Previous installments of “Feel the Burn” can be found here. Most recently, we talked about that aggro fitspo picture on Facebook.
From the mailbag this week:
Would you be open to addressing stretching or somehow limbering up in your Feel the Burn column?
Context: I run as my primary form of exercise (not a lot, never quickly, just 4-5 miles every other day), and I rarely ever do weights or stretch or yoga. I know, I know, this is terrible, but when I get home from work I am just devoid of all motivation and just want to sit on the couch and watch The Mindy Project.
Further complicating this: I’m a medical student and I literally stand all.day.long. Sometimes we walk during rounds, but mainly it’s standing, with a white coat unevenly weighted down with study books or old patient notes or reflex hammers or whatever. I’m a fourth year, so I’ve been at this clinical rounding game for about a year and a half and I think my body is actually starting to be out of alignment somehow? And now I’m paranoid that my running gait is changing and I’m freaking out because it’s the only exercise I enjoy on the reg.
TL;DR: I stand all day and running is my only exercise, how do I keep my body from looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa at rest? Are there good stretches (SHOULD I even stretch? Is that even a thing anymore? (WHY DON’T THEY TEACH US THIS IN MEDICAL SCHOOL, UGH) Are there good body-weight exercises I should do to firm up stability muscles?
Hi, future doctor! This is a great question, and I’m thrilled because it gives me a chance to talk about something I wanted to talk about anyway: tightening that shit UP. By which I mean, your core. Mallory hates the term “core” to describe back/abs/torso/that whole thing, but it’s so HANDY, you know?
I talked to my trainer about your question, because he’s a swell dude, and he was 100% positive that resistance training is going to get you more mileage than pure stretching* for your particular set of ailments. I’m inclined to trust him, because we’ve been working on my abysmal posture and wussy girdly muscles (picture Dana Brody being extra-sullen) together via the following tactics for the last year or so, and I am now solidly 5’6 instead of the 5’5 and tiny amount of change I’ve been my whole life, and it doesn’t hurt to actually stand up straight anymore. Considering I still spend 75% of my day in bed on my laptop, those are some dynamite results.
The annoying thing about posture, incidentally, is that it feels wildly unnatural until your body develops the musculature and associated memory to hold your flesh upright correctly. THEN (and this is the really annoying part), there’s a terrible liminal phase where you haven’t quite mastered it, but now it feels really shitty and uncomfortable to slouch, which was always your best friend who never treated you wrong. You will no longer enjoy slouching. Can you imagine that?
Now, the resistance training. Being on your feet all day is a beast, and sitting at a desk all day is a beast, and either one is gonna mean you need to strengthen your core and work on your shoulders. The below exercises are dynamite for both conditions, and if you pound them out semi-reliably (a couple times a week, and you can do them until you can’t, so I won’t natter at you about repetitions.) If you can break up your day WITH THEM, that would be great, and based on Shonda Rhimes hourlong medical dramas, it seems like you spend a lot of time humping vigorously in break rooms, so it should be really easy for you to engage in a series of goodthinkful exercises, right? No? Okay, run less and do them after. For those of you who are desk jockeys, promise me you’ll get up and pull your shoulder blades together once in a while.
Let’s start with the three of these which ARE stretches or stretch-like, but also very strengthening and cool!
Cobra Stretch
Back Extension on Exercise Ball**
(I don’t actually recommend you go past the plane of your body on this one, so I would roll further forward on the ball than she does, and just lift up until your back is STRAIGHT, not over-bent.)
Prone Back Extension
This is the only one that REQUIRES a gym, so add them to your routine if you’ve got gym access:
Lat Pulldowns
These two require weight, but you can hold a gallon of milk or whatever, it doesn’t have to be a formal weight:
Reverse Fly Rear Delt
Rows
This one can start off with no weight, and then you can start holding weighted things in your hands to take it up a notch once you get comfortable:
Shrugs
And then, of course, you knew it was coming:
Crunches.
Down the middle, AND side ones. You can do them on an exercise ball, you can do them on the floor, you don’t have to make it a big movement, you’ll feel the work. Don’t use your hands to yank on your neck, and keep your shoulder blades back and together as you move (to the extent you can!)
