Body Bit #1 January 2008
Stand Tall The New Year!
Part of our role as massage therapist is to provide you with the framework for self-improvement. While on going business is great from our point of view, we prefer that you call us for a massage because you want to and not because you have to!
Poor posture and body mechanics are one of the leading cause of upper and lower back pain and tension. This article gives you a few simple exercises that can be bone in one minute that can begin to address the issue of poor posture.
Sixty Seconds to Improved Posture
1. Stand with your feet about hip width apart, your knees should be relaxed but not locked.
2. Bring your navel towards your spine to tighten the abdominal muscles (as if you are trying to put on a tight pair of jeans).
3. Imagine there is a string connecting your breastbone to the ceiling and lift your rib cage up. Elongate your midsection by pulling your rib cage away form the hips. This simple move makes the most significant impact on your appearance. It decreases the pressure on the abdomen and directly reduces your waist measurement by an inch or more! If your upper back is rounded this move can help straighten it, so that your lungs have more room for deeper breathing. Plus this move realigns your head over you shoulders.
4. Stretch the top of your head toward the ceiling as if you were being pulled up by a string.
5. Unround your shoulders. Rotate your arms until your thumbs are in position as though you are hitching a lift. Press the shoulders down and away form your ears while pulling the shoulder blades towards your spine. Then relax your arms without letting your shoulders roll forward. In this position, your palms should be facing your thighs with the thumbs pointing straight ahead.
6. Maintain the position for a few moments and try to breath normally, relax into it. Give yourself a bit of a shake and walk around and go through the steps again.
