Yesterday we added a new stretch to the neck that helped us loosen the tissues from the neck and down to the shoulders. Today we introduce a neck exercise to help reinforce the new stretch. It may sound a little counter-intuitive, but usually the best advice for these sore and inflamed muscles is to activate them through some mild exercises. *Key word here is MILD!
The stronger the muscles of the neck are and the better your posture is, the easier it is for us to maintain the correct working postures for the day. The postural muscles of the neck try hard to keep our eyes level throughout the day wether we are sitting or moving.
To perform this: Sit in a comfortable position with the eyes level. Slowly tilt the head to one side by dropping the er toward the shoulder. Go to your comfort level and don't stress yourself too much. Place a hand on the opposite side of the head and push your head into the hand while the hand resists it. You don't have to over power the hand, just push hard enough to activate the muscles.
*The goal here is to activate the muscle to stimulate healing. Over time this will help improve stamina in the muscle and decrease fatigue through the day. If you have pain while doing this modify it to be pain free or skip it.
