_edited.jpg)
This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/IfwCEV5z0JY
Brad: If you're over 55, it's likely you've been getting a little shorter year to year. I personally have lost about an inch in the last five years, but there's good news, there's something you can do about it.
Mike: We're going to show you three simple options you can do to help lengthen your spine out and become taller again.
Brad: That's right, and I've been working on these. We're going to go over some of the mechanical effects that cause shrinking. Now, this happens to everyone, and the big contributor to this is actually the spine and some of the anatomy within it. Mike, can you talk about that?
Mike: So there are 23 discs in the spine here. Each of these represent a disc and over time they can actually shrink and get smaller.
Mike: This happens as we age with all the compressive forces. So we're going to show you three ways that you can help alleviate the problems of shrinkage, including postural changes, decompression exercises, and some other exercises that can help.
Brad: That's right. Now one of the big things is actually slouching, or I'm going to refer to it as slouchism, and we're going to talk about how that can contribute to shrinking and then having you look shorter and be shorter.
Mike: So somehow I comprehended what Brad was saying, but would you mind explaining what slouchism is?
Brad: Slouchism, well I think I actually made that word up. But when you slouch or have poor posture like this, which a lot of people do, whether you're standing or sitting in a chair that's all rounded out, the spine actually compresses the discs and that actually can accelerate degeneration of the disc, which everyone gets with age, but we're accelerating it by doing that.
Brad: Now we can reverse or slow that acceleration down simply by doing the first thing, decompression, and then also some exercises. And I do all three of these and we will show you them right now. All right, we're going to show you some simple decompression techniques that you can do at home. Now what we have is the spine. We talked about the slouching. We want to eliminate that and reverse it. So we're going to pull the spine, taking pressure off the disc and allowing them to decompress, very easily. Now this first technique, you can use a door. You need to make sure you have a good solid door, and we're going to open it up. Mike is going to help because we need a weight on this mock door. But the technique is just as I show. Now if you're too short and you can't reach the top of the door like I am, this would not work. You simply will take a belt. Now I want to warn you, if your door is not sturdy, just eliminate this possibility. I am not going to hang all my weight on the door by any means. I'm going to put a belt over and simply bend my knees and I already can feel some decompression on my back and spine. And we're just going to hang out here for about 15 to 30 seconds, and then relax.
Brad: And again, we're not hanging completely on the door. My feet are still supporting the majority of my weight, so it's safe. It's simply a gentle decompression thing you can do. All right, you can do that throughout the day. Now we're going to go on to something a little more aggressive that I do and it works very well. All right, for the next form of decompression on the spine, you can use a pull-up bar if you have one, that works very well. The one thing that you must be aware of and have set up is that if you reach the bar and it's so high that you're going to be hanging right away, it's too high. You may need to get a stool underneath you because you want to grab the bar and gently bend your knees allowing a gentle, controlled decompression of the spine. Another way that works, in my opinion, much better is using something up against the wall so your back is against the wall like Mike is right now on the Hanging Handles. It offers a lot more control and the wall actually promotes good posture, actually perfect posture, it's nice and straight. Mike, do you want to walk through how this is done?
Mike: So you're going to walk up to the wall or the pull-up bar, again, reach up. I can reach the floor here, so I am good. I'm going to walk my feet out a little bit and I'm just going to sit down like I'm kind of doing a squat here, and I'm gonna start getting some traction and pulling through my spine, lengthening it. So what you want to do is just sit here for a little while. If you feel comfortable you can certainly lift your legs up. But this feels more like an exercise to me, we're just focusing on decompressing the spine. So just kind of hang out here, and I feel my whole spine lengthening now.
Brad: Great! Now this is one I do daily. It works very well. It's other benefits include shoulder health and breathing because you're opening up the chest, and it's just a wonderful exercise for other benefits as well. And if you have a pull-up bar, again, works well, do it. This works a little bit better with the wall, but either way,
Mike: If I do this long enough, maybe I'll be six feet tall.
Brad: Yeah, we'll be all walking around like Bob. All right, now these next two things we're going to talk about are very important and really do a damage to your spine and you're probably completely unaware of it. If you have a chair, we're talking about seated posture, and the chair's worn out, say a recliner and there's a hollow spot back behind you, which takes your spine into a nice slouched, comfortable position, but it's actually compressing the spine. We need to fill that hole in. Usually, a nice throw pillow is all you need. Put it in, fill that in. You're going to feel the support on your back. Mike, why don't you talk to them about it.
