Dr. Deepankar Das

Spinal cord is a very important part of your body as it renders support to your body.  It also gives your body a good posture and thus maintaining a healthy spine is very essential. An unfit spinal cord can lead to various complicated problems.

The following are 5 must do exercises in order to maintain a healthy spine:

1. Exercising your core muscles can help you to maintain a fit spine. Your core muscles refer to the muscles of your lower back and your abdominal muscles. These muscles give support to your spine. So exercising them can give you a healthy spine.
2. Walking regularly can also give you a healthy spine. It is suitable for people of all age groups. Daily walking can help you to recover from various spinal illnesses as well such as spinal stenosis.
3. Swimming is also a good exercise for maintaing a fit spinal cord. Swimming helps to exercise all back muscles and thus, gives you a healthy spinal cord.
4. Lying down straight with your face down on an even and firm surface for about twenty minutes can help you to get a healthy spine and also a good body posture.
5. Cycling can also help you achieve a healthy spine. While cycling, all your back muscles and the muscles of the lower part of your body are engaged in physical activity. If the muscles of your lower back are strong, then it can help you to keep your spine fit.

Other than these exercises, stretching your limbs and other stretching exercises are also beneficial for a healthy spine. But it is highly recommended for you to consult a doctor before doing any exercise in order to be guided in the proper manner and avoid further complications.

Stretching is very important for your well-being. Not only does it help you become more agile and flexible, it helps you become better at sports and also makes sure that you have fewer injuries when you are playing sports. Here are some exercises, which are guaranteed to make sure that your flexibility will improve:

1. The runner's stretch
In this stretch, put your right foot forward and then try to touch the floor with your fingertips. If your fingers do not reach the floor, place them as far down as possible. You have to then inhale, and go back to your starting position.

2. The standing side stretch
This stretch starts when you are standing straight upwards with your arms raised above your head and your fingers interlocked. When you breathe out you have to slowly bend your upper body to the right then return to the starting position. After you have reached the starting position, you inhale again and after you have inhaled, you have to stretch your upper body to the left.

3. The forward hang
In this stretch, your starting position is when you stand with your legs apart and then you lock your fingers together and place them behind your back. Once this is done, you breathe in. After breathing in, you have to exhale by bending forward and keeping your hands interlocked above your head. You have to hold this position for 5 seconds.

4. The low lunge arch
This stretch involves bringing your right leg as forward as possible and then lowering your left knee onto the floor. You then have to lock your hands together with your palms facing the floor and your hands in front of your body. You then have to inhale for the stretch. The stretch involves lifting your arms as far up as possible and then stretching as far back as possible keeping your legs in the position they were already in. Once you have finished this exercise, you have to do the exact same thing with the left leg in front