By Linda Stollings
Media General News Service

You know you need more flexibility in your lower back when you have trouble standing up straight after traveling in the car for a couple of hours.

We traveled to Washington, D.C. over a recent weekend, and, after a couple of hours in the car, we finally stopped for a bathroom break (although I think my husband just wanted a coffee at Starbucks).

I was just glad that we stopped. The first couple of steps out of the car were really interesting. I had worked out really hard right before we left, and because we were in a hurry to leave, I did neglect my stretching routine.

Well, I looked really odd because I was having trouble standing up straight. After my husband and daughters stopped laughing at me, they suggested that I stretch my back and legs before entering Starbucks. That, of course, was something that I would say to them.

Needless to say, after a couple minutes of light stretching, my back felt much better, and movement was restored. Every time we stopped, I took time to do a few stretches. Sure it looked funny, but it really worked. Thank goodness I did not know anyone at the places we stopped.

There are several great stretches for the lower back. I want to feature one of the best in this article. It is called the cat back stretch. This stretch does an excellent job of stretching the muscles in the lower and upper back, not to mention that it really feels great.

You will need to get down on the floor to do this one. Needless to say, this was not the stretch I choose to do while traveling. Here’s how to do it:

Begin on all fours on a mat on the floor. Tighten your abdominals and push your back up to form a C with your back.

Hold for 10 seconds while breathing deep, then slowly lower your back in the opposite direction.

Pull your head up and push tailbone toward the ceiling. Hold 10 seconds and repeat several times.

Breath deeply throughout the stretch.