Having good posture isn’t just about sitting up straight or walking with your head held high. For those of us in the modern world, it has a lot to do with how you sit at your desk and look at your cell phone, too. “With the pull of gravity and the demands of our tech-heavy lives, hours hunched over screens, it’s no wonder so many people develop rounded shoulders and weakened postural muscles,” says Triana Brown, director of talent and product development at the Pilates reformer craze [solidcore].
Unfortunately, it’s something I can relate to. A recent candid photo left me less-than-thrilled with the angle of my neck—and got me interested in trying what’s been Internet-dubbed as “adult tummy time” in an attempt to restore the damage I’ve been doing during the hours I spend writing, contorted like a pretzel.
“Tummy time is quite literally a baby spending time lying in the prone position on their belly,” says Dr. Tiffany Fischman, M.D., F.A.A.P, a pediatrician with Sollis Health. “Pediatricians recommend tummy time early and often to encourage babies to strengthen their neck and upper back muscles and to help them see the world from a different vantage point.” As Dr. Fischman explains, it also helps prevent flat head in babies, but adults can benefit from the time, too. (Minus the whole skull-shaping thing.)
“I think it is a smart and effective way to actively support our body’s well-being,” adds Dogpound gym founder and trainer-to-the-stars (ahem, Taylor Swift) Kirk Myers. “Plus, it’s approachable. You don’t need a gym or equipment!”
I decide to give it a try, going for Myers’s suggestion of a prone cobra position. As soon as I lie down on my stomach on my apartment floor, hands floating off the ground, I examine my surroundings. It’s a bit like viewing the world through my cat’s eyes, and if he could speak, I think he would tell me to turn the Roomba on more often. About 45 seconds later, I’ve finished my first tummy time and feel accomplished.
“If done for five to 10 minutes daily, you will likely notice some initial relief and increased awareness within the first week of consistent daily practice,” Myers tells me. 10 minutes? Guess my singular minute of tummy time wasn’t as groundbreaking as I thought.
If adult tummy time isn’t your thing (ahem), there are other ways to fix your posture. Myers used a phone-a-friend, asking chiropractor Amin Javid, MD to weigh in on the trend. Together, the duo came up with a few stretches that could also help to undo hours of sitting at our desk: Hip flexor stretch, thoracic extension on a foam roller, and chest opener done on a wall or door frame.
When visiting my niece in Texas, I join her for tummy time in solidarity, though I much prefer spending extra time focusing on core work during my reformer classes. Whatever it takes, after all, I have almost 15 years of looking down at an iPhone to undo.