Okay! And again, this is very informal. But if you were to do all of these that you are capable of doing, and do them a few times a week, you will absolutely find that your back hurts less and you slump less and you look less like Dana Brody, and then your body doesn’t yank on your various nerves in painful ways, and life will be better for you all around. Go forth!
*Stretching is still great, and we’ll talk about it and give you a list of relevant body parts and techniques in the near future. Don’t stretch cold, guys! Either save it for the end of your workout, or make sure you do a five-minute light cardio warm-up first (seriously, you can just hop on the elliptical and flip through a magazine, no big deal).
**I recommend that everyone who doesn’t have a gym membership buys a big exercise ball. We’ll be demonstrating a lot of stuff you can do with it, they’re cheap, and you can roll them over toddlers for fun.
Tags: feel the burn, fitness, stretching
The fact that working on my core could make me stand taller is a surprising and, frankly, alluring thought.
It really does. It’s awesome. And now I don’t do that thing where when I’m standing I lean more heavily on one leg than the other. I can just…stand there.
Oh man, my posture is the worst. I am a grade-A slumper, and my only exercise is bike-riding, which isn’t exactly posture-improving. Taking notes.
ughh are you me? my hips are mega tight/stiff because all I do is sit at my desk and sit on my bike.
What’s your riding position like? If you’re on bullhorn/road handlebars and slouch, that’s gonna be really bad for your hips. A poorly fitted saddle or bars that are slightly too far away could be contributing to your discomfort, too.
Silly desk jockey question: when you say pull your shoulder blades together, do you mean just with your shoulder muscles or whatever, or should the arms be involved somehow?
You can do either, all pulling-your-shoulders-back-gently maneuvers are great, but I just use my back muscles and pretend I have to hook my bra clasp together with no hands.
Thanks! I’m stretching and sitting up straight RIGHT NOW.
To get some added benefit, pull your shoulders back and DOWN using your lats. Your lats (aka Latissimus dorsi) are the ones that are under your arm pits on either side of your rib cage.
If you hate weights and gyms, I’ve gotten the results you want from taoist tai chi. My body was horrifically out of alignment and my posture was fucking terrible, and I had all this pain and discomfort and it was just generally miserable.
After two years, I can move my shoulders in ways that were impossible for twelve years; I no longer lean to the right or kick myself in the ankle when I walk; my posture is improved to the point where I actually can’t stand straighter because I’m standing perfectly upright to begin with; and it cured my panic attacks and is alleviating my problems with anxiety. Also, I have triceps of steel.
I know I’m weirdly evangelical about it, but seriously, six months of tai chi did more for me than four years of physiotherapy exercises with weights did, and three months of tai chi did more for my anxiety than four months of weekly talk therapy (which actually made things worse).
My local branch has weekly health recovery classes that a medical doctor helps to run, and he talks about exactly what each movement does for a person’s body. It’s pretty neat, and you might find it especially interesting. Plus, the classes tend to be pretty social, although they do generally include mostly older people. I think it’s because tai chi provides very similar benefits to yoga, but doesn’t have the sexy reputation of yoga.
There might be classes near you, if you’re interested. If you go here: http://www.taoist.org/ you can find classes, find out about the health recovery program, and watch a video of Master Moy doing the 108 moves in the set.
ooh this sounds like it might be for me. I’ve tried meditation but I don’t feel busy enough. I dislike the culture (and expense) of chic urban yoga classes.
Also, I feel a special feeling about tai chi because my Grandad did tai chi faithfully for 10 years (until he died) after he developed heart problems and had bypass surgery. It had an amazing impact on his health and I think it’s part of the reason he outlived his lung cancer prognosis.
Yes, the expense! I pay $350/year for tai chi classes (it’s even cheaper for students and seniors), and I can go as many times as I want, anywhere in the world that classes are offered. I could go to a class in Australia tomorrow, no problem. I currently go to three two-hour classes a week, and I know people who go four or five times. There’s no way I could afford six hours of yoga classes every week.
Also, I feel you on the meditation thing. I love that tai chi is all about continuous movement, because it actually lets me clear my head instead of going “how long has it been? How much longer? My face itches. I have so much to do. Oh, God, I did a terrible thing when I was eight and I bet everyone still remembers it. Did I remember to turn the stove off?”
