Happy March!

Over the last month I've learned something...keeping up with a blog can be very difficult. My goal for this month is a minimum of three posts per week. I can do it!

I will begin the month by continuing my series of low back reconditioning exercises. 80% of the population will suffer from low back pain at some point in their life. This is a pretty good indication that we need to completely change the way we move and the way we exercise. Most low back issues are due to glute inactivity and hip immobility. Due to our culture of sitting all day many people have glute muscles that simply don't do the job they were designed to perform. The Hip Extension is a simple yet very effective exercise to add to your warm-up to help activate those under-performing glute muscles.

1. Begin by lying on your back, bend your knees so your heels are directly under your knees, and lift your toes off the floor.
2. Squeeze your glutes! Pretend you are holding a piece of paper between your butt cheeks...don't let go of the paper!
3. Extend your hips.
   
4. Hold for 8 - 10 seconds for 3 - 5 reps.
5. Your butt should be rock solid and you should not feel much in your hamstrings. If you do feel it in your hamstrings squeeze your butt tighter.

This exercise can be performed daily as part of your warm-up or really at any point during the day.

On a completely different note...anyone know anything about designing web sites?? I'm in need of some guidance in this area.