Many years back I went on a beach outing with a bunch of people. We left early in the morning in order to spend more time at the beach. Upon returning from our adventure, someone commented that they had gotten a strange sunburn. He stretched out his arms so that we could clearly see the unique pattern. Someone else piped in that she too had the same sunburn pattern.

We were all surprised at how similar their burns were until several minutes later when both individuals crossed their arms. The odd sunburn wasn’t caused by applying sunscreen unevenly, nor was it mere coincidence. These people had most likely spent a long time with with their arms crossed, because the part of their arms that was exposed when their arms were crossed got burned, and the part that was covered was spared.  

Like these two individuals, many of us are unaware of how we hold ourselves or how we move. This lack of awareness can lead to some unpleasant side effects like an unusual  sunburn or chronic joint pain. If you’re working out and your body’s not moving with more ease, it may be time to hire a fitness professional to watch and correct your form. Learning good posture and movement in the gym can help you properly stand and move with more ease outside of the gym. 

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week.