Fitness Basics #1: Posture

Posted on Posted in Exercises

While enjoying the recent holiday weekend exploring beaches along Florida’s  west coast, I also spent time watching tennis, golf, and football this weekend.  I was enthralled watching the ease of the athletes movements as they played and noticed how each movement came back to the basics of fitness – posture, balance,  and core.  Over the next several weeks, we will be focusing on exercises for one of these fitness basics. I invite you to see if you can perform the mini fitness check up for posture, then follow up with the exercises to enhance your fitness basics.

Fitness Basic – Self Check – Posture

Posture Check

When standing  tall, and someone is looking at you from the side, your ear, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle should all be in a straight line.   If your posture is not up to par, try the chin tuck, shoulder squeeze, and foam roller chest stretch to improve your posture.

Foam Roller Chest Stretch

Lying on a full or ½ foam roller with knees bent, feet flat on the ground, draw in abdominals so the spine is connecting with the foam roller.  Keeping shoulders relaxed extend arms to sides to open the chest.  Feel your shoulder blades release around the foam roller engaging the trapezius, lats, and rhomboids.  Hold up to 30 seconds, Repeat 3 times.

Foam Rolling

 

 


Chin Tuck

Stand in good posture.  Looking straight ahead bring your index finger to you chin.  Keeping head level and using your neck and upper back muscles, slide your head back away from your finger as far as possible.  Return to starting position.  Repeat 10 times.        
Chin Tuck 1Chin Tuck 2

 


Shoulder Blade Squeeze

Standing in good posture, keep shoulders level  and retract your shoulder blades back and down creating v-shape with your shoulder blades.  Release.  Repeat 10 times.

Shoulder Blade Squeeze

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