Today’s tip I learned from
my long-time friend Lyn Erickson.
I worked a summer at her family’s International Hockey School in Detroit
Lakes, MN. I worked in the kitchen
helping Donna cook and in the pro shop during the evenings. Upon squeezing my shoulders one day,
Lyn realized she needed to share her trick to helping me relax them.
The sequence I am going to
share with you will only take one minute and 12 seconds to complete and
everyone has that amount of time to spare. You will need to find a comfortable chair and sit on the edge
of it.
- Lift, squeeze and hold your shoulders up toward
your ears for 3 seconds and then relax them for 3 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
- Next, pull/press your shoulders toward the floor
for 3 seconds and then relax them for 3 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
- Squeeze your shoulders blades together and hold
for 3 seconds then relax for 3 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
- Last but not least, try to bring your shoulders
together creating space between your shoulder blades and hold for 3
seconds. Repeat 3 times.
The key is to focus, squeeze
as much as possible during that phase and then really relax during that
phase. Performing this sequence
daily will greatly help reduce the tension you carry in your neck, shoulders
and back and will be especially beneficial if you spend time on the
computer. Just seventy-two seconds
to more relaxed muscles, aahhhh, enjoy.