Winter posture is a frequent occurrence for four months of the year, but this year it feels as if winter, and the accompanying cold will never end.

Winter posture comes in various forms, with the following examples listed but not limited to:
-your shoulders are raised to ear level
-you breathe in shallow breaths because it hurts your lungs
-you hunch over to brace yourself against the biting wind
-you squint against the reflection of the blinding snow
-you tire easily due to Daylight Savings Time
-seasonal affective disorder can be attributed to a lack of vitamin D
-your chest muscles get shortened while your upper back becomes over-stretched

This posture may be accompanied by twisting of your low back, while shoveling. This year we’ve had some practice, but short of calling in the Army (thanks Mel), here are some tips to get through the winter months:

1. Do shoulder drops, by raising your shoulders as high as they can go then forcefully drop them
2. Wear a scarf around your mouth as a buffer against the cold air
3. Try to maintain an upright posture to prevent being hunched over
4. Increase your intake of vitamin D, by adding Calcium to your diet
5. Wearing sunglasses will prevent squinting and forward head carriage
6. Sit in a relaxed pose and let your posture regain its normal stance
7. When you are breathing, inhale to a count of 10 and exhale to a count of 6
8. Lay down length-wise on a foam roller to stretch out your muscles

Though it can be difficult to embrace the cold winter weather it is the only way to appreciate the season. Hopefully these tips will help alleviate your muscles from shortening so you will get to see your neck in the spring.

In the meantime, let me enjoy my hot cup of cocoa, while I work on my PC posture.