Check out the blog on http://www.fosterfitness.org/1/post/2014/03/posture-power-part-2.html for pictures of each exercise!
Posture Power Part 2
I wanted to revisit a few points a made in the first part of Posture Power. The first is to revisit your physical surroundings in the work place. If you work a desk job it is of utmost importance that you set up your desk like this picture below. The only piece that is not included is phone use. If you spend a good portion of the day on the phone, use headset! You want to give yourself every advantage possible to sit up straight and keep healthy angles at each joint to keep discomfort and pain from your neck, shoulders, lower back, and elbows/wrists. Remember to take frequent breaks. Even better, get up and fill that water cup!Stretch your chest and neck.
1. Foam Roller Chest Stretch. This stretch is a fantastic chest opener and can also be very relaxing. Make sure your head rests on the foam roller so your neck is not stretched. Let your arms fall wide. If your arms touch easily with straight elbows, try to bend elbow to 90 degrees to get a deeper stretch. Hang out in this position for a couple of minutes taking deep breaths. It can easily be done while relaxing or watching TV. 2. Neck Stretches- This can be done during the work day if you tend to get stiff. They key is to relax and not force your neck or pull it with your hand. Think of your hand as guiding and just adding a touch of weight to your neck. Again, take a deep breath and hold for 20 seconds before relaxing.3. Chin Tucks. I should start by saying, chin tucks will not feel like a stretch but I am grouping them with the other stretches. Chin tucks will, beyond giving you the worlds greatest double chin, help work on the mobility(movement of the joint) of your cervical vertebrae. I would suggest chin tucks to anyone with a stiff neck or upper shoulder/back pain, as well as anyone who tends to have a forward head position(head does not sit straight on shoulders but tends to be slightly in front of shoulders). . Again, the key is to gently push back on your chin, do not force! Hold your tuck (double chin) for 3 seconds and release. Repeat 5-10 times.
Strength
Strength comes in many forms. For posture, especially upper body posture, it comes for the endurance of your back and shoulder musculature to hold your shoulders back all day. If you take a second to put yourself in a perfect posture position, sitting upright and erect, you will likely feel the muscles between your shoulder blades “kick in” as well as your trunk muscles along your lower back and abdomen. I am focusing on the muscles of the upper back right now. For trunk muscles, start here. For posture exercises it is about retraining these muscles, waking them up, and improving their endurance.
1. Band or light dumbbell row
Below I have picture a band row. You want to loop the band around an anchor point of have someone hold it. Palms are facing the floor. Pull your elbows back by focusing on squeezing your shoulder blade together. Once your shoulder blades are pinching, hold for 3 seconds before relaxing. While you hold remind yourself to keep your shoulders down and relaxed, away from your ears. Repeat for 10 repetition and do 3 rounds.
2. External Rotation
Below is a picture of external rotation using a band. Step far enough away from your anchor point so there is tension in the band. Your palm should be facing your stomach. Pin your upper arm against your torso(if it keeps drifting, put a piece of paper between your arm and torso). Keeping shoulders even, rotate arm away from body and then back to it’s starting position under control. Repeat until you reach 10-15 repetitions, complete 3 rounds.
Get going! Focus on good posture!
