I’m guessing that when you sit at your desk or in the car, your head is in a forward position and your shoulders are rounded.
Over time, that is going to reduce your shoulder mobility. As a result, you could develop chronic tension in your neck and upper back, and even reduce your ability to do simple tasks (such as reaching for things stored on overhead shelves).
In short, this posture is a pain in the neck (and shoulders).
Shoulder Mobility Exercises
I have a one-minute stress-relieving stretch that will help – especially if you do it several times over the course of the day. It may look and sound easy – but years of forward shoulder slumping could make it a real challenge for you. Trust me, though. It will "hurt so good."
Here’s how to do the Stick-Up:
- Stand with your back against a wall. Your feet should be six inches away from the wall, and your butt, upper back, and head should be in contact with the wall throughout the entire exercise.
- Stick your hands up over your head. Try to keep your shoulders, elbows, and wrists in contact with the wall.
- Keeping your shoulders, elbows, and wrists in contact with the wall, slide your arms down the wall and tuck your elbows into your sides. This will bring your shoulder blades down and together. You should feel a strong contraction in the muscles between your shoulder blades, as well as in your shoulder muscles.
- From this position, slowly slide your arms up the wall until they are in the "stick-em-up" position – again, trying to keep everything in contact with the wall.
The goal is to improve your range of motion more every week by improving shoulder mobility and posture control.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne is the creator of the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss system. For a free online source of information, motivation, and social support to help you improve your health, lose weight, and get fit, sign up for ETR's free natural health e-letter.]
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