When we’re hurried, we forget to be mindful of our posture and movement patterns as we go about our daily life. Awareness of movement prevents accidents, bumps, and the resulting bruises, while helping us to avoid chronic alignment issues in our body that cause nagging aches and pains. It also helps us be more graceful and less clumsy, which is always a good thing!
Learn to be mindful of your body with these simple tips:
- Drop your shoulders and keep your neck long, which is good practice for even just walking or standing.
- Lift things with your legs and core engaged, not with a rounded back.
- When reaching for things, don’t use just your arm – think about engaging the core muscles.
- Switch hands to perform tasks if you can, as your dominant arm may already be fatigued from typing or whatever repetitive movements it does all day.
- Lighten your load! Are you one of those people with a large heavy purse or carrying two bags at once? Before carrying these things around for an hour or two while shopping, remove things that are not necessary for that particular day. Be sure to switch arms frequently while carrying bags and purses.
- Watch your texting and computer posture, and notice it on your friends and family so you can kindly correct them! Avoid long duration use of these devices. If you’re already struggling with pain in your wrist, forearm, shoulders, or neck, take a “tech break” as often as you can.
- Notice your driving posture. Do you lean to one side? Are you slumped in your seat? Do you jut your neck forward? All these movements can take a toll on your body.
- Take time for stretching! Even if only a few minutes each day, consistency is key! As you walk through a doorway, place each hand against the door frame, and lean forward. Take 5 deep breaths, then go about your business!
For tips on specific tasks and how to use your body more efficiently to complete them, check out Get Fit While Spring Cleaning.
