All day long we are very often stuck in one position. Our shoulders get tired and ache.
If we are a new mom, the position we are stuck in might be holding our baby. If we work at a desk, it could be leaning over the desk. If we are a mechanic or line worker or cook, it is using our hands in front of us all day while we look at our work or project.
So, our shoulders and heads get “stuck” in front of us.
Our poor back suffers as a result. It gets weak and strained. Muscles don’t like being in that position.
Here are some steps you can take to help your neck and shoulders feel better.
To lift your head, pretend a hook is pulling you skyward. The hook is attached to your breastbone, near the top of your chest. Did you notice what happened to your head when you just lifted your chest? 🙂
To do really nice things for your shoulders, lift them up and roll them back and down. Since your shoulders are in front of your body all day, instead of out to your sides where they belong, moving them backward – toward your spine – is a good counter-move for them.
Lifting and rolling your shoulders back and down does several good things for us.
- It gets circulation going around your shoulders and neck.
- It loosens the muscles around your shoulder blades.
- It strengthens the muscles that hold your shoulder blades toward your spine so they’re less likely to be strained.
- It gives your poor, overstretched muscles a break!
Some people like to roll their shoulders in a big circle, back to front or front to back. If that feels good to you, do it. But, if that feels to you as though the forward roll is overstretching your back muscles, then you probably are. Instead, just move your shoulders up and back and down. Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Ahhhh. Feels better already, doesn’t it?
And you deserve to feel better! If you’d like to know how to get rid of the miserable muscle “knots” in your upper back, please go to Knots In Your Back Gone!
