st judes clinic articles
Spring Clean Your Body.
Spring is in the air and as we all knuckle down to our annual spring cleaning of the house, why not spare a thought for our body!
During the cold, dark, wet months it is very easy to pick up bad habits such as slouching, slumping and forgetting to exercise. So, put a spring back into your step with a few simple postural exercises.
Good posture involves keeping your body in correct alignment by maintaining your natural curves in sitting, standing and walking. Try following these 4 simple steps to help improve posture, as well as minimise the stress and strain on muscles, joints and discs.
- Try to stand as tall as you can
- This will make you look longer, leaner, fitter and thinner. - Push your shoulders down and back
- This reduces the possibility of shoulder and neck pain. Imagine you are opening up the front of the chest wall, not standing to attention! - Pull your lower tummy muscle in
- Only try to hold with 20% effort. This helps to improve the tone of your tummy muscles and improve your core stability. - Strike the heels to the ground and the toes-off all the way
- This helps to employ the full gait cycle.
If you have any aches or pains or feel you would benefit from physiotherapy, please, do not hesitate to give St Judes a ring on 01525 377751. One of our Chartered Physiotherapists will be happy to have a chat with you.