As I was doing the school run the other day - a fellow mum mentioned that she's suffering terrible neck pain due to hunching her shoulders against the cold! As modern mamas, most of us already suffer from rounded shoulders and the forward head posture, partly due to adjustments our bodies made in pregnancy, partly from carrying heavy babies and kids around, and partly from spending too much time in front of a screen of some sort. But the winter definitely seems to make this, and other poor posture traps, easier to fall into. So here are my top three ways to avoid these....
Uh, it may sound obvious but, buy a scarf. Or better yet, knit one, a flipping great big warm one that wraps around your neck several times so no hint of cold air can get through and you therefore won't be so tempted to hunch up like the archetypal old witch in a fairy tale. Simple.
You may not like this as much as number 1 but basically the best thing you can do for posture is move; move more and move better and in this case I'm talking about walking (have I ever mentioned how GREAT walking is for you before? No, then I will soon!) So basically I want you to embrace the cold days, even the grey days and avoid getting in your car as much as possible (unless it's peeing it down, then you have my full permission). The bucket seat of most cars is THE WORST for pelvic posture, and holding onto a steering wheel ain't great for your back either.
Here's a my favourite - I LOVE winter styles, especially boots so I recommend investing in a good pair of flat (or as flat as you can find), wide toed (or as wide as you can stomach, style-wise), warm winter boots to help you enjoy all that lovely walking you're now doing and to start your improved posture with your feet.
So, there you have it - get to the shops (walking there if you can obviously) and buy yourself a thick new scarf and some winter boots, yeyah mama!