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You may have heard of the concept of tummy time in the context of babies. While infants spend most of their time on their backs, they also need daily supervised tie on their bellies. According to Safe to Sleep, from the NHI, the time on the stomach helps strengthen a baby’s neck, shoulders and other important muscles.
Recently, adults have been embracing tummy time too, according to Good Housekeeping . So much so that it has become a viral trend. Social media users post videos and pictures of themselves doing tummy time, and professionals such as physical therapists have hopped on the trend as well. This raises the question, is adult tummy time just a passing trend or does it have real benefits for adults?
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Face down can offer real advantages for adults, suggested Verywell Health. It can help improve your posture, especially if you have a tech job or spend a lot of time on a computer. If you experience joint or back pain, you might be a good candidate for adult tummy time. It also helps counteract the crouching that sometimes can occur when spending a lot of time on your phone.
While, The Guardian reports, tummyitme will not fix serious posture problems, it can still offer some much-needed relief. That’s because when sitting or walking, you typically don’t use all of your joints or get a full stretch.
With adult tummy time, all you need is the floor or a bed, suggests Verywell Health. Simply lie flat on your stomach for a few minutes. You can maybe add some stretches or gently lift your arms and legs off the ground while still laying down. You might be surprised at how good it feels. This TikTok video shows just how easy it can be.
Begin by doing it for just a couple of minutes. You can gradually add more time if you’d like. Of course, make sure you have medical clearance for these movements, especially if you have a spinal injury or something similar.
Making it a Habit
If you are inspired and want to add tummy time to your daily routine, consistency is key to making it a habit. Try pairing it with another daily habit to make it easier, suggests Yahoo!Life.
For example, you can choose to do tummy time right after turning off your alarm clock, when you are already in bed. Or if you do crunches, push ups and other types of floor exercises every day, you can add tummy time before or after your workout.
Make it enjoyable by listening to a podcast or upbeat music while doing tummy time. Or you can choose to have short belly breaks at the office. It’s all about fitting it into your existing lifestyle.
Whether you are dealing with posture pain or are simply looking to add more wellness habits to your lifestyle, tummy time is worth exploring. Just like with tummy time for babies, it’s easy, equipment-free and only takes a few minutes per day. The next time you feel some back aches or after scrolling for too long, go ahead and do some tummy time. Your body will thank you for it.
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