CAR EXERCISES
POSTURE EXERCISES FOR THE COMMUTE
Anyone who's ever had a long commute or taken a vacation knows
one thing: sitting is not comfortable. No matter how state-of-the-art
your car's bucket seats, chances are they still fail to provide you with
the proper support your body needs. After a car ride, it's common to
see the driver get out, and rub the back of her neck to massage away
the tightness.
The reason that no car seat will ever be truly comfortable is because
all of them are coming from the same place: they think that you can
support your body from the outside-in. Ultimately, we want to be able
to support our bodies from the inside-out. This means that the
muscles need to learn their roles in the alignment of the body, and
until they do, those car rides will be uncomfortable.
What are some things you can do to minimize driving discomfort? The
key is movement. No matter how perfect your sitting posture is, if you
don't move it doesn't matter. Here are some exercises that don't take
long, and you can do them in the driver's seat.
Sitting in Extension: Despite what many people think, good posture
begins in the hips, not the spine. This is a great exercise to learn how
to make your hips the foundation of your upper body. Doing a pelvic
tilt, you want to "roll" your hips forward. This will cause an arch to form
in your lower back, but be sure that the arch formed from the pelvis
moving and not from the lower back tightening. Believe it or not, you
can sit like this without engaging your lower back muscles. Try to sit
like this as much as possible.
Sitting in Extension
Sitting Chair Twist: With your Sitting in Extension as your foundation,
you can now begin to build on it. Do the Sitting Chair Twist when you
are stopped at a light. Begin with your hips rolled forward, and then
twist your spine using only the spinal muscles (do not pull with the
arms). Ideally you would hold this for a minute, but while stopped at a
light you would hold this for 5-10 seconds each side.
Elbow Curls: Do this only when stopped at a light. Please do not
attempt this one while you are actually driving. Begin in the Sitting in
Extension position. Curl your fingers so that the finger-tips touch the
pad of your hand. Place your knuckles at your temples and pull your
elbows back. Now bring your elbows together. Repeat about 10
times. You may get some looks from other drivers, but you don't know
them. Don't worry about them, just get yourself healthy.
Sitting Gluteal Contractions: If you're really concerned about what
other drivers think, try this one. It is an incredible way to stabilize your
hips and nobody even knows you're doing it! You don't know it, but
when I took this picture my butt was tight. All you do is squeeze and
release your gluteal muscles. You can do this anytime. The reason
that this is so important is because it helps to balance and stabilize the
pelvis, both sides. When you drive (especially if you drive an
automatic transmission) you are doing very one-sided motions. Doing
Gluteal Contractions will help you to balance everything from the hips
up.
Gluteal
Contractions
Let me know your experience with these exercises. I want to hear
some stories. Sit up straight.
In health,
Chris Janke
(back to top)
POSTURE EXERCISES FOR THE COMMUTE
Anyone who's ever had a long commute or taken a vacation knows
one thing: sitting is not comfortable. No matter how state-of-the-art
your car's bucket seats, chances are they still fail to provide you with
the proper support your body needs. After a car ride, it's common to
see the driver get out, and rub the back of her neck to massage away
the tightness.
The reason that no car seat will ever be truly comfortable is because
all of them are coming from the same place: they think that you can
support your body from the outside-in. Ultimately, we want to be able
to support our bodies from the inside-out. This means that the
muscles need to learn their roles in the alignment of the body, and
until they do, those car rides will be uncomfortable.
What are some things you can do to minimize driving discomfort? The
key is movement. No matter how perfect your sitting posture is, if you
don't move it doesn't matter. Here are some exercises that don't take
long, and you can do them in the driver's seat.
Sitting in Extension: Despite what many people think, good posture
begins in the hips, not the spine. This is a great exercise to learn how
to make your hips the foundation of your upper body. Doing a pelvic
tilt, you want to "roll" your hips forward. This will cause an arch to form
in your lower back, but be sure that the arch formed from the pelvis
moving and not from the lower back tightening. Believe it or not, you
can sit like this without engaging your lower back muscles. Try to sit
like this as much as possible.
Sitting in Extension
Sitting Chair Twist: With your Sitting in Extension as your foundation,
you can now begin to build on it. Do the Sitting Chair Twist when you
are stopped at a light. Begin with your hips rolled forward, and then
twist your spine using only the spinal muscles (do not pull with the
arms). Ideally you would hold this for a minute, but while stopped at a
light you would hold this for 5-10 seconds each side.
Elbow Curls: Do this only when stopped at a light. Please do not
attempt this one while you are actually driving. Begin in the Sitting in
Extension position. Curl your fingers so that the finger-tips touch the
pad of your hand. Place your knuckles at your temples and pull your
elbows back. Now bring your elbows together. Repeat about 10
times. You may get some looks from other drivers, but you don't know
them. Don't worry about them, just get yourself healthy.
Sitting Gluteal Contractions: If you're really concerned about what
other drivers think, try this one. It is an incredible way to stabilize your
hips and nobody even knows you're doing it! You don't know it, but
when I took this picture my butt was tight. All you do is squeeze and
release your gluteal muscles. You can do this anytime. The reason
that this is so important is because it helps to balance and stabilize the
pelvis, both sides. When you drive (especially if you drive an
automatic transmission) you are doing very one-sided motions. Doing
Gluteal Contractions will help you to balance everything from the hips
up.
Gluteal
Contractions
Let me know your experience with these exercises. I want to hear
some stories. Sit up straight.
In health,
Chris Janke
(back to top)
Sitting
Chair
Twist
Chair
Twist
Curls
| 341 Lafayette St. #106, Santa Clara, CA 95050 (408) 509-3497 |
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| 341 Lafayette Street, #106 Santa Clara, CA 95050 (408) 509-3497 |
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