Have you ever checked the amount of much time you spend looking at your phone screens? Some reports suggest that adults in the United States spend up to 5 hours per day on their mobile devices. That’s close to five hours spent hunched over your phone screen. If you add your TV, laptop, and tablet, it comes up to about 10 hours of time spent in bad postures.
Now you know where that “sudden” back ache and neck sprain comes from. Luckily, spending just 10 minutes a day can help you correct your posture and bring your muscles back in shape. Try this 10-minute Pilates routine for yourself to see how it can make a difference to your posture.
1. Half-Swan
Lie on your stomach with your feet slightly turned out and a little wider than your hips, with your two hip bones and pubic bone resting on the mat.
Keep your nose and forehead down and keep your hands just in front of your shoulders. On an inhale, begin to feel your shoulders melt down your back.
On an exhale, pull your belly button to your spine, then imagine you’re balancing a marble on the tip of your nose as your head and shoulders float up. On an exhale, come back down to the mat. Repeat this eight times.
2. Airplane
While lying on your stomach with your feet slightly turned out and a little wider than your hips, rest your two hip bones and pubic bone on the mat with your nose and forehead down.
Your arms should be reaching out to the sides in line with your shoulders, pinkie fingers pressing down into the mat, and the palm of the hands face forward.
On an inhale, begin to feel your shoulders melt down your back; press down and out with your pinkie fingers.
On an exhale, pull your belly button up to your spine, then imagine you’re rolling a marble to the tip of your nose and balance it there as your head and shoulders float up.
Maintaining this spinal position, reach the arms out and up so they’re in line with the body. Exhale and lengthen back down to the mat. Repeat this eight times.
3. Superman
While lying on your stomach with your feet slightly turned out and a little wider than your hips, with two hip bones and pubic bones resting on the mat.
Place your nose and forehead down with your arms down by your sides. From there, roll your shoulders forward toward the mat and with your palms facing up.
On an inhale, roll your shoulders back, feeling them melt away from your ears, and rotate your palms so they’re against your thighs as you slide them down the side of your body and reach for your feet.
On an exhale, pull your belly button up to your spine, then imagine you’re rolling a marble to the tip of your nose and balance it there as your head and shoulders float up and your arms lift and lengthen down the side of your body. Release and repeat eight times.
4. Swimming
While lying on your stomach, feet slightly turned out and a little wider than your hips, with two hip bones and pubic bones resting on the mat.
Place your nose and forehead down, and reach your arms out in front of you with your palms facing down. Imagine you’re making a small X with your body. Inhale through your nose, roll your shoulders back, and feel them melt down away from your ears.
Inhale through your nose, roll your shoulders back, and feel them melt down away from your ears.
On an exhale, pull your belly button up to your spine, then imagine you’re rolling a marble to the tip of your nose and balance it there as your head, shoulders, arms, and legs float up. Continue to breathe normally as you swim your arms and legs for 10 breaths.
5. Plank To Downward-Facing Dog Flow
Place your wrists under your shoulders, spine long and neutral. Hold the plank for 30 seconds here. On an inhale through the nose, pike the hips into the air with your shoulders melting down your back as you come into downward-facing dog.
Hold the plank for 30 seconds here. On an inhale through the nose, pike the hips into the air with your shoulders melting down your back as you come into downward-facing dog.
Exhale out your mouth and lower the heels, stretching the calves and hamstrings. Come up on to the balls of your feet. On an exhale, slide your shoulders down your back, lower the body back to the plank position, and hold. Repeat four times.
On an exhale, slide your shoulders down your back, lower the body back to the plank position, and hold. Repeat four times.
