Keeping your back healthy is incredibly important. If you don’t have a healthy back it’s a pretty safe bet that you won’t be able to have a very healthy life—even if you are mostly healthy on the inside, the constant back pain and potential changes to your spine—the quality of that life will be greatly compromised. Here is how to make sure that your back stays as healthy as possible. 

1. Practice proper posture at all times.

Learning how to sit and stand correctly will go a long way toward keeping your spine and the muscles in your back as healthy as possible. Keeping proper posture takes pressure off of your internal organs and, because it requires constant energy, actually burns calories (not a whole lot but over time the numbers add up). If you aren’t sure whether or not you can maintain proper posture all of the time, invest in some equipment (like the kind you can find at thesoulseat.com) to help make things easier for you.

2. Invest in a really good bed and pillow.

Your spine and back muscles are going to be working hard all day to keep you upright and practicing proper posture. Give them an opportunity to rest and rebuild themselves at night. This means buying a good and supportive mattress and having the right kind of pillow for your sleeping style. That’s right: not all pillows are created equal—some are made for back sleepers, some are made for side sleepers, some are made for stomach sleepers. Get the right pillow so that you don’t accidentally wrench your neck or put too much pressure on your spine while you sleep.

3. Learn Tai Chi.

Tai Chi is a form of martial arts that involves the making of slow and very deliberate movements. Studies have found that tai chi and other exercise programs like it (like yoga and Pilates) can actually help improve the health of your back and spine. They do this by increasing the flexibility of your muscles which, in turn, relieves the pressure that is put on them as you work to sit up and stand up straight. If they are uncomfortable or actually make your back feel pain, stop doing them immediately.

These are just three things that you can do to greatly improve the quality of health for your back, spine and your organs as well! Your chiropractor will help you if these don’t work, but these are the best places to start.