Things We Would Tell Our Clients If We Walked Around With Them All Day.
More than once a client has said “I wish you could just follow me around all day and fix me.” While that’s not something you’ll see us offering anytime soon, we did put together a quick list of our most common and easy reminders to improve your posture, reduce aches and pains, and become more movement efficient.
1. LOOK UP! – We spend so much time looking at devices that it’s really starting to impact how the majority of people carry themselves. I myself have experienced bouts of “unexplained” dizziness and neck pain from too much time on my computer and looking down while I teach. Challenge yourself to put your phone away while you walk and look around instead (both pleasurable and more safe)! If you are at a desk most of your day take one minute several times a day to put your hands behind your head, gently lean you head and neck back, and look up while opening your chest to reverse your posture. Which brings us to….
2. BREATHE - Stress and poor posture can quite literally block you from breathing. Tension from stress often make our bodies rigid which can translate to shallow breathing. Poor slouching posture compresses the torso and decreases the amount of space the diaphragm has to expand, thus limiting the amount of air our lungs can pull in. Combine these two and you’re unknowingly depriving yourself of oxygen. No Bueno. When you practice #1 above add in several long full breaths in and out. Just one minute can heighten your body awareness and shift your perspective for the better.
3. SHOULDER ROLLS - In each direction five times - duck face is optional! Moving often helps us shift our focus to things we don’t know we are doing with our bodies. Namely, tensing our shoulders into our ears or slouching them forward. Just this simple movement will help you bring your shoulders to a better place on your back, uphold the space you just created to breath in #2, and keep your ideal head position from #1.
4. STAND ON BOTH FEET – When we are chatting with a friend, waiting for the train, or brushing our teeth we often sink into favored ways of standing without even realizing. Interrupt your train of thought for a moment to notice where your weight is on your feet and if you have a favorite hip to lean on. If you've drifted to one side simply put your weight back to both feet. The more you do this the more you give your hips and spine a chance to be loaded evenly, and cut down on the chances you’ll have a joint issue later from unbalanced wear and tear.
Keeping these four simple things in mind can really make a difference in your body awareness, and thus, how you move and feel in your body. If you master these and you want more, consider giving us a call and booking an introductory session!