The No More Excuses Diet (57 page)
Read The No More Excuses Diet Online
Authors: Maria Kang
Excess weight, poor posture, and muscle imbalances all increase your chances of bodily injury. According to Dr. James Rainville, a renowned expert in back pain and chief of physical medicine and rehabilitation at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston, the best way to prevent and protect yourself from back pain is strength training, stretching, and aerobic exercise. Dr. Rainville believes that exercise can often help retrain the nervous system to desensitize overactive nerves.
Additionally, if you have bad posture, you cannot develop your core strength. And, as was discussed in
Chapter 6
, a strong core translates into a strong body. Further, a strong body is not an imbalanced body. So fix your posture and focus on strengthening those weak muscles.
QUIZ
If you have bad posture, you need to nip it in the bud. If you don’t know if you do, here is a quick quiz:
1.
Does your occupation require you to sit most of the day?
A.
Yes
B.
No
2.
Do you carry most of your body weight in your upper body?
A.
Yes
B.
No
3.
Do your shoulders slope forward?
A.
Yes
B.
No
4.
Does your belly protrude out?
A.
Yes
B.
No
5.
Do you have any lower back pain?
A.
Yes
B.
No
6.
Do your hamstrings get tight?
A.
Yes
B.
No
If you answered mostly As, you have a postural deviation. Don’t be discouraged; many people suffer from imbalanced muscles, stemming from excess sitting, playing video games, and being generally inactive. Your
posture can be fixed by stretching and strengthening the tight muscles.
Fixing your posture also assists in generating confidence and making you appear slimmer. When you stand tall with your shoulders back and your hips squared, you look longer, stronger, and more assertive. Many women complain of having a flabby belly, but as soon as they stand straight and engage their tummy, they look 5 pounds lighter. So, let’s begin: Chest up! Shoulders back! Tummy in! Hips squared!
1. Start stretching out your tight muscles and strengthening your weak muscles. Be more cognizant of your posture by
keeping your chest up, shoulders back, chin up, hips squared, and feet forward.
2. Combating your muscle imbalances will require you to perform a variety of stretch and strength exercises. These exercises will repair your posture by extending tight muscles and toughening weak muscles. If performed several times a week you can build a stronger core, strengthen your lumbar region, and decrease your chances of injury. See which of the following sounds most like you and take corrective action:
People who struggle with an upper crossed syndrome usually have weak chest and back muscles and tight shoulders. If you have a desk job, drive often, or have a larger chest area, you may be slouching forward more often than you realize and creating muscle imbalances. If you look at the diagram, you can see the body’s alignment is off-kilter; now imagine applying weight onto a body that is imbalanced. Like a rotting tree trunk or a house with a poor foundation, it
will “break”—it’s not a matter of if but
when.
You need to stretch out the tight muscles and strengthen the weak muscles. If you have an upper crossed syndrome, your
stretching should focus on opening up your chest. Your strength training should focus on building your chest and back muscles.
CHEST STRETCH
Clasp your hands behind your back and slowly lift your arms away from your back and up toward the ceiling. Hold this stretch for 10 to 30 seconds.
LYING DB PULLOVER
Position your upper back on a firm stability ball or bench, and squeeze your glutes.
Place a dumbbell between both hands and slowly lower the weight above and over your head. Perform three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.
SQUATTING RB BACK ROW
Loop a resistance band around an object at your chest or shoulder height. Stand facing the band in a squatted position. Grab the handles with each hand and reach forward with your arms shoulder-distance apart. Pull the band until your elbows pass the line of your back. Slowly release.
