Neck Workout When Driving
Ever feel neck and shoulder stiffness when driving? The other day when my husband was driving, he mentioned to me that his shoulders felt stiff and that his neck hurt. I turned to evaluate his driving position. After 20 minutes of driving, my husbands’ hands were at the 10 and 2 o’clock positions with his shoulders raised and rounded in, his left arm propped on the window sill, seat slightly reclined with back rounded, his head and chin forward. Does this look and sound familiar to you? Try doing a neck workout to avoid discomfort.
Proper posture while driving will relieve tension in the neck, shoulders, arms and back. Avoid resting your elbow on the window sill; this will prevent your shoulders rising towards your ears and turning in towards your chest. Instead, have your elbows near your sides and bring your hands down closer to 9 and 3 o’clock positions. The easiest correction in driving is to sit without slouching – this will avoid the forward head and chin and eliminate neck and back pain. When doing various neck exercises and stretch exercises while driving, the neck workout will loosen your muscles and reduce tension in them.
When you are driving for longer than 20 minutes at a time, be sure to take breaks to avoid neck or back pain discomfort. Sounds silly to keep stopping every 20 minutes to take a break but it is good for your health. When you are not able to, try the following neck exercises to help alleviate neck pain, stiffness and tension. I’ll focus on the head, neck and shoulders for you to do a neck workout when driving.
Let’s begin your neck workout!
Head:
• Bring your head and chin back towards the headrest x 10 times
• Try to maintain this chin tuck position while driving and don’t forget to breathe!
• Be sure not to clench your teeth
Neck:
• Nod your head up towards the roof and down towards the floor while continuing to look straight ahead on the road x 10 times
• Turn your head left towards the outside mirror and turn right towards the passenger side while maintaining your stare forward x 10 times
• Bring your right ear towards your right shoulder and then your left ear towards your left shoulder while still staring in front of you x 10 times
Shoulders:
• Raise the top of your shoulders towards your ears x 10 times
• Pinch your shoulder blades together in the back x 10 times
• Roll your shoulders forward and then backwards x 10 times
Repeat all neck exercises at least once every 20 minutes. This neck workout is a quick summary of previous neck exercises posted on the blog. There should be no pain or discomfort when doing any exercises for neck. Remember to always keep your eyes on the road and drive safely!
When not driving, check these other neck exercises to do:
• Release Tension with Shoulder Neck Exercises
