Barbara WintroubWhile I was waiting for my matches to be called at the Huntsman World Senior Games in October, I was doing a body analysis on those who walked by. OMG! I cannot believe how many women have joined the men in poor posture. So many of you seem to be trying to walk with your nose tied to the railroad tracks instead of chest tied to cable car wires. We live in a linear world, hunched and bent forward – as we age we are returning to the fetal position from whence we came. I absolutely refuse to let this happen. I fight gravity every single day to reverse this process. WHY? You won’t have back and shoulder pain if you stand tall. You won’t lose inches in height and gain inches in waistline. AND you won’t lose strength when you are playing pickleball.
Biomechanically, you need to have your joints in the right place, your head should be on top of your neck, not growing out of your chest, and your spine stacked not crunched. Strength and power comes from correct body position. The exercises below will help you gain your length, look better in your clothes and play powerful pickleball.
Exercise 1. Stand in a doorway at home or a post at the court. Place your back against the door jam. Try to reach back and grab the post or jam, keeping your back against the jam and stretching your chest.
Exercise 2. Stand next to a door jam or post at the court and extend one arm straight up. Walk one small step forward to stretch the chest. Hold for a count of five, then switch arms.
Exercise 3. Hold post or jam and flatten your back until it is parallel to the floor. Walk a few steps back until you can feel the stretch in your shoulders.
Don’t do any of these exercises if you feel pain. You’ll stand taller afterwards.