I took 2-3 months of tai chi in college (for a PE requirement) and loved it! Maybe I should see if there are any classes nearby…
(and yeah, the group was mostly older women with a handful of college students.)
I’m a nurse, and I’ve been not working for a while for various reasons (license test, a rreeaaalllyyy saturated job market) but yesterday I just had my first semi-full day back on a hospital floor and I was SO SORE when I got home! Like, aching back/hips/legs/feet. I will definitely be doing these things! especially the non-crunch ones!
I had plenty of jobs on my feet when I was younger, but now that I’m older and working on my BSN, my clinical days have been destroying my posture and killing my legs. I ended up getting compression stockings and they helped TREMENDOUSLY. It turns out that the discomfort in my feet and legs was making me stand funny and it all went downhill from there. Have you tried them yet? (apologies if this is really basic stuff that you’ve done already, I’ve been surprised so far at how few nurses actually wear compression stockings)
YES, to that. Compression stockings and comfortable shoes.
how or why do compression socks help?
…. or is that something I should just google?
it helps with venous return, because when you’re on your feet all day your blood tends to pool in your lower extremities (especially as you age and your veins lose some of their function). Pooling blood in your legs can be really painful, which can lead to bad posture. Wearing compression stockings also help prevent varicose veins.
And I don’t use socks, I use the compression tights – all the way up to my waist, because the backs of my knees are where I get most of my pain from being on my feet. I could stay on my feet for 16 hours straight with compression stockings on. Without? probably 3.
oh no, not basic stuff at all! I’ve known nurses who somehow can stand to wear just basic ked-type shoes all day! I have a pair of compression socks from like, a nurse brand from a uniform store and they are great because my ankles get so swollen. and I have danskos! I think part of it is just remembering to stand up straight when I am running all around the floor, and part of it is my body getting used to standing all day/standing in danskos again. damn my lazy ways!
So, who else guiltily fixed their posture while reading this?
NOT ME, still slumped on the couch next to a pile of laundry that is technically clean but will turn to dirty if I leave it on the couch another day or two. AND I’M LOVING IT.
Fully half of the laundry I do is clean that turned to dirty sitting on the chair or floor, waiting to be folded. My favourite thing is to put all my clean laundry on my bed and forget about it until 3 a.m. when I am too tired to even wash my face, then throw it all on the floor. Also I am slumped on the couch. Solidarity!
I sit all day long in a chair at a computer and I find that there really isn’t a good way to “sit up straight” in the chair I have available to me unless I sit up on the front edge of my seat as if I’m in a perpetual “I’m about to get up and go somewhere” limbo. It’s the worst.
SAME. besides that, getting my desk/screen/seat/arm rests adjusted correctly to my small and oddly-proportioned body has been a never ending struggle. I’m about to opt for a standing station….
The ergonomics of “ergonomic” chairs are really the worst. I also do the edge of the chair thing, or add a footstool, or where the chair allows it, scoot my butt all the way back and sit cross-legged with my back straight.
I remember in high school chorus we all were made to sit on the front edges of our chairs to enforce better posture – because if your torso is all slouched your diaphragm and lungs can’t expand and you sound shitty.
I’m pretty sure high school band was the best thing to happen to my posture/lung capacity, and my core definitely misses it.
I think back to marching band. I must have had a core of steel to hold an instrument, made of brass, perfectly horizontal in front of my face, while walking, for an hour at a time.
Maybe I have already mentioned this a bazillion times here, but I built that $20 IKEA hack standing desk and it is changing my life.
I have worked slouched in front of a computer 8 hours a day, five days a week for the past… oh… 8 years? Starting in early 2012, I began having episodes of AGONIZING sciatica and (sorry, overshare) hemorrhoids from the sheer amount and duration of sitting. And, oh yeah, my weight was starting to get away from me too.
Six weeks of standing at work has put my shoulders back on my back, where they belong, instead of curled over making my boobs look small and sad.
I’m still in the intermediate stage where slouching (in my case, letting my pelvis collapse forward so my butt sticks out) is “easier” but also sort of painful. Tucking pelvis and engaging core still takes a lot of effort, but I’m more comfortable when I do it. Hoping that that transition will be complete someday.
