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This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September of 2022. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_hYSZaCsok&t=329s
Brad: I want to tell our viewers this quick little story to prove a good point. This gentleman was in his forties at the time, and he is watching a security camera, and he is watching this person walk away on the security camera. He asked another employee, he said, "Who is that old person that works here?"
Bob: Right, and it was him.
Brad: Yes, and the reason why he looked so old is that he is walking with a poor, slumped posture.
Bob: I love this guy, but he's got poor posture. Really humped over.
Brad: Posture makes all the difference in how you look. I see people at the YMCA, they're in their sixties and seventies, God bless them, they're exercising, but their posture is so rounded. And you do not want to wait until you're in your sixties to fix this, because it's hard to straighten up to look young again.
Bob: Right.
Brad: Posture makes a big difference. We're going to show you some easy tricks on how to take care of this. Before we get to the simple, little exercise of movements, I just want to relate this to everyday life. Every day, everyone brushes their teeth. It's not a problem, and you know why you're brushing your teeth. If you don't brush your teeth, they're going to rot out by the time you're 65 or 70.
Bob: They'll be gone.
Brad: Right, so you just do it. Well, if you want to look tall, with a good-looking posture, you need to do simple exercises every day.
Bob: Every day!
Brad: Just like brushing your teeth. It's as simple as that. Okay, let's get on to the first one. We're going to show you four options, simple movements, or exercises. Pick two of them out and do those throughout the day. They only take a few seconds of your day. They're easy to do and they work. First, if you want to do it lying down, on the floor, or on your bed, Bob will demonstrate.
Bob: Or the snow.
Brad: Or the snow, snow angels. So, look at Bob, he is keeping his arms flat on the floor.
Bob: So, what happens if my arms can’t go flat on the floor, Brad?
Brad: Yeah, if it's too tight, like mine, that's okay. That's going to get better the more you do it.
Bob: Right. Don't force it down. Over time, it should get better.
Brad: Right. None of these should create pain. You only have to do five. If you want to do 10 that’s fine. Now when you're doing this, make sure you add a chin tuck. So, Bob will demonstrate that the chin goes down, and his head stays in contact with the floor.
Bob: You can have a rolled towel here underneath your head.
Brad: You can. If you're already slouched you may not be able to do that.
Bob: Right. You might have your head up off the floor. You might need a pillow.
Brad: Yeah. And your head is hanging there because it's that tight. I've had many patients that way. You can do the chin tucks while you're seated, as well. Chin tucks, chin tucks, chin tucks. Do them all day long if you want. Well, I'm exaggerating, but they are good to do a number of times throughout today.
Brad: If getting down on the floor is difficult. Obviously, that's not an option. I'm going to show you the next one, number two. This is a good alternative to laying on the floor. Go to a wall that doesn't have pictures hanging on it, so you don't knock them off. Then butt up against the wall and shoulders. Do the chin tuck with your head, touching the wall. If you can, if not just stretch it the best you can. And then the wall angels. Now, as you can see, my shoulders are inherently tight. My shoulders are touching, I'm chin-tucking.
Bob: Go way up, Brad
Brad: That's as far as I'm going, Bob.
Bob: That's it?
Brad: That's it. I'm sorry. You know, I swim a lot too. Some people are going to have that and that's okay. The big thing is your shoulders are back and your chin is tucked in. So, when I walk away it becomes a habit of looking tall, and strong versus "blah".
Bob: Looking young.
Brad: Yeah. Looking young and strong, things are good. Okay. This fourth option is going to be limited because you need some simple equipment. If you happen to have a pull-up bar at home, a good way to work on your posture is hanging. I'm going to use hanging handles, this is even better because I'm going to use the wall to help force posture without me working at it. If you have a pull-up bar, you can do that and use the same method. If you have to jump up to get to it, it's too high. Use a stool so you can grab it and then let your body weight down with your legs slowly. So, if you're against the wall, it’s a nice advantage. Shoulders, and head back. Do the chin tuck. I know everything is good. My butt's up against the wall and slowly let down. You're going to decompress your back. You're going to work on your shoulders. Open up that AC joint where you get decompression. So, this is good for posture. Good for shoulders and your back and just hang out here.
Bob: It might make you taller.
Brad: Yeah, go down. If you have pain in your shoulders, don't put that much weight on it, have it controllable by having your legs forward.
Bob: Yeah. Over time you might be able to tolerate more.
Brad: Yeah. Bob and I use these on a regular basis. Again, wonderful for my shoulders, and has been working well for my swimming. I don't know why I can't go higher on the wall angels.
Bob: Yeah. I was only 5'4" when I started, now I'm 6'6".
Brad: Again, it's an option that not everyone will have. Use one of the other ones and work towards that. And finally, Bob, we just want to add on a bonus thing.
Bob: What's that?
Brad: Walking.
Bob: Walking, that's right. When you walk, you can take your arms and put them behind you and stretch, straighten yourself up first, and then walk.
Brad: Yeah. And if you want to walk like this, it forces those shoulders back.
Bob: Yeah. You look like a professor.
Brad: Yeah. But don't lean forward.
Bob: Right, make sure everything is upright.
Brad: Yep. And the neighbors will go by and say, "My goodness! Look at Bob. He looks 10 years younger". All right. Take care. Stand tall. You're going to look younger and feel better.
Bob: Be careful out there.
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