Stuck Standing In Line At Cosco?

Here’s How To Make the Best of It!

Well, we are still here…the new normal. And, it’s not all that great. For most of us, it’s getting just a little bit old. Maybe a lot old. This seems to be made even more difficult by rumors of re-openings. When will that be? What will it look like?

However, it’s pretty clear that distancing is not going away any time soon, open or not.

Having been to several essential businesses lately, I am struck by how often we are made to stand outside, in line, spaced appropriately, waiting for our turn to go inside. Good thing the weather is now pretty good most days.

Seems to me that we could put that time spent in line to good use! Why spend the time gazing at the door, checking out the back of the head of the person in front of us, or thinking up stuff to do on our phones.

You can celebrate the fact that you are out and about by sneaking in a few exercises that will leave you refreshed instead of succumbing to the tedium of hanging out.

By the way, these little moves can clearly be used in other circumstances. Like if we ever get to travel again and need to stand in line at the airport. Or even if you need a break from sitting around the house but don’t want to go out.

Moves

Here’s a few things you can do that will not attract too much attention. In fact, I have even seen it happen that others start to do some of these after watching.

1. Raise up onto your tip-toes several times.
2. Lift up your toes while staying on your heels.
3. Bend one knee to the back and back down several times. Add in a few ankle circles while the knee is bent if so desired.
4. Stand tall, bring one foot behind the other one but turned out to the side, and then lift your whole leg straight behind you. No worries…it will not go very far unless you bend over.
5. Lean from one side to the other, staying as upright as possible.
6. Practice your balance by standing on one foot for as long as you can. You can do this very subtly by bending a knee and lifting that leg only slightly behind the other.
7. Stand tall and draw your shoulder blades together, release, and do it again a few times.

If you don’t want to do these, or forget to, here’s ONE thing that you can ALWAYS do when standing in line. So much so that it becomes a habit.

It is: Stand tall, shoulders back, ear in line with the top of your shoulder. Take an assessment of how your low back is doing. Make sure your tummy is not so relaxed that it is pushing forward and there is an excessive arch in your back. Pull yourself up, activate your abs a bit, and feel great about working on your posture in those odd minutes that you have to “waste”.

Hopefully, one of these days we will be doing this under other circumstances.

Meanwhile,
Stay well and stay apart,

Kristen

© 2020 Kristen Carter, MS. All rights reserved.