<s>[INST] I have had lower back pain for several weeks now. I went to the doctor, who said that I should take over the counter pain meds as needed and do regular exercises, however he gave no examples of exercises. Could you provide me with exercises for lower back pain? How often should I do them? [/INST] Here are some recommended exercises for lower back pain and how often to do them:

• Gentle yoga or stretching: Doing gentle yoga poses or simple stretches can help relax your back muscles and increase flexibility. Some good options include cat-cow poses, knees to chest poses, and pelvic tilts. Aim for doing some simple stretches every day, even just for 15-30 minutes.

• Walking: Walking is a low-impact exercise that can help loosen your back muscles and increase mobility. Try to walk for at least 30 minutes a day, 3-5 days a week.

• Core strengthening: Building core strength helps support your back. Good options include planks, bridges, and bird-dogs. Start with holding each pose for 30 seconds to a minute, and build up as your core gets stronger. Aim for 2-3 sessions of core work per week.

• Swimming or water aerobics: Exercising in the water takes pressure off your

Wishing you a speedy recovery! </s><s>[INST] Exercising in the water takes pressure off my what? You ended the sentence prematurely. [/INST] Sorry for the confusion. Here is a more complete one:
- Swimming or water aerobics: Exercising in the water takes pressure off your hips, knees, joints, and back with the help of buoyancy. Some basic aquatic workouts include kickboard balancing, water walking, water planks, and superman stretches. A training plan for a day can be made up of 10 minutes of warm-up, 3 sets of 30-60 seconds for each of the exercises, stretching, and 10 minutes of cool-down. </s>