Healthy Lifestyle Challenge Day 24
Tuck your chin! Your challenge today is to work on making good posture a habit. With all the temptation to let your head go forward and shoulders round, it’s a wonder that everyone doesn’t have bad posture and tight shoulders.
This is one of the best exercises to align your head positioning with your shoulders. Poor head positioning can cause multiple problems, from headaches to upper back and neck tension. To help resolve this problem, a simple exercise called chin tucks is just the solution. For added benefit, finish by stretching out your neck.
Chin Tuck – Level 1:
- Lie on the floor or other flat surface with your knees bent.
- Pull your shoulders back and down.
- Tuck your chin like you are trying to create a double chin. This gets rid of the forward head positioning.
- Do not lift or flex your head forward, keep your eyes focused on something straight ahead of you.
- Do not hold your breath.
- When performing chin tucks, make sure that the Sternocleidomastoid muscle does not contract. This muscle is in the front of your neck.
- Chin Tucks can be applied in all positions.
- Hold for >10 seconds then release, repeat up to 20 times.
Try this exercise in the car against the headrest for a quick posture check while driving. Also, practice a chin tuck while typing on your computer, doing paper work, talking on the phone or any other daily habit that promotes poor posture.
