A Little Known Stretch For Better Posture, Flexibility, And Even Mood
Today’s Topic Highlights:
Postural issues are more common than ever before. We need to counterbalance our excessive sitting habits to avoid developing a stooped posture.
When the muscles located on the front of the torso become chronically tight, they round our shoulders and stoop our posture.
Laying back over an exercise ball is a uniquely effective way to stretch all of the muscles in the front of the torso at once.
Posture and mood form a two way street. If our mood is melancholy or sour, our posture will often reflect that. Reciprocally, a stooped over or rounded posture can have a subtle negative influence our mood.
The total amount of needed is 1-2 minutes. Try performing this during commercial breaks next time you are watching TV.
Postural issues are more common than ever before. We need to counterbalance our excessive sitting habits to avoid developing a stooped posture. Laying supine over an exercise ball, the focus of today’s Substack, is an effective way to stretch the muscles responsible for creating the hunched posture everyone dreads.
The muscles which make up the front of the torso form the top half of what is called the “anterior chain”. These include the pecs (chest muscles), rectus abdominis (abs), and serratus (rib muscles). When these muscles become chronically tight, they pull our shoulders forward and create a rounded back posture.
These muscles can (and should) be stretched on their own individually. However, laying back over an exercise ball is a uniquely effective way to address all of them at once. It takes less than a minute to do it, requires only an exercise ball, and can be performed anytime right in the comfort of your home.
An interesting bonus of performing this layback stretch is a slight improvement to mood. The reason is that our posture and mood form a two way street. If our mood is melancholy or sour, our posture will often reflect that. Reciprocally, a stooped over or rounded posture can have a subtle negative influence our mood. Spending just a brief period of time laid out over an exercise ball lengthens the spine, subsequently improving posture and potentially elevating the current mood.
Below are step by step instructions on how to perform this stretch. Make sure you follow the accompanying pictures to ensure safety and proper technique. The total amount of needed is 1-2 minutes.