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Melissa Monroe's Total Body Tune-ups
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| Breathe Well, Sit Well, and Be Well! |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 21:20:22 |
| Rating |
 40 ( -6 -15% ) | | Author | Melissa Monroe |
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Description:
Is your daily commute a pain in the neck? Is your low back in knots after a drive? Your sitting posture could be the culprit.
Follow these simple guidelines to alleviate driving-related back and neck strain.
Make sure that you are sitting on your "sits bones" rather than your tailbone. Your sits bones are those bones
located under each buttock. Scoot these bones as far back in your seat as you can. Now, sit with your spine erect over
the sits bones. We tend to round our low back and sit on our tailbone, which places a great deal of strain on the lumbar
spine and surrounding muscles.
For those who drive cars with automatic transmissions, hip asymmetry can be a concern. Check your left leg.
You may find that it has rolled outward and to the left. Or, you might find that you sit with your left foot on the seat
and that the left knee has rolled open to the left. Both of these postures place uneven strain on the musculature of the
low back and hips, which can subsequently cause skeletal asymmetry and pain. To remedy, first concentrate on scooting the
right hip all the way back; it has probably inched forward. Then bring the left thigh to the center of the seat, in line
with the left hip. You may want to imagine an orange between your knees, which are in line with the respective hips.
Sloppy shoulders place excessive strain on the neck, shoulders and low back, so this tip is a big one. Most of us roll
our upper body forward and down, towards our lap and steering wheel. With the hands on the wheel at "ten and two," gently press
down on the wheel which will allow your breastbone and spine to release upwards. Let the shoulder blades drop down your back as
the spine and breastbone release upwards. This will provide support for the neck and shoulders from underneath-the armpits and
rib areas-rather than from on top--the muscles that strain the neck when overused. The upward lift of the spine will also
alleviate unnecessary low back strain.
BREATHE! This is THE most important tip. Make sure you are taking long, slow, steady breaths throughout your commute.
A calm breath really does produce a calm mind, and a calm mind provides ease of movement, which in turn reduces joint strain
and pain. Breath moves oxygen throughout the body and oxygenated muscles are happy muscles.
Breathe well, sit well, and be well!
Melissa Monroe is a Pilates-based personal trainer in Hollywood, CA. She also has an extensive background in dance and yoga, and worked as a Research Technologist at the University of Chicago. |
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