If you’re anything like me, you probably spend far too much time hunched over a computer while you’re working, playing and doing everything in between. Even right now, you might catch yourself straightening up while you read this on the train or in your cubicle. So many of us suffer from terrible posture due to our computer-centric lifestyles.
I reached out to personal trainer and Logan Square resident Alex Costello, 27, to figure out a simple exercise routine that could correct the damage done from sitting at a desk all day and encourage better posture. He suggested this four-part workout plan that can be done at home with minimal equipment. You don’t have to hit the gym in 2016 to see results.
1. Clean press using a kettlebell or dumbbell: With your knees bent, pick up the weight with one hand and let it swing between your legs. While keeping your biceps against your side, straighten your legs and pull the weight up as if you’re starting a lawn mower. Using an uppercut motion, allow the weight to end up between your forearm and biceps. Finally, press the weight straight up and lock your elbow. Slowly reverse the motion and let the weight drop into a swing without jerking your arm.
2. Hip thrusts: Lay on the floor with your knees bent and your feet planted about six inches from your sitz bones. Use your glutes (not your lower back) to raise your pelvis in the air. Lower down and repeat.
3. Rows using a kettlebell or dumbbell: Place a weight in front of your feet. Bend your knees and push your butt out before you begin. Lunge forward with your right foot and rest your right arm on your knee. Being careful to keep your back straight, grab the weight in your left hand and pull it straight to your stomach while retracting your shoulder blade. Lower and repeat, switching sides halfway through.
4. Stretches: There are an endless number of stretches you can do after any workout, but Costello recommends starting with squats, planks and reverse planks and yoga. Because you can do it all at home, he suggests using YouTube—Yoga with Adriene is one of his personal favorites—to help you get started.
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Costello’s last bit of advice is to be mindful and increase your awareness of daily habits and how they affect the way you feel. Never take your health for granted, and remember that nutrition and exercise go hand in hand. Finally, as we head into the new year, look for ways to sit less throughout the day—even if it means standing up to get water every once in a while. Here’s to a happier, healthier and less hunched-over 2016.