A Healthy Spine for an Active Life: Your Summer Movement Plan
What would you like to be doing this summer?
Swimming at the beach? Walking along the coast? Playing golf? Running your first five kilometres? Keeping up with the grandchildren?
Perhaps your goal is simply to get through a busy day without your back becoming uncomfortable.
Whatever your ambition, there’s one thing worth investing in: your physical capacity.
A healthy, strong and adaptable spine is an important part of helping you stay active, independent and confident throughout life.
What Does a Healthy Spine Mean?
Many people associate spinal health with good posture or perfectly aligned vertebrae. But spinal health is more complex than that.
Your spine needs to provide stability while allowing movement. The surrounding muscles need sufficient strength and endurance to support your daily activities. Your nervous system needs to coordinate those movements effectively, and your body needs the capacity to tolerate the physical demands you place upon it.
A healthy spine isn’t necessarily a perfectly straight spine, nor is it a spine that never experiences discomfort. It’s a spine that allows you to participate in life with confidence.
Research also shows that common age-related changes seen on spinal imaging often occur in people without pain.
The goal, therefore, isn’t to create a perfect-looking spine. It’s to develop a body that moves well, adapts to physical demands and remains capable.
The Five Foundations of Spinal Resilience
Building a resilient spine involves more than focusing on your back alone. These five foundations can help support your movement, function and overall physical capacity.
1. Mobility
Your spine, hips and shoulders need enough movement to support everyday activities.
Gentle rotations, bending and reaching exercises can help maintain your available range of motion and make daily movements more comfortable.
2. Strength
Your back, abdominal, hip and leg muscles help you lift, carry, walk and maintain physical independence.
Progressive resistance training can improve strength at every adult age, helping you build the capacity to manage everyday tasks and recreational activities.
3. Endurance
Walking, swimming, cycling and other aerobic activities support cardiovascular fitness and your ability to sustain physical activity.
Muscular endurance is also important when performing repeated everyday tasks, whether you're gardening, shopping or keeping up with the family.
4. Balance and Coordination
Balance relies on information from your eyes, vestibular system and sensory receptors throughout your body.
Balance exercises help maintain stability and are particularly valuable as we age. They can also help you feel more confident when walking, changing direction and participating in recreational activities.
5. Recovery
Your body needs time to adapt to exercise, particularly when you're trying something new or increasing your activity levels.
Adequate sleep, good nutrition, hydration and appropriate rest all support recovery and help you maintain a consistent routine.
Your Simple Weekly Summer Movement Plan
You don't need an expensive gym membership or complicated equipment to get started.
The following is an example of a balanced week for a generally healthy adult returning to regular physical activity.
Monday – Strength
Spend 20–30 minutes performing bodyweight exercises and resistance-band movements.
Tuesday – Aerobic Fitness
Enjoy 20–30 minutes of brisk walking or cycling.
Wednesday – Mobility and Balance
Set aside 10–15 minutes for gentle mobility exercises and balance practice.
Thursday – Strength
Complete another 20–30-minute session of resistance exercises.
Friday – Aerobic Fitness
Spend 20–30 minutes walking, swimming or cycling.
Saturday – Enjoyable Activity
Get outdoors and do something you enjoy, such as gardening, bushwalking, golf, swimming or recreational sport.
Sunday – Recovery
Choose gentle movement, an easy walk or a day of rest, depending on how your body feels.
This is a starting example, not a prescription for everyone. Adjust the duration and intensity to suit your fitness level, symptoms and individual health circumstances.
How Much Exercise Should You Aim For?
As your physical capacity improves, work towards the Australian adult physical activity guidelines, which recommend:
150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, or the equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activity.
Muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days per week.
Regular balance and functional strength exercises for older adults, as part of maintaining mobility and independence.
Remember, you don't need to achieve everything immediately. Start with what feels manageable and gradually build your routine.
Four Exercises Worth Including in Your Routine
These four simple exercises can help develop strength, movement control and balance.
