I'm noticing a lot of posture issues lately. Some people don't think we need to correct posture but I believe posture determines how the muscles hang on your body, which eventually leads to wear and tear on your joints. I'm seeing these things even in my own children. Yep, even a chiropractor's kids can have issues like:
1. Rounded shoulders
2. Tight upper back muscles
3. Forward head posture with the chin reaching forward
Makes me want to give everyone I see mini-makeovers.
So what to do? Get your back off your front. Open up the back of your body by strengthening the muscles of your middle back (traps, rhomboids) for starters. When you do this, you will notice an opening in your chest muscles and a contraction in your thoracic spine.
Favorite Exercise: The Airplane
Lie on the ground face down. Have your hands by your side and lightly pull in your abs toward your lower back. Squeeze your shoulders blades together and lift your shoulders off the ground. Keep your neck in a neutral position, not looking down and not looking up. Hold this for 15-20 seconds. Do three sets if you can and add a child's pose in between each set of airplanes to further stretch the spine. Just try it now and let me know what you think.