Easy Habits - how to feel better with little effort.
- Jul 17
- 3 min read
About a year ago, I committed to writing monthly newsletters (and turning the content into a blog when relevant) to stay connected with clients and hopefully offer some value or insights into how your body functions or ways to keep yourself active and feeling better.
However, for various reasons, I missed the last two months. If you've read one of these before, i doubt you have noticed their absence.
Whilst I do try to make them interesting, it's not like the old days when we eagerly awaited the next episode of shows like 90210, Desperate Housewives, Northern Exposure, The X Files, Twin Peaks (a bit more niche), or perhaps even A Country Practice!
But it reminds me that despite knowing you should do something beneficial, worthwhile, and not too difficult, sometimes you just don't.
This led me to think about the simple things you can incorporate into your day that are good for your back or spine and are so easy to do that you don't even realise you're forming a healthy habit.
Let's try these:
1. If you feel stiff when standing up from sitting and notice you're slightly hunched over or bent forward at the waist, try the “reach for the sky” move.
What to do: Raise both hands towards the ceiling but slightly in front of you. Push both hands upwards as you take a deep breath in and hold. Exhale but keep your hands raised and repeat. Your back will extend slightly, your lats will stretch, your mid-back will flatten out a bit, and you'll also get a light stretch through the front of your hips.
You'll be standing taller and ready to go.
2. What if your legs and feet feel tight?
Next time you're standing at the kitchen counter waiting for the kettle to boil, or this time of year for your oats to come out of the microwave, try the simple calf stretch.
What to do: Stand at the counter (or place your hands on the back of a chair). Put one leg (keeping it straight) behind you while the other is gently bent. Think of it like a running stance. The back foot is the one we're stretching—keep it pointing straight ahead and rest your weight on the ball of the foot. Gradually add weight to the rear leg, lowering the heel to the ground while keeping toes forward. Hold for 10-20 seconds without bouncing—just hold. Rest and repeat. Do the same again, but this time keep the back leg's knee slightly bent as you drop the heel.
This stretches the often-tight muscle hiding under your calf. Keeping the toes pointed straight also stretches the underside of the foot—nice!
3. If you find yourself rounding forward through your shoulders, standing with your arms coming across your thighs so that your palms are resting on them...... go on stand up and check if this is you............
You should add this easy stretch to your day.
Think of it like a yawn when waking up—that's a good time to do this.
What to do: Stand up, place your hands behind your back, and interlock your fingers. Then twist your hands so your palms face away from your bottom. Keep your elbows straight and try to lift your arms away from your bottom without leaning your chest forward. As you do this, take a deep breath in and expand your chest as much as you can.
Hold this—hold—hold—hold—then breathe out and relax. Done. Repeat if you like, but enjoy the big stretch and opening of the chest.
And with that, I think I'll leave you wanting more… (wishful thinking on my part?).
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