Shoulders tight? Try this simple shoulder opener at your desk
When I was little, my dance instructor told us if we held a funny face for more than 3 seconds it would stick that way. We would hold the face for 2 seconds while someone else counted and then break right before they counted to 3 for fear our faces wouldn’t return to normal.
As silly as that sounds, there is some truth to this with the body over time. The more a body is hunched, pressed or contorted, the more it will likely started to hold that position.
Think of the women who wore tight corsets for years whose ribs were reshaped by them. The miners bodies adjusting to the height and narrowness of the shafts. The thick bodies of lumberjacks. All bodies that adapted to their work life.
Today, the body is often sedentary from sitting all day. The upper back rounds forward over a computer or a steering wheel and after years of holding this position, it can be harder to work out of the body.
A simple exercise you can do at your desk, standing at a counter or against the wall is this shoulder opener pictured on the left.
Stand behind a chair with your hands on the back of the chair.
Walk your feet away from the chair bringing your torso parallel to the ground.
Let your heart relax towards the ground.
Hold for 1 minute or 8-10 breaths
Repeat as needed
Alternative option: stack your forearms on the back of the chair shortening the length of the arms. See image below.
Let me know what you think!
~CC
