YARMOUTH, Maine — Between working from home at the kitchen table, carrying more stress, and ultimately just not taking enough care of our bodies, posture is something that many of us tend to lose over time.
Dr. Allyson Coffin is a chiropractor with Align with Wellness in Yarmouth. She shows us a few stretches that can help realign our bodies.
Stretch 1 - Pretend you're hugging a big beach ball. Tuck your belly in, and bend your shoulders forward, while keeping your arms up around that invisible ball. Tuck your chin in and put your head down. You should feel the stretch in your shoulders. Slowly let that go and roll your shoulders back.
Stretch 2 - Clasp hands behind your back, while pulling shoulders back. This stretch is best if your palms are touching, while clasped. Pull your hands away from your back while looking up to the sky. Hold it for 30 seconds. It's a great stretch for your back and pecs, and helps alleviate stress.
Stretch 3 - (great for those who work over a computer all day) Put your back against a wall and stand up straight. Separate your feet to match your shoulders. Bring your arms up by your head in a 90 degree angle and press your arms and hands against the wall. Slowly move your arms up the wall, then bring them back down. If you do 10 of these a day, Dr. Coffin says your neck and shoulders will straighten back out again.
Stretch 4 - Grab a foam roller (often used to rub sore muscles) and put it on the floor. Sit on the edge so that the base of your spine is on the roller, then lie down on the roller, with the roller stretching up and down your spine. Just relax in that position, which will help stretch your back out.
Stretch 5 - To bring your shoulders back, stand in a doorway and put your hand on the side of it, holding your arm in a 90 degree angle. Start inching forward, holding your hand on the other side of the doorway. Rotate your head in the opposite direction for an even deeper stretch.
Follow @alignwithwellness on Instagram and TikTok for more stretches.