The Perils of a Bad Back...

I did some window shopping yesterday for a new bed and a new chair for my home. I went to IKEA twice. Once in the morning, yup, I only went to work in the afternoon *grin*. And the second time after dinner. Can't seem to find a suitable bed. So far, the only bed that I felt was okay in IKEA is called ROBIN and comes in two shades birch white and birch blue.

Yes, -[ Aleph-Tav ]-, it's the SAME one that you have! The rest are either two low or too high. Well, since I was at IKEA and gonna spend RM60 for the delivery, I thought I might as well make full use of it and get myself a new chest of drawers and a new shelf. It all came up to about RM1,000 for everything. Gosh! Now, I'm thinking whether I should just sleep on the floor. *despair* I went to Diethelm the other day to look for a chair as well. I'm pretty set on getting the half-leather office chair that cost about RM800. I'll be going there again sometime today or tomorrow to check on it for a second time and make the purchase. So hopefully, this would help on my sore back. So for you guys who don't have a problem with your back, here are some guidelines to help you so that you would not end up like me!

• When you get up from your bed; face the ceiling and bend your knees first, turn to the side and have your feet on the ground before pushing your body up.
• Keep your weight down; excess weight exerts a constant forward pull on the back muscles and stretches and weakens muscles in the abdomen.
• Avoid staying in one position for long periods of time; inactivity causes muscle tension and weakness.
• Sleep on a firm mattress and use a pillow under your head just big enough to maintain the normal cervical—neck—curve. Avoid use of oversized or several pillows.
• Exercise regularly; exercise promotes strong and flexible muscles that keep you upright in a proper postural position.
• Protect your back by using good body mechanics; bend your knees when picking something up or putting it down; carry a heavy object by using two hands and keeping the load close to your waist.
• Wear comfortable and well-supported shoes. Avoid continuous use of high-heeled or platform shoes, which distort the normal shape of the foot and throw the back’s natural curves out of alignment.
• Walk with good posture; keep head erect with chin parallel to the ground, allow arms to swing naturally, and keep feet pointed in the direction you are going.