Get Moving with Chest Exercises

ON THE BLOG: Founder and Owner, Debra Corley talks about how to get moving with chest exercises! 

Being in quarantine has been extremely difficult for everyone but I like to put a positive spin on each other by exercising! Get your heart rate going and it just makes you feel so much better! 

Part of putting on a positive spin for me includes a lot of FaceTime and texting, trying to stay connected to my friends and loved ones. But being seated and ‘hunched over’ my technology is creating some posture issues - let’s talk about combating this and in the process learn some wonderful chest opening exercises that we can use forever.

Why is it so important to keep and open heart and open chest? Number one being, better breathing and improved posture. My advice for keeping an open heart is pretty easy. Listen, be kind, love and live in the moment. Enjoy the little things in life. But let’s get to the chest opening exercises which will help with the physical part of having an open heart:

CHEST OPENERS are some of the most rewarding and releasing yoga stretches I have found for so many reasons. They open up those muscles in my chest to help reverse the forward leaning postures and as you do these stretches, you open the space around your heart. Chest openers also help with shoulder tension and neck pain. Along with my scoliosis I also have degenerative disc disease in my cervical spine and Kyphosis, heart openers are a really good way to relieve the pain and fatigue of working at your desk and being on our phones (ps: this is why we created tulifts too so that we would stop getting back aches, lift our chest for optimal workout experience. Chest openers also allow you improve your posture and help you to achieve deeper breathing. 

These are some of my absolute favorite chest opening exercises I do almost daily and they can be done almost anywhere:

• Single Arm Wall Stretch: Stand with your side parallel to a wall. Put your hand flat, palm down and fingers spread wide, your arm will be behind you. Turn your focus to the center of the room. You may move your arm a few inches below and above shoulder height to help lengthen the fibers of your pectoral muscle.
• Spine Extension with Chest Opening. I like to do this lying down with a yoga block placed length wise between my shoulder blades, of this is to much, place a rolled up towel under your head for the proper extension of your neck. Once you are comfortable place your arms in a T position with palms facing up. You can bend your knees or lengthen you legs, what ever is most comfortable. I try and stay in this position for 3-5 minutes.
• Hands Clasped Behind Neck. This exercise is great for the front of your neck also. While standing up, lightly clasp your hands behind your neck and look up slightly. While doing this take deep, full breaths, count to 4 on the the inhale and also count to 4 on the exhale. Do 10 to 15 repetitions of breathing.
• Reverse Prayer Hands. If you can do a reverse prayer hand behind your back, this is one of the best chest openers you can do. If you can’t get your hands in this position you can hold a towel behind your back, it is the next best thing.

I really hope this will help with easing some tension and stress we all have going on in our lives at the moment. These heart openers are great to do as a family, a great way to de stress together. 

Let me know if you try these exercises and and if it's helped with your posture!