Hacks To Relieve A Stiff Back
Look forwards and most likely down at your device in of itself is not an entirely bad thing, but the issue is that we are doing this for so many hours a day and as a result, we aren’t moving our thoracic spines much at all!
You see out in nature, we would be assessing the space to make sure we are safe, as well as making sure we're spotting all the tasty treats. If we found a tree pregnant with luscious fruit, we would spend time arching from our upper backs to get the best view to leverage to retrieve our dessert.
Our lives in contrast very much depend on us looking forwards, forward and erm…. forwards. Oh and a lot of down too! This lack of movement variety causes our thoracic spines to get STIFF, AF!
So what can we do to improve the situation?
Every hour stand up and walk (and if you're willing to look like a wolly exaggerate the twist with every step). Make sure the twist comes from the upper back and not the shoulders!
Interlace your fingers and reach up, then place the hands on the back of your head and arch your upper back. Make sure ribs don’t flare and the neck stays in line. And then go... "Mmm"
When doing yoga, don’t use your arms to help you twist, instead focus on the muscles of your trunk to do the work. This will increase your active range, improve the brain’s ability to recruit the right muscles for rotation, and help strengthen your postural muscles.
Learn more about active range of motion, and the spine in my book with my bestie, Adel!
Loads of love to you,
Celly x