A 30-second stretch from a physical therapist to help prevent lower back pain

In TODAY.com’s Expert Tip of the Day, Start TODAY trainer Karena Wu, DPT, explains a stretch you can add to your routine whenever you need it.

Not every workout has to mean a long gym session or a set of sweaty clothes. “Exercise snacks” are short, intentional bursts of movement that can fit into almost any schedule. That might look like a five-minute stretch while you wait for the shower to warm up or a brisk walk around the office during a phone call.

These quick movement breaks help you care for your body when a full workout is out of reach or when you want to get moving before a later exercise session.

“The exercise snack can be the start of a foundation for more intense exercise,” Dr. Tamanna Singh, director of the Sports Cardiology Center at Cleveland Clinic, previously told NBC News.

One particularly quick option takes only 30 seconds and can help support your back muscles.

Fitness tip of the day: Ease lower back aches with this side stretch

According to Karena Wu, a doctor of physical therapy, Start TODAY trainer and orthopedic physical therapist, the dynamic side-bending stretch is an important way to help keep the lower back feeling its best.

Why it matters

Workouts often focus on the arms, legs and core. Those areas matter, but the back is often overlooked, TODAY.com previously reported. Back muscles help support the spine and play a major role in posture, twisting, bending and reaching.

When those muscles are weak, these movements can become harder and may contribute to serious lower back pain that affects millions of people.

That is why back muscles should be strength-trained several times a week, TODAY.com previously reported. To help avoid strain and support those strengthening efforts, it is also important to keep the muscles flexible and mobile, which makes this quick dynamic side stretch useful.

It “really opens your side body, gets your spine moving and stretches the muscle that crisscrosses over the low back, the (latissimus dorsi, or lat),” Wu said.

“That’s really going to help your low back spine (with) any stiffness and any pain.”

How to get started

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hips facing forward. Keep your left arm at your side, then reach your right arm toward the ceiling. Slowly and with control, lean your head and torso to the left, bending at the waist.

After 30 seconds, switch sides and repeat the movement.