Neck stretches under running water are relaxing, particularly to the nervous system.
From yogajournal.com:
Many studies, including biofeedback and other disciplines, have shown that relaxation of the muscles in the neck, jaws, and face can have powerful calming effects on the entire nervous system.
Fine, it doesn’t have to be in the shower, but that’s where I perform them, dammit. The shower is a sacred place. No, not because you keep your coconut oil there, but because your phone and computer aren’t waterproof. Think about it, where else do you visit where you are unable to comfortably bring your electronics? Translation: you can carve out ten minutes sans distraction.
Now that your mind has completed its spin about the combination of coconut oil and electronics, we can get serious and back to business.
How much time do you spend hunched over those electronic screens? That poor posture can become a pain in the neck. From active.com:
Upper back and neck tension are complaints that are becoming more prevalent in physical therapy offices. With the increasing use of computers, desk jobs and time sitting in traffic, it’s hard to avoid these aches and pains regardless of how active you are.
This isn’t a judgment – Kaplifestyle is a judgment free zone. Realistically, you don’t have a choice. Your job is to hit keys on a keypad. These days, so is mine. I stand most of the time while typing, but I still spend too much time in neck compromising positions. Therefore, I know loosening up my self-induced tightness is a necessity. Finding a few moments to rub together…phew.
I know, you’re on board with relaxing those muscles, but it’s those few moments that are giving you pause. On any given day, we all have activity followed by activity. The days are packed with work and workouts. If I tell you to add another layer to your burrito, you’ll say the tortilla isn’t big enough. But what if I make the tortilla bigger?
That’s why the shower is the ideal place to add a quick stretch routine. This one is especially easy and useful. Here’s a sample; it won’t take more than 5 minutes soup to nuts. Perform these moves slowly:
- Chin to Chest – Slowly begin to lower your neck down by lowering your chin down to your chest and gently hold for a few moments. Repeat.
- Head back – Lean your head back as far as you can while standing straight up and down. Keep your chest up and shoulders back. Repeat.
- Ear to Shoulder – Lower your right ear towards your right shoulder. Repeat. Duplicate with left ear to left shoulder. Repeat.
These are good sample moves, but this post isn’t about the perfect neck stretching routine. The takeaway is to implement efficient systems in a world filled with action. Find the short, relaxing and effective stretch that works for you, but more importantly, find times to fit it in.
For me, shower time is a place to squeeze in a neck stretch. Tell us about your system.
Kap
In addition, I’m a huge proponent of acupuncture and chiropractic care to alleviate tension, create alignment, avoid or recover from injury and just plain feel better. Including these “people who put me back together” has helped ease tension headaches and such, but more importantly to hit my reset button to remind me of things like posture and stretching.
PS: Coconut oil, burritos and tortillas, soup, nuts–sounds like somebody needs a snack.
Ha. Good call on the snack, Mark.
Money stuff, at least to this guy dealing with lots of back/neck pain. The post rings my bell two times. Pain has made me less productive, meaning I need at least offsetting increases in efficiency in my life to keep up. I look to fill every time slot I can. I wish I had some good advice to throw back to the Kap Krew… this is maybe all I have: Be very grateful for the good health you have as well as the access to excellent advice that we enjoy today.
The gratitude stuff is pretty well known now. But I would enjoy seeing Gabe’s thoroughly researched input on the emotion one day…
Can you expand on what you’d like to see, Gavin? Input on the emotion of what?
I’m been seeing more research showing how gratitude is strongly correlated with overall happiness, success, etc. I feel that gratitude is a huge asset in my life too. Wondering if you attribute being grateful to the inner peace, success, passion for life, etc. that you have tasted in life.
I have had many issues with my neck because of work (hunched over a microscope or in a fume hood) and things got worse after my car accident in 2009. What really drilled home the importance of neck and shoulder stretching for me was when I started belly dancing with a sword and a tray of candles on my head. That’s when I realized that despite all the dance training I had received, my excellent balance, and my mother always telling me to stand up straight up, my posture sucked. (Now I see that same aha look on my students faces).
I am much more aware of my posture and I remind myself to stretch my back and neck as soon as I get up and I also do some extra stretching prior to performing my head balancing choreographies. I do like your idea of doing it in the shower and will give a try.
Thank you love for the suggestion! Reading your blog over lunch is now my part of my daily routine.
-Kelebek
Thanks, Kelebek.
Great advice, Kap. Even though I have done both strength and aerobic exercises pretty consistantly (another post) over the years, I never really spent much time on flexibility. I now find myself on the downhill side of 50 and that is one of my only regrets. I dedicate 10 minutes of flexibility to each workout, but at my age gaining even a little bit more flexibility takes a lot of time. If someone asked my advice it would be to start that routine a lot earlier and be consistent. Rgds, Joe
Great stuff, Joe. Thank you.
Don’t forget neck isometrics. IMO they help loosen up those muscles almost more than stretching. I always end my workout with a quick set:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/isometric-neck-exercise-front-and-back
Love it, Eric. Quality feedback.
Great post Kap. I could feel the tension as I read the post. Definitely need to stretch my neck and shoulders. Thank you for the reminder.
Appreciate you, Duane.
Kap, along these same lines – do you have any recommendations on building a thicker (stronger?) neck? I’m afraid I’ve been cursed with a long, lanky neck and what’s worse, when I see myself from the side – it appears my head juts out forward like a turtle (stop laughing!)…and it has always bothered me!
Would you do anything beyond these stretches (which I already do daily) to build up the neck to make “the turtle look” less pronounced?
Deadlifts, squats, rows. Compound lifts. Carrying heavy weights. Make it happen, Mark.
The shower is relaxing time for sure. Like the post.