All resources
Six habits for a healthy spine
No gimmicks. The handful of everyday habits that make the biggest difference to how your back feels at 40, 60 and beyond.
By Dr Alicia Neil (Chiropractor)·Reviewed 28 July 2026·3 min read
B.Chiro.Sc, M.Chiro (Macquarie University), AHPRA registered chiropractor
Your spine is built to move. Almost everything on this list comes back to that one idea.
- Move every 30 to 45 minutes. Set a timer. Two minutes of standing and walking undoes most of the stiffness from sitting.
- Lift with the load close to your body. Bend at the hips and knees, keep the object close, and avoid twisting while loaded.
- Strengthen your core, but not just with crunches. Planks, dead bugs and bird dogs train the muscles that actually stabilise your spine.
- Sleep on a mattress that is medium-firm, and use a pillow that keeps your neck in line with the rest of your spine.
- Walk daily. Thirty minutes of walking is one of the best-supported treatments for recurring back pain.
- Get checked when something is not settling. Pain that lingers past two weeks is worth an assessment, before it becomes a pattern.
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. It does not replace an assessment by a registered health practitioner.