2 Exercises to Help Dreaded Sitting Posture
Life these days involves lots of computers and phones, and that’s done a number on our collective postures. Sitting itself isn’t terrible, except we do too much of it, which plays havoc on our backs, shoulders, and hips.
Here are two easy things you can do to help you not totally feel like a tightly wound stress ball all the time.
Wall Slides – Spend lots of time typing and scrolling? I’ll bet your chest is a little tight, and your shoulders are rolled forward. It’s pretty common and Wall Slides are great in helping counteract it.
Here’s how you do them:
Stand with your back to a wall and touch your butt, upper back, and, if possible, your head to it.
Bring your arms straight out to the side and bend your elbows 90 degrees. Your arms should look like goalposts.
If you can, touch the wall with both elbows and the back of your hands. If you can’t, do the best you can.
Slide your arms up and down the wall, maintaining contact.
Do a set of 10 after every 60-90 minutes of sitting.
Google “Wall Slides” to see it in action.
Lunge Stretch – Your hip flexors are long ribbon-shaped muscles that start slightly above your hips and run down either side of your body to a little below your hips.
These are the muscles that pull your hips back when you sit down. Lots of sitting tightens up your hip flexors like a rubber band sitting in the sun for a week, and tight hip flexors pull your hips into a position called Anterior Pelvic Tilt (Google it for some pictures). That position can lead to back pain and is a prime example of how back pain doesn’t always have to do with your back.
The Lunge Stretch helps stretch your hip flexors and relax your tight lower back in the process.
Here’s how it works:
Kneel with one knee on the ground and your other leg directly in front of you with your foot flat on the ground.
Bend your front leg’s knee to about 90 degrees and bring your ankle directly under it. Point your front foot straight ahead.
Hold for 60 seconds each side.
Shoulders and hips are the primary victims of poor posture and can affect your body in ways far and wide. These two moves can help.
