People
hunching over tiny screens, cramping their hands to type on
miniature-sized keyboards or tilting their necks to listen to a call, are stressing their bodies. Gold's Gym offers exercises to help.
"With the rise of smartphones, comes a rise of repetitive stress injuries," said Dr. Eric Plasker,
chiropractor and member of the Gold's Gym Fitness Institute. "In
addition to overstressing our thumbs and fingers, many people are
keeping their elbows and necks bent for much longer than they should.
The result is new conditions that were nonexistent just 10 years ago,
like 'BlackBerry Thumb,' 'Network Neck' and Cell Phone Elbow, or
'Cell-bow'."
Cell
phone usage has risen so much that Cell Phone Elbow, or "Cell-bow," has
now become a common motion disorder. Cell-bow occurs when patients
damage an essential nerve in their arm by bending their elbows too
tightly for too long. It now affects more than 850,000 people each year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That's
why Gold's Gym, the world's leading authority on health and fitness, is
introducing the "Fit for the Phone Workout." Gold's Gym has created a
number of simple exercises to make sure Americans are fit for their own
phone.
The goal is to help eliminate these pesky mobile maladies - one smartphone user at a time. The following exercises are part of the
Gold's Gym "Fit for the Phone Workout" and can be sprinkled throughout
the day at the workplace, at the gym and on the go. Consumers are also
encouraged to download a free 7-day pass to their local Gold's Gym at
goldsgym.com to start an exercise routine and talk to a personal trainer
about the exercises below.
DO AT YOUR DESK
- Thumbells: Tap each finger with the thumb of the same hand. Repeat five times.
- Palm
Twists: Alternate tapping the palm of your hand and the back of your
hand against your thigh as quickly as you can. Repeat 20 times. - Reverse
Hand Crunch: Open your hands, and spread your fingers as far apart as
possible. Hold for 10 seconds, and repeat eight times.
ON THE GO
- Lift your head, eyes looking forward, to interrupt looking down as you use the smartphone or similar handheld device.
- Shrug your shoulders and perform shoulder rolls to keep your shoulders, neck and upper back muscles relaxed.
AT THE GYM
- Lower Back Extensions (a.k.a. Superman) - 3 sets of 10
- Grab
a stability ball and balance on it with your stomach on top and your
toes on the ground. Let your torso fall over the ball, and relax your
arms by your sides. Starting with your head and upper back, slowly lift
your spine until it's straight. Slowly return to start. This move will
strengthen your lower back, helping you to stand up straight.
- Grab
- Romanian Deadlift With Upright Row - 3 sets of 10 to 12
- Stand
upright, your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold dumbbells in front of
your thighs as you lower them, keeping your back straight and your chest
out. Then lift up the dumbbells almost to your chin, with your bent
arms parallel to the ground. Slowly return to starting position.
- Stand
For
additional information on Fit for the Phone Workout, download a free 7-day
pass to learn more exercises that can be done anywhere to combat the
typical Smartphone ailments.