Your spine is the highway of energy that takes you from your feet to your fingertips and the top of your head. It absorbs the weight of the world while helping you move in a coordinated manner. But our spine is subject to the effects of a sedentary and sedentary lifestyle, which is why it's so important to do spinal mobility exercises.
"Our spines are a collection of bones, ligaments, discs, joints and muscles that all live in the body," physical therapist Diana Zotos-Florio, PT, CSCS, certified yoga teacher says founder and founder of Threes Physiyoga (a movement exercise that combines yoga with principles of PT). “Their main role is to protect our vital spinal cord, which is part of the nervous system. But its other role is to help absorb and disperse the burdens of our daily lives. And they're responsible for directing increased energy or loads onto our hips, through our cores, and into our arms so we can perform full-body movements.
That's a pretty big responsibility for a body part! So what exactly makes a spine capable of performing this function of motion coordinator and absorbing energy?
Anatomy of a healthy spine
A healthy spine has three components. The first is an "S" shape when viewed from the side (with a curve in the lower and upper back). This curved shape helps it act like a kind of spring, according to Zotos-Florio. "If your spine has an 'S' shape, it should be able to absorb the load of every step, jump, run or whatever you do, compress it a little bit, and then decompress it."
Next step: full range of motion (or mobility).
Each vertebra must be able to move. That way, when you do something like twisting or bending, the task is evenly distributed across the spine, so no part of it is overworked, which can cause You are prone to injury.
Finally, your spine must have some breathing space! “A healthy spine is one that has space,” says Zotos-Florio. “If your spine is a Slinky and you open it up, you want that spine to have a certain opening, not to be fully compressed. So, the more compressed your spine and the more space there is between the bones, the easier it is for each bone to move.
But staying too long in the same position jeopardizes all of these factors (form, mobility, and space). And unfortunately, sitting for long periods of time can compress our spine and even affect the movement of certain vertebrae. That is why Zotos-Florio himself pays great attention to his spine.
Here are the spinal mobilization exercises she does throughout the day when she feels stressed and stressed, or first thing when she wakes up in the morning. Overall, Zotos-Florio recommends setting aside 10 minutes a day to keep your spine healthy.
7 spinal mobility exercises to promote a healthy spine
1. Decompression
This is an exercise Zotos-Florio likes to do throughout the day, even while doing something like washing dishes, as a way to check in with her spine. Stand upright. This means your weight is dispersed evenly across your feet, your spine is neutral (meaning your shoulders, hips, and ankles are all in one line and you have a natural curve in your lower and upper backs), and make sure your chin isn’t jutting forward. “This is sort of like a home base,” Zotos-Florio says of this posture. “You don't have to live here, but it's a great place to practice.”
Next, imagine there is a helium balloon sitting on top of your head. The string goes through your skull down to your neck and spine. Without puffing those ribs forward, allow the helium balloon to lift you up. “Feel how you could get two inches taller,” Zotos-Florio says.
2. Gate pose to create even more space
This exercise further elongates your spine with the help of a side stretch. From a high kneeling position, extend one leg straight out to the side so that your foot is resting flat on the floor, toes facing forward. Now reimagine the helium balloon pulling you upwards (without your ribs flaring forward). Then, lift the arm of your kneeling leg above your head, and bend over to the side of your extended leg. Hold for three to five rounds of breathe, then repeat on the other side.
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3. Pelvic tilts to practice flexion and extension
To isolate the vertebra and ensure each one has a full range of motion, you’ll practice going in and out of flexion (contracting) and extension (stretching). Stand in front of a surface such as a bed or desk, place your hands on it, and hinge forward from the hips, keeping a soft bend in your knees. Alternate between tucking your tailbone under and sticking your butt out, without squeezing your glutes. Continue for three to five rounds of breathe.
4. Flexion and extension of the thoracic spine
You can practice the same principle of contracting and stretching for your upper back. Start kneeling on the floor or your bed and place your palms flat on the surface in front of you, slightly in front of shoulders. Tuck your chin and round your upper back toward the ceiling, then reverse that motion to arch your back and lift your gaze to look between your hands. Continue for three to five rounds of breathe.
5. Roll up and down
Put the lower back and the thoracic spine spine movement together for a whole back opening pose. Stand straight in that home base. Then tuck your chin and start to fold forward like you’re trying to touch your toes, starting with your shoulders, then upper, mid, and lower back all the way down. Pause at the bottom, then tuck your tailbone under and reverse that order to stack your spine back up until you’re standing tall. Let your head be the last thing to lift.
“It's like someone's walking their fingers down your spine,” Zotos-Florio says. “As they touch each bone, you want to round that bone down. So you're really trying to almost round over a beach ball or a bowling ball, and each vertebra gets a chance to round on its way down.”
6. Axial rotation
Find a wall you can stand sideways next to, then get into a runner’s lunge, with your right foot forward and back knee down, so your right hip and outer thigh are touching the wall. Then extend your right arm straight in front of you against the wall. Next extend your left arm straight in front of you, and then open it out and back behind you so your chest rotates to face away from the wall, with your left arm extended backwards. Your upper body will basically be in a T shape. “Don't initiate it with your arm opening, initiate it with the left ribcage rotating back,” advises Zotos-Florio. Hold for three to five breathes, then repeat on the other side.
7. Protect your neck
The neck is the highest part of the spine, so don’t forget it. This exercise stretches it and the shoulders because those muscles are so intertwined. Slowly look left and right, up and down, then roll your shoulders backwards and forwards. Repeat three to five more times.
Like Zotos-Florio suggested, make these spinal mobility moves part of your daily routine, and aim to do them for 10 minutes each day, either when you wake up or as a nice break from work. And if you want to improve on your spinal mobility even more, try Pilates.
