Millions of people are working hard to achieve their goals and targets throughout the year. One way to get healthier is to exercise. It not only helps you keep fit, but if you have suffered from any injury or illness, it helps with faster recovery.
Whatever job you are performing all day, your neck and back are the body parts that definitely need proper rest and relaxation.
Along with a few hours of rest, you can perform some exercises that will keep your neck and back properly aligned.
If you opt for active therapeutic exercises, this will be helpful in distributing nutrients into the disc space, joints, and soft tissues in the neck. If you religiously follow your exercise routine, it will help enhance mobility and strength, minimize recurrence, and reduce the severity and duration of possible future episodes of neck and arm pain.
The exercises that you can perform to keep your neck perfectly fine are divided into three basic groups:
Strengthening: In this type of exercise, you repeat muscle contractions and relaxation until the muscle becomes tired.
Stretching or Flexibility:
In this type of exercise, you just have to maintain slow motion to the neck muscles. This will help in sustaining and lengthening the muscle.
Low-impact Aerobic: We all are familiar with aerobics. It is a form of steady exercise that generally provides relaxation to the back muscles, which in turn helps keep the neck ligaments healthy.
Here are some of the most important exercises that you can follow to keep your neck and its supporting muscles healthy:
#1 Exercises For Improving Range Of Motion:
- Sit comfortably with your feet flat on the floor. While sitting, remember to keep your back perfectly straight and shoulders down.
- Now, slowly bend the neck forward onto your chest and try to touch your chin to your chest. You should hold this position for 5 seconds.
- Then, slowly, take your neck back up and look up at the ceiling. You should be in this position for about 5 seconds.
- Now, slowly bring down your neck and look straight. Close your eyes and relax for 5 seconds.
In this set, you were moving your neck up and down. In the next set, you have to move your neck side to side.
- Start by moving your neck so you are looking over one shoulder.
- Now hold this position for about 5 seconds and then slowly move the neck to the other side. You should hold this position for 5 seconds and then relax.
- Now, in the third portion, you can tilt your head on either side of the shoulder.
- Tilt your head in such a way to bring your ear down toward your shoulder and hold it for 5 seconds.
- Now, perform the same exercise for the other side and hold the position for 5 seconds.
Perform these exercises in your leisure time or whenever you take a break from your work. While doing these exercises, make sure that you are holding each position for 5 seconds. Moreover, you should repeat all these movements 10 times, moving slowly and gently.
#2 Neck Strengthening Exercises:
1. Lie face down on the floor with a rubber roller under the forehead. Make sure the rest of your body is straight and not tilted.
2. Now, slowly pinch the shoulder blades together and then work it out to bring your hands off the floor.
3. Try to gently lift the forehead from the rubber roller and keep the head facing down.
4. Now, you should hold this position for 10 seconds and repeat it 5 to 10 times.
Summary:
While performing these exercises, do them slowly and comfortably to avoid injury. You should maintain your natural breathing without holding your breath. Inhale during relaxation and exhale during exertion. Before you start with any set of exercises, it’s always best to make sure you are consulting your physician.
