Spring is here, and it feels like things are looking up. We should be, too—looking up, that is.
When you’ve been hunkered down for a while, the body can start to take on a “hunkered down” posture: shoulders slouched, back rounded, and head bowed. You may be inadvertently training your neck and back to curve by constantly looking down at the phone (hello, tech neck!), being bent over a computer, or slouching on the sofa while bingeing your favorite Netflix series. (Have you watched Lupin, by the way? Highly recommended.) Even driving can contribute to a postural habit that encourages the shoulders to round and the head to bow forward.
One problem here: Your head is heavy. That’s 10–11 pounds you’re carrying on the stalk of your neck—if you’re standing perfectly upright. Every inch your head that dips forward adds more weight and pressure on the spine.