Upper or lower back pain is, unfortunately, a big part of life for many people. If chronic back pain keeps you down, there are several things you could be considering to help reduce this pain.

The sad part is it can be very difficult to get rid of back pain altogether. The good news, however, is with a few smart lifestyle changes, you should be able to move beyond it and return to leading the active lifestyle you desire. While it may still trouble you at times, if you learn how to manage it, it doesn’t have to stop you from leading the life you want.

Here are three steps you can take to help avoid feeling pain so often…

1. Prolonged Periods Of Sitting. We live in a day and age where many of us are sitting for hours at a time each and every day. We maybe work for eight hours straight and often only get up briefly for a couple of minutes to use the washroom.

All of this leads to acute pain in the lower back area, especially if you are not taking care to use proper posture.

Three ways to overcome this include…

• sitting on an exercise ball rather than a traditional desk chair for a few hours each day. Sitting on an exercise ball will engage your back more, strengthening your abdominal muscles and core strength. Strong abdominal muscles support your back, and core strength means improved posture, balance, and stability.
• get up at least once each hour and walk around for five minutes. Movement is critical.
• consider taking a brisk 20-minute walk over your lunch or coffee break. A quick walk can make a world of difference regarding how much back pain you experience.

If you do engage in these three steps, you will find your back and body will feel far healthier.

2. Abdominal Crunches. Next, you will also want to refrain from doing too many abdominal crunches. Avoiding abdominal crunches does not mean you should not work your abs, though! In fact, it is the opposite. If you fail to work your abs, you are setting yourself up for back pain down the road. Strong abs are a must for the best abdominal support.

Just avoid crunches, which tend to place too much strain on the lower back. Try planks, lying leg raises, or decline twisting sit-ups in the machine instead.

3. Stress. Finally, beware of your stress levels. While it may seem like there should not be a connection between stress and back pain when you feel heavily stressed you will have tension in the muscles affecting your back. Over time this can lead to tightness and this tightness often goes on to cause back pain.

Take deep breaths throughout the day and focus on keeping your back, shoulders, and neck relaxed. It will make a difference over time.

Keep these three points in mind. What can you be doing today to put an end to your back pain?