Mobile phones have become an indispensable part of our lives and we cannot spend a lot of time away from them. So much so, people now even use their walking time as a chance to catch up with their friends and family.
As such, seeing people talk on their phones while they are walking is a common sight nowadays. But, did you know that walking and talking with your one arm swinging causes muscle imbalance and can lead to poor posture?
Fitness trainer Yasmin Karachiwala recently posted a video in which physical therapist Dr Hemakshi Basu can be seen explaining why walking and talking on the phone is not a healthy habit. Take a look.
“Walking and talking on the phone creates an imbalance between your anterior oblique chain and posterior oblique chain. Anterior oblique chain is your oblique muscles and with your opposite adductors and posterior oblique chain is latissimus dorsi with your glutes which helps you rotate the pelvis and swing your arms when you are walking,” Dr Basu explained.
How to correct it?
Dr Basu suggested some exercises to correct the imbalances caused due to walking and talking on the phone.
Working the Anterior Oblique Chain by opposite hand and leg presses
- Lift one leg up and place your hand on the opposite side.
- Drop your sternum on the floor, push equal and opposite against each other.
- Hold for 5 counts and relax.
- Do it with the opposite hand.
- Drop the rib down, engage the adductors and your obliques.
- Hold and relax.
Working the Posterior Oblique Chain and the Anterior Oblique Chain together by opposite hand to knee press in low bridge
- Lift your buttocks up, just a few inches off the mat.
- Lift the leg and opposite hand, push against each other.
- Push for 2-3 seconds.
- Do about 5 repetitions on each side.
Working the Posterior Oblique Chain by prone opposite hand and leg lift
- Lift one hand and the opposite leg together, just one or two inches off the mat.
- Hold for a few counts and down.
- Do about 5 repetitions on each side. To begin, start with two repetitions.
“If you find doing both arm and leg at the same time difficult, you can start with only arms and then move to only legs and combine the two together. If you are arching back a lot, take a little cushion, place it under the belly, relax your back and do the same,” she advised.
