Today we’re going to discuss simple exercises that help improve your posture and reduce back pain. How do you do quadruped (quad-ruh-ped) thoracic (thur-ass-ick) rotations? What’s an open shoulder exercise? We’ll be discussing all of these AND more…

Quadruped Thoracic Rotations

If you spend a lot of time at a desk, you’re probably not sitting in the proper posture. This is why people working desk jobs tend to have back pain on a regular basis. But there are a few exercises you can do on a regular basis to alleviate this kind of pain.

One of the exercises is quadruped thoracic rotations. For this, you will need to get on all fours. Once in position, put one of your hands behind your head. Your other hand should be in front of you on the floor.

The hand you have behind your head, bring that elbow towards the floor. Then, rotate the elbow in the direction of the ceiling. Afterwards, rotate your head in the same direction you’ve been moving the elbow in.

You can do this set between 45 seconds to a full minute. When you finish one round, change your hands, and do the same exercise. You can do this a number of times to make sure your back pain is reduced.

Band-Over-And-Back

For this exercise, you will need the help of an elastic band. If you don’t have an elastic band, you can use a towel. Whatever you’ve chosen, hold it straight in front of you. Make sure you have an overhand grip, while staying in a standing position.

Once in position, pull the band as far as you can on either side. This will create tension in the band. After you generate tension, raise it up and put it behind your back. Now the stretched band is behind you. Do this for 45 seconds.

Open Shoulders

For this exercise, you will need to stand straight. Just keep your feet at a distance, so they’re shoulder-length apart. Your arms need to be straight and placed alongside your body. Make sure your back remains straight.

Once you’re in this position, raise the arms towards your sides. While doing this, you will also need to open your chest rather than keep it closed in.

Now bring your arms together in front of you so that they’re on top of each other. Essentially, your right arm will go towards your left, and your left arm will move towards your right. You will bring them together until your elbows meet each other.

When you’re doing this, you will feel your shoulder blades putting in work. You can keep repeating the exercise by crossing your arms for about 45 seconds to a minute.

Squat And Reach

For this exercise, you will need to get into a squatting position. Once you’re in a deep squat, cross your hands and touch your feet on opposite sides. This way, your right hand would be touching your left foot, while the left hand would be touching the right.

Once in position, raise your right hand up and bring it back down. While raising the arm, make sure your head also follows the arm as it goes up. Do this for 45 seconds and then shift to the other arm. Go through the same process for another 45 seconds.

Upper Back Cat Stretch

For this exercise, you will need a foam ball. If you don’t have one, a simple pillow will do. To start the exercise, you need to kneel on the floor while keeping your hips aligned with your heels. While in this position, your forearms will need to be on the foam ball.

Once in position, you will need to round your middle back up. Then begin to breathe in and breathe out. While you’re breathing out, arch your chest in a downward direction towards the floor. You will end up making an arch-like shape.

Once you’re in this position, you will feel tension in your mid-back. If you end up feeling the tension in your lower back, you’re not in the correct position. In these situations, you need to move your butt closer to your heels. This way, you’ll feel the tension in the right area.

You can do this 8 to 12 times every set. You should also do this full set around two to three times a day. This way, you can decrease your back pain.

Form Roll Angels

For this exercise, you will need the help of a foam roll or cushion. Lie on your back on this foam roll. While in position, your hands should be to your side, with your palms pointing upwards. Now lower your chin to tuck it in. This way, you can lengthen the back of your neck.

Once there, you will need to pull your ribs in the downward position. When you do that, your lower back will need to be completely flat on the cushion. Make sure that your abdomen is not tense while you’re in this position.

Once in the position, begin breathing in and out slowly. You can continue doing this anywhere up to. While doing this, you should be able to feel your shoulders drop to the floor.

While your chest and shoulders are relaxing, you can move your arms higher, but at a slow speed. Make sure your forearms remain on the floor at all times.

Wing Fly Up

With this exercise, you will need to stand on your feet. Keep the feet at a width equal to your shoulders. Make sure your knees are bent slightly, and bend them forward. While leaning forward, your back should still remain flat.

Once in this position, look at the floor while making sure your head remains straight. Now lift your arms toward your side, while bending them near your elbows. Also, squeeze the shoulder blades while doing this.

You will now need to move your arms to the front of your chest. Repeat this exercise while squeezing your shoulder blades as if you’re flying through the air. You can do this for 45 seconds to a minute.

Extending In The Chair

This is one exercise you can do while you’re sitting down. This means you can do it anytime you want, even while you’re at your desk working. Mind you, it might be a little awkward doing it in front of your coworkers, so choose your time wisely. 

While you’re sitting on the chair, put your hands behind your head. Once in that position, spread your elbows. While doing this, you should also focus on extending the upper back portion of your body. You can lean back as well and stretch your spine.

You can do this exercise whenever you get tired of sitting and want to stretch a bit. It’s especially useful in places where there isn’t much space to walk. In these cases, this particular exercise would be perfect.

Child’s Pose

Child’s pose is a fun and relaxing exercise you can do in between your work breaks. It stretches and lengthens your spine, glutes, and hamstrings. This wonderful exercise will also release the tension in your neck and lower back. Here’s how you do it…

Sit on your shin bones while keeping your knees together. Your big toes should be touching with your heels spread out to the side. Now, fold forward at the hips. Walk your hands out in front of you. 

Sink your hips back down toward your feet. Finding it impossible for your thighs to go all the way down? Don’t worry. You can place a pillow or folded blanket under your thighs for support.

Now, gently place your forehead on the floor, or turn your head to one side. Keep your arms extended or rest them along your body. Make sure you breathe deeply, so you feel it in the back of your rib cage and waist.