1. Chair Squats
Starting point: 2 sets of 8–12 repetitions.
Chair squats help strengthen your legs and hips, supporting everyday movements such as standing up from a chair, climbing stairs and getting in and out of the car.
How to begin: Stand in front of a sturdy chair, lower yourself towards the seat with control, then stand up again. Use your hands for support if needed.
2. Resistance-Band Rows
Starting point: 2 sets of 10–12 repetitions.
Rows strengthen muscles involved in pulling and upper-body movement.
How to begin: Hold a resistance band securely, keep your body upright and draw your elbows back towards your sides. Return slowly to the starting position.
3. Bird Dog
Starting point: 6–8 controlled repetitions per side.
The bird dog exercise challenges trunk control while you move your arms and legs.
How to begin: Start on your hands and knees. Slowly extend one arm and the opposite leg, keeping your trunk steady. Return to the starting position and alternate sides.
4. Single-Leg Balance
Starting point: 10–20 seconds per leg.
This exercise helps develop balance and lower-limb control.
How to begin: Stand near a sturdy support, such as a kitchen bench. Lift one foot slightly off the floor and maintain your balance. Hold the support as needed and repeat on the other side.
A note on exercise safety: Perform these exercises within a comfortable range and progress gradually. Seek individual advice if you have significant pain, a recent injury or a health condition that affects your ability to exercise safely.
Want some guidance with these exercises?
What About Posture?
You've probably been told to sit up straight, pull your shoulders back or avoid slouching.
But current evidence doesn't support the idea that one particular posture prevents all spinal pain.
The human body is designed to move between positions. Your physical capacity, the demands of your activities and the length of time you remain in one position are all relevant considerations.
Here are a few practical ways to approach posture in everyday life:
If you spend much of your day sitting: Change position regularly and take movement breaks.
If you spend hours gardening: Vary your tasks and take breaks when needed.
If you're returning to running: Increase your training load gradually rather than doing too much too soon.
If you feel stiff after staying in one position: Try moving gently and changing position to see what feels comfortable.
Rather than trying to maintain one perfect posture all day, focus on movement variety, building strength and developing the capacity to handle your daily activities.
The Role of Chiropractic Care
At Lane Cove Chiropractic Centre, our approach to spinal health extends beyond treating an episode of back or neck pain.
We consider spinal movement, joint function, strength, physical activity and the everyday demands placed on your body.
For patients experiencing musculoskeletal pain, chiropractic care may be one component of management, alongside exercise, education and appropriate rehabilitation.
We also encourage patients to take an active role in their spinal health through regular movement and strength development.
Our goal is to help you remain active, independent and confident in the activities that matter to you.
Your Healthiest Summer Starts Now
The best exercise programme isn't necessarily the most intense or complicated. It's one you enjoy, one that suits your abilities and one you can maintain.
You don't need to transform your fitness overnight. Small, consistent steps can help you build the physical capacity needed to enjoy the things you love.
Start where you are. Build gradually. Be consistent.
Your future health depends partly on the physical capacity you develop and maintain today.
Let's Get Your Spine Ready for Summer
Whether you're preparing for long coastal walks, returning to your favourite sport or simply hoping to move through everyday life with greater confidence, we're here to help.
Book a spinal health assessment at Lane Cove Chiropractic Centre.
We'll discuss your activity goals, assess relevant movement concerns and help you develop a practical plan to support your ability to stay active.
Dr Mark has a special interest in helping recreational athletes of all ages perform better and prevent injury. Correct breathing and postural alignment are critical for top performance and injury prevention and is an integral part of “The Over 40 Athlete System” that Mark has developed.
Dr Julie has a special interest in helping mothers and “mothers to be”. Her Post Graduate qualifications in Paediatric Chiropractic and as an ex-midwife give her a unique ability to help pregnant women, new mums and their young children.
Yours in Health,
Dr's Mark & Julie
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