5-Minute Fitness: Be Nice to Your Neck

Dial back neck and posture problems. “Using handheld devices and computers has caused us to develop rounded shoulders and forward heads.  And, older folks tend to look down more to watch their steps and lose trunk strength, leading to similar changes,” says Arizona-based physical therapist and ATI Physical Therapy clinic director Eric Shifley.

Neck Soothers

1. Hold each stretch 5-10 seconds and repeat daily. 1 Stand or sit with chin tucked to chest and chest elevated. Lower ear toward one shoulder (keep ear lined up with shoulder — no forward head postures). Repeat to other side.
2. Stand or sit tall. Gently pull back of head toward one armpit as shown. Repeat to other side.
3. Stand or sit with hands clasped together in front of chest. Look downward, reaching forward with hands.
4. Stand tall facing corner with hands on walls about shoulder height and outside shoulder width. Lean forward, squeezing shoulder blades together, and slide hands down wall toward waist.

This article is featured in the November/December 2019 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.

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