The holiday season is tough on your body. Between juggling travel, wrestling large, awkwardly shaped boxes of gifts, and constantly hauling a toddler (or two) who missed their nap, your low back is often the first place to complain.
If you’re prone to chronic back pain, or if you’ve noticed that your post-baby core is just not protecting you like it used to, this isn’t just “normal holiday hustle.” It’s often a sign that the connection between your core, your posture, and your movement patterns needs urgent attention.
As an expert in functional core recovery, I know that surviving the physical demands of the holidays requires smart, mindful movement—not an hour at the gym. This guide focuses on the three major triggers for holiday back pain and provides simple, actionable hacks to protect your spine while you wrap, lift, and travel.
The Core Connection to Back Pain
Your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor aren’t just for looking good; they are your body’s built-in natural back brace. When they are weak or disconnected (a common issue after pregnancy, even years later), the load shifts to the smaller, weaker muscles in your low back.
When you fatigue your low back by repeatedly bending or twisting while lifting, you set the stage for a painful flare-up. The key to prevention is to move the work away from your spine and into your strong leg muscles and stable core.
Trigger 1: Lifting and Carrying Awkward Loads (Gifts & Groceries)
Whether it’s a heavy turkey or a giant box of Lego, the lift is usually what causes the immediate strain.
Action Hack: The Hinge-and-Hug Technique
- Stop the Bend: Never lift by bending your waist (the classic curved-back mistake). Instead, hinge at your hips, pushing your tailbone back as if you were trying to close a car door with your behind. Your back should remain flat and neutral.
- Activate Your Core: Before lifting, perform a quick Core Reconnection Breath (exhale to draw the pelvic floor and deep core up and in).
- Hug It Close: Once you lift the item, hug it tight to your body. Holding heavy objects away from your center of gravity drastically multiplies the load on your spine. Keep that load as close as possible to your midline.
Trigger 2: The Constant “Hip Carry” (Kids)
Moms universally carry toddlers balanced on one hip. While convenient for multitasking, this uneven load chronically stresses one side of your low back, pelvis, and neck.
Action Hack: The Switch & Stack
- The Switch: Aim to switch the side you carry your child on every few minutes. This prevents the constant, uneven strain that leads to inflammation.
- The Stack: When standing, always engage your core slightly (a gentle exhale) and feel your ribs stacked directly over your hips. Avoid letting your hip jut out sideways. When you hike your hip to carry the child, your spine is severely curved. Try to keep your body as vertical and stacked as possible.
Trigger 3: The Desk/Wrapping Slouch (Posture)
The holidays involve hours spent slumped over low tables wrapping gifts, or perhaps sitting awkwardly in a relative’s uncomfortable armchair. This rounded-back posture significantly weakens your core and over-stretches the muscles in your mid-back.
Action Hack: The Chest-Opener & Sit-Up Switch
- The Chest-Opener (Mobility Hack): When you take a break from wrapping, stand up. Lace your hands behind your back, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and gently lift your chin. Hold for 10 seconds. This reverses the damage of the “slouch.”
- The Sit-Up Switch (Awareness): When sitting, use a small pillow or rolled-up towel at the small of your back. This encourages a neutral spine. Set a timer every 20 minutes to remind yourself to lift tall, stack your ribs over your hips, and feel your sitting bones grounding you.
The Long-Term Solution: Posture Assessment and Personalized Movement
While these hacks offer quick relief, long-term freedom from back pain requires addressing the root cause: chronic postural patterns and the functional stability of your core.
A generic YouTube workout cannot fix a deeply ingrained one-sided hip drop or a forward-head posture caused by years of nursing. Real healing comes from a personalized assessment that identifies your specific weak links. I incorporate personalized posture assessments into my coaching sessions because how you stand and move dictates how your core engages. Understanding your unique imbalances is the only way to build a training plan that protects your back for good.
The good news is that you can get this expert-level structure without 1:1 coaching.
If a personalized assessment isn’t feasible right now, the next best thing is a system built by an expert who understands these progressions. The right plan must guide you through the exact stages you’d follow in coaching.
A New Year, A New Core: Early Sign-Up Offer
If you’re ready to move into the new year with a core that finally protects your back, you need more than just scattered tips. You need the full, progressive roadmap.
My complete video library, featuring detailed safe lifting techniques, mobility routines, and the week-by-week core progression plan, is launching this January.
To reward those who are committed to making 2026 the year they reclaim their bodies, I’m offering a special New Year’s early sign-up discount and bonus content for those who register their interest now.
Don’t let back pain define your next holiday season. Commit to functional healing today.
Back pain increases due to physical overload (lifting awkward gifts, carrying kids longer) and poor sustained posture (wrapping, sitting in uncomfortable chairs). These factors overload the low back when the core is disconnected.
Use the Hinge-and-Hug Technique: Hinge at your hips (keep your back flat) rather than bending at the waist, activate your deep core with a breath, and hug the item close to your body before standing up.
While convenient, chronic hip carrying creates uneven, asymmetrical strain on the low back, pelvis, and neck. To prevent pain, practice the “Switch & Stack” method: frequently switch sides and ensure your ribs are stacked vertically over your hips.
3 Key Hacks to Avoid Holiday Back Pain
- Master the Hip Hinge
When lifting anything, stop rounding your back. Hinge at your hips by pushing your tailbone back, keep your core engaged with an exhale, and hug the load close to your centerline before standing.
- Practice Switch & Stack
When carrying children, frequently switch sides and focus on stacking your ribs directly over your hips. Avoid letting your hip jut out sideways, which causes spinal misalignment.
- Reverse the Slouch (Chest Opener)
To counteract wrapping/sitting posture, interlace your hands behind your back, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and gently lift your chin. Hold for 10 seconds to restore mid-back mobility.
