If you’re reading this post, there’s a great chance you’re sitting at your computer or on your phone. That’s the thing: we sit a lot – in the car, at dinner, at work, on the couch, etc., which can turn into low back issues. We also slouch a lot which causes neck and shoulder pain. Here are some simple exercises to counter the repetitive actions we put our bodies through daily.
“MY NECK…”
When you’re on your phone, you’re probably looking down. Maybe you’re looking down at your laptop screen, too.
HOW? NECK STRETCHES
Sit straight up in a chair (feet grounded on the floor is ideal). Keeping the chest lifted, drop your right ear to your right shoulder. Don’t let your right shoulder drop – keep the shoulders even. Want more? Place your right hand on top of your head and let the weight of your arm gently “pull” your ear closer to your shoulder. Then, stretch your left arm toward the floor. Keep the heart lifted to the ceiling. Switch sides.
“MY BACK…”
Move your back in all directions daily. Imagine your back as a bendy straw. You can bend it front to back (bending forward + backward), side to side, and twist it – it was made for movement. The more you move it, the better, as it will replenish the sacs of fluid between the vertebral discs, keeping the spine healthy.
HOW? CAT/COW POSE
Begin on your hands + knees. Place your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips. On the inhale, drop your belly, lift your chin and your tailbone up (stick your butt up in the air). On the exhale, drop the chin, round into the spine, tailbone draws down. Keep going. To spice it up, move your hips in circles, too. Rotate your ribcage: left, down, right, up.
COUNTER THE SLOUCH
We all do it – let’s be real. The key is to find some time to open your chest/heart to balance it out.
HOW? CHEST EXPANSION
Sit straight up in a chair (feet grounded on the floor is ideal). Clasp your hands behind your back and pull your fists down. Squeeze the triceps toward one another to widen the collarbones, and lift the center of your chest up. You’ll want to let the bottom ribs open, but see if you can counter that by hugging your ribs in, turning on your core (having core strength is an essential part of keeping the spine healthy). You’re strengthening your upper back (these are the muscles that are usually pulled forward) to open your chest.
BUT MY (LOW) BACK, THOUGH!
Because we sit a LOT, our hip flexors get tight. Hip flexors give us the ability to bring the leg and knee closer to our bodies (think of the Rockettes’ high kicks.) Also, our butts don’t engage when we sit. Sometimes too much pull happens in the front of the body (hip flexors) and no pull happen in the back of the body (butt), therefore causing back issues.
HOW? KNEELING CRESCENT POSE
Step your right foot all the way forward as though you’re stepping into a long lunge. Place your left knee onto the ground. Make it so that your left hip is stacked over your left knee (now your legs are in L shapes). Keeping this alignment in your lunge, imagine a rope pulling your tailbone to the floor and you’ll feel the low belly engage. Keep this lengthening of your tailbone down. You’ll feel an intense stretch in your front left hip if you’re hip flexors are tight! Feel free to bend deeper in the right knee, but take it slow.