Anyway, if your company allows you to customize your workstation a little, I highly recommend it.
I needed to read this. I’m either sitting in front of a computer for work/school/projects, or slouching in a chair reading a book, and my hip/back/leg pain is so bad it’s difficult to sleep/walk/sit/breathe. Looking into Piriformis muscle stretches is useful, too.
Sorry, feeling /slashy/ today. The pain, ya know?
oooh hey this is great! i’m about to transition very abruptly from a desk job to a DREAM BAKING JOB (humblebrag?) which will involve standing all day and i’ve been feeling like i should be doing something to prepare my body for this (and the probable increased pastry intake). fate!
congrats! thats so cool. I work part-time at a bakery and it can be rough! 50lb bags of flour, oof! But I’m def getting stronger.
thanks! bakery jobs are basically getting paid to work out–the one time i’ve ever been or will be buff in my life was after i’d spent six months in a bread bakery, i had total Pop-Eye forearms from all the kneading and lifting buckets of dough. the dudes i worked with would just toss the bags of flour around like nbd. you’re gonna be a badass in no time!
yes! I’m def not popeye yet, but I’m hoping. may I ask what your DREAM BAKING JOB is?
i will definitely never get sick of talking about this so yes! i’m going to be baking the bakery case stuff (scones/muffins/cookies/quiche/croissants someday when i have proven myself worthy) for a little independent cafe in the suburbs. it will be my first time doing the pre-dawn shift and i am kind of terrified about that but also SO EXCITED.
Is that screencap from A League of Their Own?
IT SURE IS
Can I add that if you have coverage, and you feel out of alignment, maybe go see a physio? I felt weird for awhile and it turns out I had sort of pulled my left hip joint, and it was stuck because that’s a pretty stiff joint to begin with (bipedalism!) so my physio sort of popped it back in and then I felt way better. Also maybe you’ll learn things you didn’t know about yourself, like I learned my left butt-muscles are weaker and smaller than the right side ones *hysterical weeping*
Yeah, if you try exercises and still have problems, go see a physical therapist and see if you’ve got alignment issues. The earlier you fix such things, the more pain and suffering you avoid later on.
In my case, a physical therapist identified that I had hip alignment issues, and PT helped reduce my pain, but then I hit a plateau and wasn’t improving. I finally found a pilates instructor who developed her own set of techniques for helping people with my kind of problem, and now I can finally make it through a day without taking the maximum dose of anti-inflammatory drugs.
I don’t think most people are as messed up as I am, but the moral of the story is this: if your problem persists, see a physical therapist. If the physical therapist doesn’t fix you, look for a better physical therapist, or ask around to see what kind of practitioner has helped people with intractable musculoskeletal problems.
Also: people who sit all day, get up and walk around every 30-40 minutes. Get a glass of water, go to the bathroom, or just stand up and do a couple of toe touches. Long stretches of sitting are hazardous to your health!
There is actually a thing called musculoskeletal therapy (MST) that specifically handles muculoskeletal issues!
My university even offers a 4 year bachelors degree for people who want to become MST practitioners. It’s kind of an emerging thing, though, I don’t know any practitioners personally, but if you get googling you might find someone!
Also, side note, this: “I run as my primary form of exercise (not a lot, never quickly, just 4-5 miles every other day)”
I do the same thing, except for me it’s 2-3 miles or 4-5 on my long run day, and let me tell you, running 4-5 miles every day is NOTHING TO SCOFF AT. You are already a champion! Already you are amazing! Which is not to say don’t stretch or anything, but 12-15 miles a week is a lot. I think. Anyway, you’re in med school and you’re running 10+ miles/week, I think you’re great.
Thank you! I’m back to a (mostly) desk job again after about a year away from one, and I’m remembering all the back pain that comes along with it, and how I actually DO have to do my physio exercises. But this post has re-inspired me! Shoulders back! Tail tucked! Feet on the floor!
I feel sheepish bragging about this in real life, so I will tell my internet friends instead: I had my two-month assessment at my gym yesterday after starting personal training, and now I can bust out 6 push-ups. When I was a kid, and we had those terrible presidential fitness tests, I could never do a single one. I love feeling strong!
I love your username, and I am so happy for you!!!
