So many of us sit at our computers with our shoulders hunched forward or up around our ears, and it hurts! It also weakens our muscles through overuse.

Keeping our muscles in any contracted position for a long time will cause pain as the muscles become fatigued. It also weakens the muscles because we’re asking them to work with out giving them any rest and little nourishment. Just like your body, which needs rest and food in order to rejuvenate and be strong, your muscles are the same.

Why? Take this simple example: Imagine if you worked for many days and nights without eating or sleeping. You’d eventually run out of energy and be very weak, because your body needs rest and nourishment in order to replenish the energy you’re using to do the work.

Your muscles are the same. They need periods of rest and plenty of nourishment in order to replenish the energy they’re using when they contract. Your muscles aren’t designed to contract and stay that way for long periods of time. They’re designed to contract for short periods and release, contract and release. If you’re holding your shoulders forward or up around your ears for hours at a time, the energy needed to hold this position will eventually run out and you’ll need to relax in order for them to rejuvenate. They will be weak for awhile (while they recover), and of course if you’re holding this posture a lot, you’re creating chronic weakness, stiffness and likely a pain in the neck. :)

The solution to this is to relax! Change your habit of holding your shoulders up or forward for letting them stay in a nice neutral position.

How? One way is to bring awareness to your habit. How are you holding your shoulders right now? How about when you’re typing? When you’re walking? Etc. As you begin to notice what you’re doing, you can choose to change. You can gently relax your shoulders each time you notice and overtime you’ll patiently change your habit from hunched to relaxed and resilient.

Enjoy!