Mike: So what you want to make sure to do is put your pelvis in a good position. Like Brad said earlier, if you're slouched over, I have an anterior tilt and then I'm sitting slouched and my spine is very rounded, compressing those discs like we talked about earlier. So correcting your posture will help. Filling in that gap with a pillow will also help. Now, if you're in a typical chair and you're just having some back pain or bad posture throughout the day, you can definitely take a long pillow as well. Place it vertical like this and then you'll actually support your whole spine here. Get your butt back nice and far, and there, I'm comfortable.
Brad: Right. It really makes a big difference. I'm surprised that this vertical sleeping pillow can really do nice positioning to your spine, and it feels good. Now we're going to talk about standing posture. A lot of people aren't aware of this, but if you just straighten yourself up, you get taller. It's as simple as that. So we're going to show you a very simple technique that you can do to remind yourself to be taller and stretch the muscles out so it's easier and becomes a good habit. Mike, show them the technique.
Mike: So whenever you're walking through a doorway at your office or home, just take a quick little stretch break. Now I would go on the other side since the door is here, but we have stairs in the way. So I would go on the opposite side if I was doing this correctly, what you're going to do is try to make a "W" with your arms here. And I'm going to lean into the frame and get a nice good stretch that's going to stretch that upper back posture, get it corrected. You can hold it for a good 10 to 15 seconds, and then just walk through the door.
Brad: Good. All right, now you really need to complement that stretch by strengthening the muscles in your back because we just stretched them here, which is going to permanently give you that good posture. So what you can do is simply pull your shoulders back. And again, we're going to make the "W." Why the "W?" Because I'm from Wisconsin, and that's what it reminds me of, Wisconsin. So we've got a good state, good posture. There you go. Seriously, you can do that three or four times. If you want to use the wall and really get aggressive, butt to the wall, back to the wall, and if you can get your arms to the wall and head to the wall, you've got perfect posture there. And simply do three or four "W"s there or up and down and do the wall slides. Nice trick.
Mike: A couple more options to correct your posture for when you're walking is to simply take your hands behind your back and you can clasp them. Notice if you have a forward slouch posture, straightening up, and reaching back can help solve that. Don't stand hunched forward. This isn't going to fix it. You still have to have a good posture component and walk like this as you can. You don't have to do it the whole time.
Brad: Now if you happen to be like me with tight shoulders and I have a hard time reaching back, you simply take a towel or your scarf or whatever it may be and then hold that back there and walk around.
Brad: All right, now the other thing that you can do for strengthening those muscles in the back, we've got the wall and the "W"s and all that, if you have stretch bands, which are becoming very popular, you simply take the band and we can pull back for resistance adding a little more strength to that.
Brad: Okay, now we're going to show you what you can do if you have a doorknob or the wall anchor for a strengthening exercise. Mike, go ahead.
Mike: Okay, there are a couple different ways you can strengthen these shoulder blade areas. A beginner version would be to simply squeeze the shoulder blades back. Most people are a little stronger in this position, so you can possibly use a heavier band.
Mike: Now to make this more challenging with the lighter band, we're going to kind of do the "W" shape itself. It's still going to work that scapular region, but you're going to get a bit more shoulder muscles involved. Now, try to keep a good upright posture while I'm doing this. Notice I'm nice, slow, and controlled. I'm not whipping it like super fast.
Brad: Yes, you really cannot go wrong with the "W", a "W" for win, "W" for Wisconsin. Now you're from Minnesota, right Mike.
Mike: W for Winona. Geez.
Brad: Oh, there you go. All right, so there's no magic to this. You're not going to grow, but you can reduce how much you shrink or actually look taller by changing your posture. It's a big plus. I did want to mention, do these every day. It's simple to fit them into your life. It doesn't take any more time, simple little habits. And what's the other video that people can tune into for more exciting adventures of Bob and Brad?
Mike: "Are you getting shorter with age? Three biggest causes." So again, there will be some more options on what's causing you to shrink and how to fix it.
Brad: Now this video is very unique. There'll be answers in there that you will never expect. So we really had fun with it.
Visit us on our other social media platforms:
YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads
Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as
interviews with health-related experts.
For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways
Bob and Brad’s Products
Pain Management:
C2 Massage Gun (US)
Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US)
Fitness:
Stretching:
Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop
Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for
