What are trigger points and why are they causing my back pain? That’s the question I asked my physical therapist. I had been hearing a lot about trigger points and the role they play in pain management and I wanted to get my therapists opinion as to what there were, what’s the causing this trigger points to “fire up” and what can be done to treat them. Here’s what I found out.

1. Doctors have identified certain focal points located in tight bands of skeletal muscle as playing a role in pain management. When these points are pressed these pints will produce pain.

2. Often found in the muscles of the neck, shoulders and pelvic girdle, muscles used to . maintain body posture. This trigger points can manifest themselves as headaches, tinnitus, jaw pain and lower back pain.

As my therapists explained acute trauma such as whip lash, incorrect lifting or even a sneeze can cause these points to fire up causing pain and decreased range of motion.

Ultrasonography, manipulative therapy and injection, are used to inactivate trigger points. Injections have been shown to be the most effective in reducing pain.

However all these treatments only address the symptoms and not the true cause. Something is causing this trigger points to fire up, many times it is a back dysfunction caused by muscle imbalance. This can be treated with a program of specific exercises designed for your unique condition.

One of the top rated programs is called the Lose The Back Pain System developed by therapists and doctors of the Healthy back Institute. This program has helped thousands by strengthening muscles and eliminating muscles imbalance.

As someone who has suffered with a bad back and who has endured months of physical therapy and an operation, I can tell you there are solutions for your discomfort.

Have you ever started a weight loss program with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement, only to find that two weeks later you feel like giving up? You begin to think it’s too much work, and you are missing out on all the fun foods you used to eat. Then another week goes by and you find yourself totally uninspired as you grab for another Frito on the couch in front of the tv. What happened?

Unfortunately, there is no getting around the obvious when it comes to challenges. Only you can guarantee your success by following through with your plans to lose weight and keep it off. No one else is going to do it for you. When you have good intentions but you can’t seem to keep yourself on track, you need to pick yourself up and find a way to stay focused.

I’m talking about inspiration, and you can use it as a tool to help you achieve your weight loss goals. Thousands of people struggling just like you have lost weight and kept it off simply by using the following techniques to help move them along.

Motivation #1: Write Down Your Goals And Review

Sometimes it’s not enough to just say you are going to lose 20 pounds for your high school reunion. You need to write it down and remind yourself whenever you don’t feel like exercising or skipping that late night snack. Write down your goal and then write down what will happen if you don’t follow through. Keep it in your pocket at all times, or anywhere that you can read it faster than you can open that package of Oreos.

Motivation #2: Other People’s Stories

Even though it’s a cliche, if someone else did it, you can do it too. It helps to know that lots of people have done exactly what you are trying to do because you can visualize your own success. Write down their stories and read them for inspiration. Everyone loses weight at different rates, but you can’t argue with science. If someone cut back on McDonald cheeseburgers and it had a positive effect on their health, the same will happen for you in one way or another.

Motivation #3: Find An Exercise Companion

Not having to do something alone can make all the difference in the world. Find a friend who will go out for walks or start jogging with you so you can feel motivated to get outside and get moving. Other people push you to do things you never thought you could do. If you don’t have any friends, buy an IPOD and put your favorite songs on them so you have some upbeat music. Anything to get you in the spirit of activity is the key motivator here.

Motivation #4: Let A Mentor Guide You

The best weight loss programs come with a personal coach or mentor. This is really important and something that will not come with any product you find in a traditional store. Many direct selling companies rely on representatives who are only successful when their customers are. This is a really good thing. They give you inspiration to stick with your program because they have been there before themselves.

Motivation #5: Personal Development

Listening to a professional motivational speaker is extremely uplifting. They put ideas into your head about going after anything you set your mind to, and how to overcome obstacles along the way. You can find lectures by world-renown speakers on the internet without having to spend lots of money to attend in person. Not only will you be inspired to lose weight, you’ll probably go on to use their methods to reach other goals in your life as well.

Motivation #6: Write Your Success Story

This is different that writing down your goals. This is where you write down what you have accomplished. Even if you have only been on your weight loss program for one day, write down what you accomplished. If you used your will power to drink a bottle of water instead of eating a bag of Cheetos, write it down! That is something that a lot of people are not able to do. Re-read your accomplishments every day and you’ll want to keep improving.