Hold this child’s pose for up to 5 minutes, and relax. Continue to breathe deeply. You should be feeling the tension leaving your body.

The post 9 Simple Exercises to Improve Your Posture and Reduce Back Pain first appeared on Bestie.

Regardless of how you feel about them, they do wonders for your body. Let’s look at the wide range of health benefits available from cold showers. 

Cold Showers Can Help With Common Illness

Your body is designed to become used to whatever environment you’re exposed to. There’s something in your body called Leukocytes which support the body’s defense against infection. Leukocytes are stimulated by the shock of cold water. When the leukocyte becomes active it helps antibodies take charge of defense mechanisms. This means that taking cold showers can stimulate them which can help you fight off common illnesses like colds and the flu. 

According to a study, taking cold showers may make the body more resistant to certain types of cancer. A clinical trial found that people who took cold showers missed fewer days of work. 

Taking a cold shower can be beneficial for patients who are getting ready for surgery or any other type of treatment for a disease that could result in a lower immune response. 

Helps To Increase Endorphins

It has been observed that about 3% of American adults experience severe symptoms of depression. Many drugs are used to treat depression, depending on the severity or duration of symptoms. Here comes hydrotherapy, which is a popular holistic treatment method. A clinical trial showed that taking a cold bath for up to five minutes, two or three times a week, helped people with depression feel a little better. 

Cold showers can act as mild electroshock therapy for people suffering from depression. The cold water sends numerous electrical impulses to your brain. They jolt your system, increasing alertness, clarity, and energy levels. Endorphins, also known as happiness hormones, are released. This effect produces feelings of well-being and optimism. Researchers have found that, when suffering from a cold, your body stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, raises the amount of noradrenaline and beta-endorphin in the blood, and makes the brain release more noradrenaline which is helpful in increasing alertness, arousal and attention. 

It Goes A Long Way To Improve Metabolism

Brown fat is something that everyone is born with, white fat is linked to diseases like obesity and heart disease. Brown fat, according to researchers, plays an important role in adult health. Exposure to cold temperatures turns on brown adipose tissue, but not when the temperature is normal or when the body is in a thermoneutral state. 

Obese individuals, cannot just start taking showers to lose weight without altering other lifestyles practices. The metabolism may be boosted by taking a cold shower two or three times per week, though. 

It Recharges Your Mental Awareness

Why are cold showers useful when it comes to mental health? The ability to instantly wake you up is one of the most compelling reasons to try them. Cold activates physiological temperature regulation. Shivering, sweat inhibition and skin vasoconstriction are the basic responses to covid, which maintain a normal core body temperature of 37 °C.

Studies have shown that taking a cold shower improves one’s perceived energy levels, focus and concentration, productivity, and mental and cognitive function. Some people compare the energizing benefits of cold water to a few cups of coffee.

It Creates Better Circulation And Less Inflammation

Putting our bodies in cold water can be painful, but it can also wake us up. This is due to the fact that the body has to exert a little more effort to maintain its core temperature. Regularly taking cold showers can increase the effectiveness of our circulatory system. Additionally, some people claim that taking a cold shower improves the appearance of their skin, most likely because their circulation is boosted.

By lowering the temperature of the blood, we can speed up the delivery of warm, freshly oxygenated blood to the body, cold showers may help some people’s blood move more quickly through their bodies. These people have poor circulation, high blood pressure, or diabetes.

People think of cold exposure as a type of hormesis, a process in which short exposure to “hormetic stressors” makes your body’s physiological processes work better. The same thing happens when you work out; hormesis forces your body to get stronger and better at handling stress. Your body responds to being in temperatures below zero by making your heart, brain, and muscles work better.

Researchers think cold showers are beneficial for overall health because they reduce inflammation and discomfort in the muscles and speed up cardiovascular and muscle recovery after exercise. Increased heart rate, blood flow, and oxygen uptake are a few of the mechanisms responsible for the anti-inflammatory benefits of cold exposure.

Since being exposed to cold makes it easier for white blood cells to form, taking cold showers may be good for your immune system. According to one study, people who frequently took showers outside for 30 days saw a 29 percent decrease in illness compared to a control group.

It Ups Your Spirits

It takes courage to jump into frigid water, and many people discover that while it may initially feel unpleasant, doing so really improves their mood. By conquering your fear of discomfort and facing acute stress head-on, you can learn to better manage the physiological signs of stress or anxiety that your body experiences, such as racing thoughts, rapid breathing, and shaking.

According to some studies, cold treatment may be able to lift people’s spirits and even help those who are experiencing panic, anxiety, or despair. Another way that cold showers work to improve your mood is by increasing electrical impulses from peripheral nerve endings in the brain, which seems to have some antidepressant effects. This mechanism works in addition to the release of endorphins and other chemicals that make you feel more alert and excited.

Cold Showers Aid In Boosting Hair, Skin And Sperm Health

In one study, researchers discovered that this behavior can lessen irritation, inflammation, and dryness of the skin. When you shower, resisting the impulse to turn up the heat might help keep skin and hair from drying out and becoming itchy or dull. This is due to the fact that the cold constricts small blood vessels, making pores appear tighter and less irritated although you may initially turn red after becoming very cold.

Have you ever heard that males should stay away from hot baths, saunas, and excessive cycling because it overheats the testicles? There is some data that suggests cold immersion can assist in lowering the scrotal temperature and improves the production of sperm and testosterone.

Cold showers release “stress hormones” like cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine which are released during a cold shock can help develop a tolerance to stress by routinely exposing your nervous system to low doses of these stress chemicals.

Many of us are switching from our typical hot bath to an icy one. There is no doubt that the huge health advantages of cold showers outlast your goosebumps.

The post POWERFUL Reasons Why You Should Take Cold Showers Every Day first appeared on Bestie.