-Fix Those Weak Links!-

Let's face it...most of us (well, myself not included, lol) work a 9-to-5 job and spend most of our day in a seated position. What does this have to do with fitness, you ask? Well, as you may already be aware, sitting at a desk for extended periods of time can wreak havoc on your body. What does it do? Well, for starters, it can contribute to what we in the industry call "upper crossed syndrome," which is basically a fancy term for protracted (slumping) shoulders, tight chest, upper trapezius/sternocleidomastoid (aka your neck)/anterior shoulder muscles, and forward head carriage. Quite often, this can lead to excessive neck tension and headaches. Not fun. Spending too much time in a seated position can also lead to a lack of proper lumbar curve, due to this upper crossed "cascade" of issues. Add to this the fact that one's hips can become very tight, thus leading to a lack of mobility and decreased hip/glute function. In a nutshell, the body is put under a tremendous amount of stress due to gravity itself, and the seated position that most of us adhere to more often than not just exacerbates the problem. If you exercise, kudos to you! If you don't, DO! Even simple exercises are better than none at all! Everyone should add some mobility work to their routine if they want to stay as pain- and injury-free as possible!

Yours in Health,
Sarah

The exercises are:
Dowel "Halos" x 5 ea direction
Stick-Ups (thumbs to wall) x 5-10
Overhead Squat x 15
Stability Ball Circles x 5 ea direction
Bird Dogs (hold 5-10 sec) x 5-10 ea
Side-Lying Hip Abduction + Raise (hold 5-10 sec) x 5-10 ea
Marching Bridge (hold 5-10 sec) x 5-10 ea