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Written By Chloe Chan (MSS, BSc, CHT) from Precision Fitness
We, as women, all want to look bright, confident, and attractive. While we understand aging is a natural process, it does not stop us from taking care of our breast health through regular exercise and healthy habits.
Before getting into the nitty-gritty, we must cast away any myths about what works and what doesn't. Say, there are still no scientifically-based strategies that can naturally enlarge our breast size without cosmetic intervention. However, we do have the formula to tone up our chest muscles, which can lift and firm our breasts, giving them a more youthful appearance. Also, we can learn simple mobility movements to open up our chest and back strengthening exercises to hold our posture gracefully and exquisitely.
We can kickstart to get our blood flowing and our body to warm up by doing the following mobility movements:
1. Shoulder rolls
This can help relieve tension in the neck and shoulders and improve mobility in the upper back.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms hanging loosely by your sides.
- Slowly roll your shoulders backwards and up towards your ears, then back and down.
- Repeat for 8 reps, then switch directions.
2. Thread the Needle
This yoga-inspired exercise can increase spinal mobility and stretch the shoulders, chest and upper back.
- Start on your hands and knees, with your hands shoulder-width apart and your knees hip-width apart.
- Reach one arm up and open your chest as much as you can. Return to hands and knees position and do 6 times.
- Then reach the arm underneath your body and across to the opposite side, keeping your other arm straight and your back flat. - Hold the stretch for 10 seconds, then return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
3. Wall Angels
It is an excellent exercise for improving posture and engaging your back muscles.
- Stand with your back against a wall, with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
- Raise your arms up to shoulder height and bend your elbows to 90 degrees with your forearms against the wall.
- Slowly slide your arms up the wall, keeping your forearms in contact with the wall.
- Once your arms are overhead, slowly lower them back down to the starting position. Repeat for 10 reps.
Remember to enjoy the process instead of rushing through it. Maintaining steady, slow, and deep diaphragmatic breathing can help activate your rest-and-digest system, which can relax, destress and nourish you!
By now, you should be feeling supple and loosen up. Then, we can get ready for the PART 2 exercises and toned up!
PART 2
In PART 1, I have introduced three mobility movements to open your chest and engage your back. This not only helps you hold yourself in space elegantly but also boosts your confidence. As Amy Cuddy, a Harvard researcher found, power posture (the posture of Wonder Woman!) can increase your confidence and chance of success. After all, true beauty comes from the well-being of our body and mind. We want to tackle them all!
Most women think they get the best results by doing a lot of chest strengthening exercises simply because they believe enlarging or toning up the chest should, in theory, focus on the chest! However, we should understand our muscles are all interconnected in the body. Overdoing one muscle group without attending to others would eventually lead to muscle imbalance, misalignment, and become susceptible to injury.
In the context of nurturing fuller and healthier breasts, we need to build a robust back to allow our chest to open up and prevent hunching, which is usually caused by our poor posture and overtraining the chest muscles. I will show you how we can strengthen our chest and back in the following three simple home exercises:
1. Push-up
It is a classic exercise that can help tone up the chest muscles.
- Start by lying face down on the ground, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart at your chest level.
- Push up your body using your chest muscles, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
- Lower your body back down to the ground, and repeat for 10 reps.
- Begin with your knees on the floor (modified push-up) if your back and core struggle to remain straight and engaged.
2. Reverse plank
Unlike the regular plank and push-up, which target the anterior muscles on the front of your body, this focuses on your posterior muscles like your back, the hamstrings, and glutes.
- Sit on the floor with your legs straight and your hands behind your hips. Have your fingers and feet pointing forward.
- Rotate your shoulders backward and downward to engage your back. Engage your core and tuck your chin.
- Maintain this alignment and lift your hips off the floor. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. Your heels should be in contact with the ground with your toes pointed forward.
- Lower down slowly to the ground and repeat 10 times.
3. Superman
This targets the chest, back, and core muscles.
- Lie face down on the ground with your arms extended out in front of you.
- Slowly lift your arms, chest, and legs off the ground without overarching your back.
- Hold the position for 3 seconds before lowering back down to the ground and repeat 10 times.
Do two sets of the above.
The key to success is consistency. To achieve that, we ensure to attain small success step by step rather than ambitiously committing to unrealistic tasks that lead to defeat.
In conclusion, taking care of our breasts through regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle is essential to women's overall health. Let's make breast health a priority today! Once you are familiar with the movements and breathing techniques, you can follow the video for a complete chest and back workout.
