor. A few relaxed sets of these exercises can immediately make you feel better.

These golden exercises include knee bends, waist twists and hip rolls. Doing these three treasures is a great way to get the blood moving, release endorphins and help you detox, all of which keeps the back in shape and pain away.

Since these simple exercises deal with moving the major muscle groups including the core stabilizing muscles, you can do them anytime with varying degrees of difficulty--adjusting as you get more accustomed to doing them.

The exercises promote blood circulation and release muscle tightness and spasms. Done regularly, they will increase your health and fitness levels, helping to tone your body. You will feel warmer and they will even help aid digestion, as the exercises assist the moving action of the intestines to move your bowels to aid detoxing.

Detoxing is important when considering pain, as toxins in the blood and muscles creates inflammation and pain.

Exercise 1 — Knee Bends: Do some gentle, relaxed knee bends. If you have knee or back issues it is best to do them with the assistance of a chair, table or desk. Stand in a relaxed shoulder-width position and place your hands on the support. Tighten your stomach muscles and exhale while bending your knees and going down as far as you can without falling or straining your knees. Inhale while standing up. Do 10 of these, and then move onto the next exercise.

Exercise 2 — Waist Twists: With your hands relaxed at your sides and with feet a shoulder-width apart, simply start swinging your arms right then left, patting both hands on your lower back as they reach around. This will massage the kidneys. Be sure not to swing or pat too hard, just in a relaxed easy motion! Breathe naturally and relax. Simply do a count of 10, and then relax.

Exercise 3 — Hip Rolls: Stand back away from your support and stand with legs at shoulder-width apart. Tighten your abdominal muscles and put your hands on your hips. Imagine you have a hula hoop, or are doing the hula, and rotate your hips clockwise 5 times, then rotate them counter-clockwise 5 times. Be sure to relax and smile and breathe naturally with this exercise.

The complete series of these golden exercises takes about 2 minutes to complete. Initially, try to do the exercises 3 times a day. Take an exercise break, rather than a coffee or cigarette break, and you'll be delighted on how good your low back will feel.