We’ve all dealt with back pain at one time or another, but did you know that the secret to feeling better might be to picture lasers coming out of your chest? Allow us to explain.
On Monday’s show, Megyn was joined by Colleen and Jason Wachob, founders of mindbodygreen and authors of The Joy of Well-Being, to discuss how “micro-moments” can transform your day. Megyn shared a tip she recently received from her chiropractor to improve her posture and strengthen her back.
‘Shoulders Back, Lasers Out’
Megyn has talked a bit recently about how she is exercising more and regularly taking virtual HIIT classes. She may have overdone it a bit because her back started bothering her. That landed her in a chiropractor’s office for some adjustments, and she left the appointment with some game-changing advice about her posture.
As he explained to her, the “devil in back care” is rounded shoulders. People have a tendency of sitting in a hunched forward position when the shoulders need to be back and broad. Megyn said her son gave her a memorable way to think about it. “My son said… to picture lasers coming out of your breasts or your chest,” she shared. “Shoulders back, lasers out.” Colleen, for one, appreciated the visual. “I will forever remember the laser analogy,” she said.
According to the chiropractor, if you can walk, stand, or sit like that for 90 percent of your day, your back will be better for it.
How to Build Back Strength
Now, if you know you are guilty of rounding your shoulders forward as Megyn was, then you also probably know that sitting up straight is challenging. Megyn said she was concerned about the muscles of her upper back bothering her as a result of the exercise, which her chiropractor said is to be expected. “He’s said it’s going to hurt for like a month and then it’s not going to hurt you anymore,” she recalled.
As it turns out, he knew what he was talking about. “He was right – the upper back no longer hurts when I’m sitting up perfectly with great posture and the lower back is getting better,” Megyn shared. “No surgery, no interventions, just an honest guy who was like, ‘Stop rounding your back so much.’”
She is trying to carry the wisdom through to all areas of her life. “Here at the beach, I’ve been playing pickleball and… I look like I’ve had back surgery, but I go straight down to pick up the ball,” she shared. And then there is reading in bed. “I asked what about reading in bed because I’m all rounded,” Megyn said. “He said his wife is so vigilant about this she gets a music stand and sits on a little couch in their bedroom and reads off the music stand.”
As Megyn noted, the technique has multiple benefits. “She is so determined not to have the rounded back – not to mention the quadruple chin we all get from looking down,” she concluded. “I thought these are great tips, so I wanted to share.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Wachobs by tuning in to episode 584 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.