Looking up like a baby: another back saver

This is a fantastic exercise for your back, especially if you spend a lot of time bent over forward in front of the computer screen. Most people who spend the majority of their day sitting, tend to slump or hunch. This exercise will provide the antidote to this habit. It will help you elongate your spine and tone your back muscles, making you more aware of your postural habits.

Looking up like a baby will build tone in your back.

Lie face down on the floor (prone) with elbows bent, forearms flat on the floor, hands palms down, about 6 inches above your head on either side. Start by setting your intention to look up, imagine a gentle pull from your wrists to your elbows (as if you got the idea to pull yourself forward across the floor). Don’t pull, just visualize the intent to do so. A very clear image of an activity can actually produce muscular activity as if you were doing it for real, with the difference being that it won’t produce excess tension. 

While maintaining this gentle pull from wrists to elbows, slowly begin to look up, lifting the head up from the floor. Continue these actions (of looking up and gently pulling) until you find your upper torso off the floor being supported by your forearms. It is very important to note that you don’t want to push the forearms down to the floor to lift yourself up. If you do, your shoulders will hunch up and your torso will be literally hanging from your shoulders. 

The point of this exercise is to use the gentle pull to the elbows to make your back do the work, creating a healthy way to build the tone in your back. To release back to the floor, reverse the sequence. Repeat a few times, making sure your movements don’t become automatic but keeping attention on each aspect described here.