How to ease unwanted back tension - you might need to exercise less

“Paul, I was wondering if you could help me. As you know, I really enjoy running. I run five to six times a week with at least one day of rest.

"But lately my body has been feeling lethargic and my back feels tense, do you have any tips for what I can do?”

My response to Michael’s questions would be, feeling lethargic and experiencing tension isn’t always a ‘bad thing’.

You might be raising your eyebrows right now, and of course any kind of muscle tension is something we don’t want, but these are signs from our body telling us to slow down and recover.

When you enjoy running as much as Michael does, it can be difficult to take a break - but sometimes doing less is the solution.

Back tension is a very common thing I see amongst runners. If we over-exercise, and live busy lives, we’ll most likely experience some form of niggle. This alone can get in the way of your health goals, and in the long run, your back, or any other part of the body, may only get worse.

So, to prevent this from getting in the way, here’s some things you can do:

Get A Good Night Sleep: Studies show that consistently getting eight hours a night helps to reduce unwanted aches and pains in the body, as well as rid of that lethargic, heavy feeling.

When you sleep this gives your body a chance to repair, and when you have a regular routine, you will likely find yourself feeling energised!

Exercise Less: This one might come as a surprise, but sometimes taking a break from exercise will have huge benefit your body.

This doesn’t mean that you have to stop exercising - you could simply switch up your routine so you’re not always using the same muscles and take at a couple of days off.

If you have back pain and want some tips – go to my website and download my free back pain tips guide – log on to www.paulgoughphysio.com/back-pain/ for more details.