February - March 2002 Edition

Keeping Fit in Fair Lawn   By Linda Rosen, Certified Medical Exercise Specialist    Last week while I was shopping in Radburn I noticed so many people walking with their shoulders hunched up. Was everyone so cold? Was everyone stressed out? Or, were their shoulders hunched up and rolled forward due to tight and weak muscles? From my experience as a fitness professional, I'd say it's a little of all three with most of the reason being poor musculature. And, we don't even realize it!    Take a look at yourself while you're walking around, catch a glimpse in a store window as you pass by and see if your shoulders are rolling forward or are they under your ears, pulled back, and you are standing erect. Walk down Fair Lawn Avenue or River Road. There are lots of store windows to see your reflection in or catch your shadow in the sunlight and take a look at your posture.   Many of you will see a forward shoulder posture that you are not even aware of. So, how do we correct this? That's what I'm here for.    After twenty years of teaching group exercise classes in Fair Lawn and other towns in Bergen County and doing private training in client's homes I've come up with my favorite, easy exercise to improve posture.  It won't happen overnight, but if you do this stretching exercise everyday you will see improvement over time.  And very importantly, you will become more aware of your posture and try to correct it as your day goes along, not just during the exercise.   Easy Stretching Exercise To Improve Posture   Begin either standing or sitting, but no slouching!   Gently, pull your abdominals in and up as if you were zipping up a tight pair of jeans.    Use some abdominal muscle control but please be able to breath, laugh, talk and sing. Now follow these steps:   1. Lift your arms out to your sides to shoulder height.   2. Pull your elbows into your back pockets (if you don't have pockets - pretend)   3. Put your hands, palms up, onto your shoulders.   Make sure your elbows are slightly lifted pointing outward.    Hold this position for 10 seconds and repeat the entire sequence two more times for a total of 30 seconds.   You will feel your head pulling back with a little tension in your neck. That means that your muscles are contracting to pull your head back to where it belongs rather than having your chin jutting out forward.   You will also feel your muscles contracting between your shoulder blades. Good!  Now you are strengthening your upper back and neck muscles and stretching your chest muscles. This is what needs to be done to begin to improve your posture.   Start by doing this stretch every other day. If you are not feeling any discomfort in your muscles after a few times then you can do the stretch every day. Eventually, if you are feeling really good with it and enjoying it, you can increase the repetitions to equal one full minute. But, start slowly and good luck!     Anyone with questions regarding this stretch or any other fitness questions can reach me by email at lrosenlaci@att.net.   In my next article, I'll continue helping you improve your posture with exercises for your core and using your abdominals and glutteals (belly and seat) to improve posture.