Feeling tight and creaky? Spending too much time in one posture, such as sitting at your desk, standing for work, or driving? Here are three mini-movements that can help you banish stiffness and return to your day with more energy and vigor.
Taking a movement break, even a short one, helps you feel better by:
Increasing circulation: movement brings much-needed blood, oxygen and nutrients to your joints and muscles.
Lengthening your spine: often our daily postures involve stooping or slouching, which results in our joints and organs not having the space they need to function optimally.
Clearing your mind: taking a break, even a short one, can help reset the mind, allowing you to return to your tasks with more calm and clarity.
Standing Mermaid
Based on a popular Pilates reformer exercise, this standing version is easy to do anywhere. It lenghtens the side body, releases tightness in the hips and shoulders, and allows you to take deep, full breaths. Click the image to do this with me.
Foot & Ankle Openers
These micro-movements are often woven into my full-length classes as part of other exercises, but they're valuable enough to practice on their own. When you take the time to loosen up your feet and ankles, you usually feel the benefits all the way up the chain, from your feet to your calves, thighs and hips. Click the image to do this with me.
Shoulder Circles
We all hold tension in our shoulders, which in turn aggravates our necks and upper backs, affecting how we sit and stand, and hold our heads. Moving the shoulders through their natural range of motion is often enough to bring some relief to this overworked area of our bodies.
My physical therapy friends like to say "your best posture is your next posture", meaning the more frequently you move throughout your day, the better your body will feel. Even short movement breaks have a positive impact.
Here are more resources to inspire you to move:
Ready for a more movement? Check out my online group classes or private Pilates sessions!
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