With a toddler in my midst, I’ve been clocking in more hours at the playground than at the gym these days, but that’s okay, because I’m still sneaking in some wellness bits. I go up and down the slide a million times (that works my gluts!) and a squat down and up from the sandbox (working my quads). I push Luca on the swing (working my upper body) and carry my little kicking and screaming playground-addict home (working total body…and mind!). When I don’t have to “spot” my son, I make my way over to the monkey bars - my latest favorite fitness prop. Sure they are intended for kids, but the monkey bars are seriously great for adults, here’s how.
Monkey-Bar Fitness
Grab the bars and allow your whole body to “dangle” for as long as it feels good. Your grip might get slippery or tired, but aim for at least 30seconds at a time. This exercise is so simply yet so powerful. Most adults in the USA have a tight, “stressed-out” spine - back tension is a national epidemic. "The Dangle" (as I call it)….de-stresses the shoulder area AND it stretches the entire back. You’ll feel your ribcage lifting away from the hipbones and the lower, middle and upper back areas rejoice.
In my fitness classes, I often talk about reclaiming the space in one’s spine. Somewhere along the line - because of general inactivity, desk jobs, stress, injury or too much high-impact exercise - many of us have lost that sense of spaciousness and we wake up every morning to a spine that feels compressed, tight, and stiff. This doesn’t have to be the case – and the monkey bars can be a no-cost remedy.
So go find some monkey bars and do "The Dangle!" And while you are at the playground, take notice of something important in the kids. They all have that gorgeous space in their spines. Life hasn’t “pulled them down” yet and because of that, they’re great examples of spine health and harmony!
Ellen Barrett is a mind/body fitness expert and regular contributor to Whole Living. For information about her exercise DVDs, books, and classes, please visit EllenBarrett.com
