Microbreak for Your Spine!
By Sara Butler
Think about it: How much time do you spend sitting in a day? If you add up all the time you sit at the table for meals, spend in the car driving to and from work or running errands, or sit on the couch and try to unwind before bed, then it’s probably nothing to sit 12 hours a day. Now think about how much of that time you spend practicing poor posture. If you’re cringing just thinking about it, then you need two things: Regular chiropractic adjustments and microbreaks during your day.
Your Posture
It’s not shameful to admit that you slide into poor posture throughout your day. It’s easy to slip into a slouch when you’re working at the computer, especially if your workstation is set up in a way that isn’t conducive to proper posture. If your computer monitor is too low, then it’s only a matter of time before your head starts to move forward as you look down and your shoulders go right along with it. And that can lead to a whole heap of trouble for your spine and your comfort in the long term due to the extra stress it puts on your upper back, shoulders, shoulder blades, and neck. In fact, it can lead you to experience chronic pain in your neck, back, and shoulders as well as cause you to develop headaches.
Your Chiropractor Can Help
It’s not uncommon for the pain people experience from poor posture to be what brings them into the chiropractor’s office for the first time. Your chiropractor can help you to understand the importance of practicing good posture when you’re working and to understand the importance of good workspace ergonomics, too. They want to work to help you understand the importance of posture in everything you do. From driving your car to lifting the groceries, the importance of posture in keeping your muscles and joints healthy cannot be overstated.
Microbreaks: Your Secret Weapon
Another thing your chiropractor wants to help you to understand is the importance of taking small, frequent breaks to keep your body healthy over the course of the day. Whether you’re in your car or sitting at your desk, you should employ the following strategies to help your body stay healthy throughout the day if you can’t stand in order to stretch out:
- Squeeze your shoulders together – When you’re sitting at your desk or in your car, sit up and squeeze those shoulder blades together for 20 to 30 seconds, repeating three times.
- Rock your pelvis – Rock your pelvis from side to side and forward to backward for a minute or two while sitting.
- The yes, no, maybe neck stretch – For this exercise do three sets of 10, where you move your head to one shoulder, then the other, look down and then up.
If you have more questions about how to keep your spine healthy, discuss it with your chiropractor the next time you’re at The Joint!