Lucie Loves… #Blogged // Preserving my future self with a bit of Yoga at the @SimplyHealthUK #BackCareEvent

I’ve dabbled in the art of Yoga for a couple of years now. Don’t get me wrong - I am by no means a pro. FYI: I cannot do bird pose and I haven’t attempted a headstand either…

But I do enjoy it very much. I love the super post-session stretchy feeling of being at one with yourself. For me, Yoga delivers this time and time again. I also love the fact that - if (and when) practised often enough - it gives you proper ripped abs and fantastically toned arms.

So, when I got invited to a Sunday morning yoga session recently at Dance Works - I said yes. It was arranged by the guys at Simply Health, to launch their new Back Care App, to a room filled with some very lovely fitness and lifestyle bloggers. I was particularly keen to attend on behalf of my long-suffering mother, who, as it turned out, is a Simply Health cash plan customer already! Fancy that.

But she didn’t know about this new gem.

According to Simply Health, a massive 84 per cent of 18-24 year olds have admitted to suffering some incidence of back pain in the last 12 months, according to new research.

My mum has endured horrific back pain for god-knows-how-many-years now. So much so, that she - having been prescribed every painkiller going - ended up having regular injections in her spine to manage her pain. Her most recent back pain mis-adventure was being admitted to hospital to finally undergo some pretty major surgery to have a couple of discs replaced.

She is only 47. 

Before, during and after this mega-operation, my mum did a lot of research into her condition. She checked out forums for other people suffering with the same condition and spoke to them about how they coped.

Had my mum known about this new app a few months back, it would of seemed like the answer to her prayers. The Simply Health Back Care App allows users to input information about their back pain to find back pain exercises and information. My mum would have been able to search for practitioners details in her area by entering her postcode, with the option to call them directly. (Fortunately, she works for the NHS and so is pretty clued up on the practitioners already.) 

I’m going to recommend that my mum downloads ‘Me and My Back’ to record her back pain and help keep track of her condition. It’ll allows you to record ‘pain location’ and ‘pain level’; to access an exercise plan – shown in graphical format or video. I’m sure she’ll also want to share her experiences via the BackCare community on Facebook.

Seeing my mum go through all of this has made me appreciate just how much we can take our health for granted. I know how good I feel having had a Yoga session and I hope that the exercises she finds help her manage any post-op pain.

If you’re interested in finding out more as to how yoga can help with back care, check out Simply Health.

For every download, Simplyhealth will donate £1 to the BackCare charity*, which provides information and support to people affected by back pain.

Photos 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 captured by Simply Health’s photographer.

All other photography © Lucie Kerley