Here is the list of exercises:
1. Halo exercise
2. Overhead press exercise
3. Bend-to-extend exercise
4.Shoulder mobility exercise
1.Halo exercise
The first very simple exercise is halo. So, for this one, we are using a backpack as it can be easily found in every household. Raj will rotate the bag around his head. The main issue that every homemaker faces while working in the kitchen is that they bend their neck a lot while chopping the vegetables etc. This puts a lot of strain on their neck and leads to tightness of the shoulders.
If you do about 6 to 8 repetitions of this exercise, it will release the tension from the neck and improve the shoulder mobility. We are moving onto the next exercise which is the overhead press.
2. Overhead press exercise
So, one of the most common tasks that we do every day is putting things overhead. For this, we require core strength and shoulder mobility so that there is less strain on the lower back. Raj will now demonstrate this exercise which is called the overhead press.
You can see that he is maintaining a straight posture and not hyper-extending his back as it may put a strain on his lower back. Now, you can watch him do the repetition from the side. This exercise will strengthen your shoulders and work on your core muscles. So, do about 10 repetitions of this exercise. Now, let’s transition onto the next exercise bend-to-extend.
3. Bend-to-extend exercise
One of the most common tasks we do every day is bending down and lifting anything heavy from the floor. Most of the people do this exercise incorrectly and end up hurting their lower back. Now Raj will demonstrate how people often do this exercise incorrectly.
As you can see, he does not maintain a straight, neutral posture of the spine and this will eventually put the strain on the lower back.
Now to show the correct posture, we will place this wooden stick on Raj’s back. As you can see, he maintains a straight posture of the back which does not displace the stick. He keeps his chest straight and pushes his hips towards the back.
When you are doing it correctly, the stick will touch you at three levels–behind the head, upper back and hips. So, this is the correct way of doing this exercise.
Overhead press exercise using a backpack
Now, Raj will demonstrate the same exercise using a backpack to show how to pick up heavy objects from the ground. So, as you can see, he is pushing his back and hip as far as possible. Now he will show it from the side.
Pay attention to how he brings the backpack closer to his chest while picking it up. This is because when the object is away from the body it puts more strain on the lower back. So, do about 10 repetitions of this and this will strengthen your lower back as well as improve your technique of lifting any heavy object from the floor. Now, we will transition into the next exercise which is shoulder mobility with the help of a dupatta.
4. Shoulder mobility exercise
In this last exercise, we will learn how to improve your posture and reduce the upper back stiffness. Now Raj will demonstrate the exercise. Take a stole or dupatta which can be easily found in every household and go as wide as you can. Now, Raj will stretch his arms a little narrower using a dupatta which is easily available in every household. So, for this exercise, keep your chest open and maintain a good posture. Raj will show this from the side as well. Do about 8 to 10 repetitions of these. This will reduce the upper back stiffness and also work on your shoulder mobility.
