With so many of us working and socializing remotely, it’s time to stop hunching over our laptops and sit up straight.
Are you feeling sore in your neck, shoulders or back? It could be from all that time spent on the computer social distancing. Here are a few exercises that can relieve discomfort and improve your posture.
Promote the “S-curve”
The advice your mother gave you to sit up straight still holds true. That’s because sitting up straight helps you maintain the naturally shaped “S-curve” in your spine versus the alternative, which is a “C-Curve” or being hunched over.
S-curve Check
• While seated, slide your hands, palms up, under your butt.
• Cup your sit bones.
• Slide them forward and back.
• Notice that when your pelvis slides back, your spine straightens up.
• This is effective because when seated for long periods of time, the pelvis has a tendency to slide forward and create a “C-curve” or hunch, causing discomfort.
Sitting Posture Exercise
• Sit in a chair evenly weighted between your hips and knees, with feet flat on the floor.
• Your knees should be at a 90-degree angle.
• Lift your ribs, engage your abdominals and keep your shoulders square, neck upright.
• Take a deep breath in and roll your shoulders up and back, contracting, then relaxing your shoulder blades.
• Squeeze your glutes and hold for ten seconds and release.
• Repeat five to 10 times.
Standing Posture Check
• Take an athletic stance and set your posture: Engage your center of mass by lifting your ribs up and away from your hips, chest open, eyes forward, and chin up.
• Keep your arms extended in front of you between chest and navel height.
• Begin marching in place.
• Lift your knees up and away in front your body, making contact with your hands and creating a reverse curl in the lower abdominal wall.
• Keep your hips even and square with your shoulders as you march.
• Feel your abdominal wall begin to engage.
• Keep your ribs lifted as you continue to lift and lower your knees up to your hands, palms down, bringing your knees up to touch your palms.
• Continue for 30-60 seconds.
