Sit Up Straight

Book excerpt: Futureproof your body and relieve chronic pain resulting from sitting, slouching, and other bad lifestyle habits with this easy-to-perform set of daily stretching and movement routines—from an innovative physical therapist and social media star who coaches dozens of celebrity clients. What if we could easily acquire long-lasting protection for our bodies and escape the chronic pain caused by our sit-all-the-time, slouch-too-much lifestyles? Vinh Pham is a world-class physical therapist who has worked with a broad range of clients—from Olympians to NBA stars to MMA fighters to Golden Globe and Grammy Award–winning artists. Early in his career, he discovered a disappointing truth: most of his patients came to him already in pain. They had lifestyle habits that misaligned their joints and tightened their muscles. And the recent epidemic of prolonged sitting—which represents an all-day assault on the body—has only made things worse. If you’re sitting for more than thirty minutes at a time without getting up, you may be heading toward a world of hurt. Vinh’s answer to the host of muscle maladies that ails us has been a revolutionary concept: why not futureproof? Instead of reacting to chronic pain after it flares up, what if we focused on a “movement discipline” that not only prevents injuries but leads to longer lives, healthier bodies, and a clearer mind? A precise and simple toolkit for tweaking the way we move (or refuse to move), Sit Up Straight outlines a process that starts with a daily posture regimen. Performed correctly, Vinh’s twelve simple movements, which can be done in twenty minutes, will lock in protection for the rest of the day. But Vinh goes further. He provides stretching and exercise routines for many of the specific ailments that affect us—from hamstring pulls to sciatica to rotator cuff problems—and, best of all, he offers a series of customized movements based on age, gender, and the kind of work we perform. “No fancy equipment required...full of good and clear tips and wisdom” (Booklist), Sit Up Straight shows that the solution to becoming pain-free is easier than we think.