Thanks! And by push-ups, I meant pull-ups. Still umm working on the terminology. Every time they tell me to “tuck my hips,” I still feel like I have no idea what I’m supposed to do! I have a feeling that this is a question Mildred Lathbury never faced….
Whoa, six pull ups! That is impressive.
I just started at a new gym, and the trainer there actually suggested taking the “pulling your shoulders back” thing a little further and keeping a resistance band at your desk to pull apart every so often at your desk. I’ve been doing the pomodoro technique at work (25 minutes of work/5 minutes of rest) so I’m thinking about using some of those 5 minutes to stretch out my shoulders, which are perpetually tight.
I guess if you are really cheap (I am becoming really cheap) you could just bring in a towel or something and just practice tugging on the ends of that. After looking at amazon, I think I like that idea a little bit more.
What do you do when you try to sit up straight in your chair but then the muscles between your shoulders start cramping?
The first few videos with the exercise ball, how do you do them without the ball? I am not yet ready (emotionally or financially) for a gym but there is no way one of those balls will fit in my apartment. Can I do the moves on a pile of pillows or something?
I mean like, does it have to be a round ball or is it just a raised surface that is necessary? I’m trying to figure out what kind of household item I could repurpose. Or another move that gets the same results but without the ball.
Ohhhh I feel stupid. The excercise video has the same one right below it on the floor! This is what I get for trying to read the internet at work.
And where am I supposed to put that giant exercise ball in my tiny New York apartment, HMM, Ms. Cliffe?
Throw out one of your chairs.
I’m sure my roommate won’t miss his Man Chair!
Oh, so we are all Fancy Ladies with room for chairs, hunh?
OK, FINE, I’ll go to the gym after work tonight. [siiiiiiiiiiiiigh]
Seriously, though, it’s like you knew I was contemplating paying hooky but I can’t play hooky on the day of a Feel the Burn post.
Oooh, this is timely. At the grand old age of 30, I’m finally learning to swim, and with my terrible posture and lack of any core strength, it’s proving to be really tough. How do people do it?!
Front crawl is surprisingly hard on the ol’ shoulder joints! Your silver lining is that you can learn good form from the get-go instead of unlearning bad habits. Get yourself a theraband, and start doing some of these exercises as prehab: http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?T…. I also like the Eagle Pose to stretch my back and chest after laps. Don’t overdo any single stroke and enjoy!
Thank you! That’s a very useful page. I didn’t see your reply until today, email notifications don’t work anymore?
My biggest problem is my kick, I kick from my knees instead of my hips, and keep sinking.
Y’all, this was my question! So excited just to be here.
Anyway, this was exactly what I wanted to know! Now I have a plan, and I will do it religiously because seriously, I think I am starting to list to one side, and soon I will have Good Posture. Thank you, Nicole!
Whoa, six pull ups! That is impressive.
I always love Michelle Trapp’s videos, she seems so bossy and great.
This post makes me so happy because I decided about two weeks ago to actually start fixing my terrible posture. 15-20 years of Dad-nagging didn’t do it, and my opera coach telling me it would stop me from having success as a singer didn’t do it, but now that I’ve been lifting for six months it feels doable for some reason. Something about my entire core/ back being sore all the time already makes it easier to remember to STAND. UP. STRAIGHT. Nicole, this is the most useful and comprehensive response to this question I have found online (although that may also be because the Internet is littered with crappy workout slideshows and wading through them is exhausting).
I always love Michelle Trapp's videos, she seems so bossy and great.
This post makes me so happy because I decided about two weeks ago to actually start fixing my terrible posture. 15-20 years of Dad-nagging didn't do it, and my opera coach telling me it would stop me from having success as a singer didn't do it, but now that I've been lifting for six months it feels doable for some reason. Something about my entire core/ back being sore all the time already makes it easier to remember to STAND. UP. STRAIGHT. Nicole, this is the most useful and comprehensive response to this question I have found online (although that may also be because the Internet is littered with crappy workout slideshows and wading through them is exhausting).
I have issues with my neck/vertebrae, and I can’t do crunches (or similar exercises raising the head off the ground) without major pain. I do things like standing elbow to opposite knee, but I don’t feel like that works the core quite as well. Any other standing core moves anyone could recommend?