Take it easy. Don't rush yourself. The physical part of healing from a herniated disc is the most obvious part, but it is very tricky. If you don't exercise, your pain will get worse, (as well as your overall health which can lead to other major problems,) and if you exercise too much or overexert yourself there may be hell to pay. You have to find that fine line where your exercises are in the correct form, frequency, and intensity to provide you with the stepping stones to healing. 
The main muscle group you want to focus on is your CORE. Your upper, middle, and lower abs, as well as all the little tiny stabilizer muscles that keep your body in alignment.
The main muscle group you want to focus on is your CORE. Your upper, middle, and lower abs, as well as all the little tiny stabilizer muscles that keep your body in alignment.
HEY YOU! SIT UP STRAIGHT!
The first thing you can do is work on your posture. Poor posture causes all sorts of problems for your back, and you definitely aren't going to help it heal if you are continuing to slouch all day. There are lumbar supports that you can purchase for pretty cheap that you can put in your vehicle, office chair, or favorite recliner to help you out with this.
You want to also get a hold of a heating pad, and a cold waist pack to regulate the blood flow to your lower back. Using heat and cold therapy is one of the most effective ways to relieve herniated disc pain. I personally didn't respond to heat therapy, but using an ice pack did wonders with a little patience. Others have great success with heating pads. You may have to experiment a little to find what works best for you and your body type.
One thing that will undoubtedly help you heal is proper exercise. Here we will discuss different types of exercises to strengthen your core and get you back to your productive life in a fair amount of time. The key here is FORM. You want to execute the following exercises with as much grace and control as possible. Sudden, jerky movements while exercising with a herniated disc can be very dangerous. And of course I have to say this, consult with your doc before you attempt any new fitness routine.
Planks, Planks, Planks!
The glory days are over when you could spend hours on end, pumping out thousands of crunches, sit-ups, mountain climbers, and knee-highs. OK, so maybe you didn't do thousands...Or any at all...Either way, you need to understand that your body no longer supports this type of movement--bending at the waist. When you bend at the waist with a herniated disc, it puts more pressure on the disc and pushes out the contents onto your spinal cord -ouch! You need to accept that you can no longer move this way. Its OK though! You can move all kinds of other ways!
Let's try doing some planks everyday. A plank is where you hold your body still, usually parallel to the ground. They look like this, and trust me, they are a killer way to get your core into shape and kick-start your recovery.Don't let the really fit dude discourage you from attempting these. You more than likely won't be able to do them all straight through like the demonstration; don't have unreal expectations about this. Instead, think of having the ability to do these exercises back to back as a long term goal. I can almost bet anything, if you are able to do that, you have very minimal disc pain and have a pretty healthy core. Take 5 minutes or so out of every day to spend as long as you can in each position. If you need to take a small break, then do so. But you really should challenge yourself in all the variations of the plank. Remember, NO SUDDEN JERKY MOVEMENTS. I FOUND THIS OUT THE HARD WAY. You may be doing very well during exercise and get lost in the heat of the moment. Do not forget about your injury or you could be set back in your recovery process. Once you start becoming a pro at doing planks with your feet and hands on the ground, try taking a shot at these. This is one of the best ways to strengthen your core by far!
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