Whenever you have reached a weekly goal weight, note it in your journal and give yourself a reward. This should be an on going process for the rest of your life as you keep rewarding yourself for your progress. But be sure to give yourself non-food rewards.

Every day is a new opportunity to find different ways to motivate yourself to reach your weight loss goals. As you visualize your success, start each new day as if it were your first day on the program. Keep your personal vision of success in mind every day and make sure you don’t waste the opportunity to make progress toward your goal whenever possible.

Anyone losing weight should be encouraged to base snacks and meals from whole food, which refers to food that has not been processed or manipulated with preservatives and chemicals. The food on your plate should resemble its source as closely as possible, like fresh chicken breasts instead of crispy chicken fingers with ranch dipping sauce.

I know what you are thinking. Whole foods taste kinda bland at first, right? And sweeteners add more calories so what is the point? Your first instinct would be to use something like Sweet & Low, or a similar sweetener that claims to be a healthier alternative to refined sugar. Even though it is not thought of as a food on your plate, it still goes into your body. You need to know how to sweeten your food safely.

Refined white sugar is harmful for any diet simply because it is so devoid of nutritional value of its own, it actually robs your body of nutrients to metabolize it evenly. Just like anything else, a little bit will not hurt too much, but your health will greatly improve with a significant reduction of white sugar in your diets.

How do you sweeten food safely without it being detrimental to your health and weight loss efforts?

Sweeten Food Safely Tip #1: Use Natural Sugars

Nutritionally complex natural sugars such as honey, molasses, and syrup are healthy alternatives to using any kind of sugar or artificial sweetener. Remember, these things come from the earth just like fruits and vegetables, and we all know how good those foods are for us on a daily basis.

Honey is sugar, but since it is natural and unrefined, it contains a host of nutrients and enzymes that have a multitude of beneficial attributes.  It will not cause the rapid rise and fall of blood sugar levels as does white sugar, and there are many varieties and flavors to choose from.

Sweeten Food Safely Tip #2: Choose Nature’s Candy

Ever wonder why you do not have to pour sugar over apples, grapes, blueberries, strawberries or raisins? It is because these foods are the candy of the produce department. They can be used as sweeteners in a variety of foods such as soy-based protein shakes, cereal, yogurt and oatmeal.

Just like everything else, unfortunately, our diets are often compromised by our willingness to bring these natural foods down to the American diet level. Dipping fruits into high-fat chocolate and caramel will not help your weight loss. It is no healthier to eat a Raisinet than it is to eat any other candy, despite the claim on the wrapper that is contains antioxidants. Stop falling for these sales gimmicks. Keep your foods natural and your taste buds will eventually revert back to the days before these altered snack foods even existed.

Sweeten Food Safely Tip #3: Limit Artificial Sweeteners

Anything containing aspartame is not a healthy choice for sweetening your food or drinks. Studies show that products containing aspartame can lead to poisoning, seizures, blackouts, headaches, memory loss, blindness, nausea, and gastrointestinal disorders. With even just one of these potential side effects, why risk your health let alone your weight loss efforts?

Just as drinking alcohol will not solve any of your emotional problems, fake sugar will not feed your body’s needs. Your body needs proper nutrition in order to perform at optimum performance, and that includes weight loss. The more you focus on working toward healthy nutrition, the more you will find your cravings for junk foods disappearing.

Even worrying about sweetening your food is not really the kind of mindset you need to live a healthy lifestyle. It is useful when trying to change your eating habits, but your long term goal is getting to the core of the problem by avoiding sweet foods altogether. But if you must sweeten… sweeten food safely! Keep a bowl of fresh ripe fruit nearby at all times to snack to to relieve your sugar cravings.

If you are craving something sweet, do not feel guilty. Over the years the American diet has slowly made us become dependent on sweet treats. The more time rolls on, the sweeter we want our food. This would be alright if becoming overweight was not a side effect, but it is taking its toll on society. Losing weight is about making small changes on a daily basis toward a healthier lifestyle…and for things to change, you have got to change.