By BREATHE BETTER
Straighten Up!
Here’s another case where Grandma’s advice was on the money. Stop slouching. When you’re hunched over a computer, for instance, your rounded shoulders and compressed trunk promote shallow breathing and that can reduce oxygen intake by about 33 percent. And less oxygen means less energy. Poor posture can also lead to muscle fatigue, strain and lower back pain. And lets face it, when your back is hunched, your head is thrust forward and your abs protrude, it’s not very attractive. When your body is aligned properly, you look thinner, younger and more confident.
Three Steps to Good Posture        Â
Step 1. Awareness. Each time a patient rings, your email dings or a program breaks for a commercial, do a posture check.
Step 2. Move: Don’t stay in anyone position for very long. Stand up while waiting for a web page to load, take frequent breaks to walk or stretch.
Step 3. Exercise. Here are two posture-strengthening moves to work into your day.
Make Wall Angels
- Stand against wall with feet shoulder-width apart, and weight evenly distributed.
- Gently press low back against a wall.
- Place back of elbows, forearms, and wrists against wall.
- While keeping elbows in contact with the wall, slowly move arms up and down in a small arc as though making snow angels against the wall.
- Do this 10 times.
Sit and Stand
- Sit at edge of chair with feet slightly behind knees.
- Stand up while keeping neck erect and spine erect. Your back should not bend forward.
- Immediately return to sitting position, but don’t put full weight on chair.
- Do 3 sets of 10 reps slowly.
