Ever since I started teaching pilates, I have more than a dozen people ask me what they can do to ease their lower back pain. I turned to pilates 6 years ago since I started walking like Donald Duck at the age of 18 when lower back pains hit. It did get worse over the years with bad office posture and international moves. Expensive chiropractor visits seem to help for the short-term only until I finally heeded my doctor's advice and invested my time on practicing pilates.

A full rollover on the mat

After a few months on pilates mat, I felt a vast improvement on my lower back and could manage early onset of pain by doing pilates exercises by myself, especially while on the road. I later discovered the reformer, which made my routines more fun and challenging.

Without further ado, here are the top 3 exercises that I recommend to target lower back pain:

1. Hip rolls with feet, hip-width apart, flat on the floor or mat

Hip rolls really great for opening up tight hip flexors and stenghtening lower back with spinal articulation. You can add both hands up to also mobilize the shoulders and lifting one foot at a time to challenge the glutes. 4-count breathing pattern. (1) inhale prepare, (2) exhale roll though your imprint lifting your hips up, (3) inhale stay, (4) exhale start rolling down softening the sternum first and articulating on your way down. #hiprolls #pilatesmat #pilatesforhome #lowerback

A post shared by Pilates By Christine (@theshortspine) on Nov 5, 2016 at 11:34am PDT

2. Shoulder bridges: Similar to hip rolls but with no spine articulation. You start off on a neutral pelvis and hinge your hips up then down.

3. Plank: Everyone can plank whether doing a full or elbow plank. But not everyone does it properly. In order to get the most out of your plank, take your hips down by squeezing your glutes and abs. If you look yourself in the mirror, your tailbone should be on the same plane as your lower back without a bum that is sticking out.

4. Roll over: I like to do this on the arc barrel so I don't cheat by using momentum when laying flat on the mat. Engaging the abs will ensure stability and control while rolling up and then rolling down.

Full rollover with toe taps on the arc barrel for that summer body 💪 #coreworkout #werkit #summerbody #fitspo #pilates #arcbarrel

A post shared by Pilates By Christine (@theshortspine) on Apr 12, 2017 at 6:11pm PDT