Add-on Habit Shoulder Range of Motion while Applying Deodorant

2015-03-17

The idea behind this add-on habit is that you improve your shoulder range of motion while you apply deodorant. Instead of bending your elbow while you lift your shoulder to put on deodorant, you keep your palm pointed forward (maybe toward a mirror) and your arm completely straight. In this position, your arm will be parallel to and in-line with your body. The goal is to regain and maintain full range of motion so that your arm can be pointing directly upward without rotating your rib cage or recruiting any of the muscles in your torso or neck. Do each arm while applying deodorant to it. Yay for multitasking!

When your first start doing this, you may find that you do not have full range of motion. Or, that your shoulder capsule is hurting, or your triceps are tight, or your rotator cuff muscles are restricting the motion. That is okay. The more time you spend at your maximum range of motion, the more likely you will be able to increase the range to the maximum. Massage your shoulder and triceps before and after this motion if you have time.

I started doing this add-on habit because I realized that my left shoulder capsule had pain before I could reach full range of motion. Since you generally should not have pain when you move your body around or press on it, I knew I needed to work on it. I have been doing this practically every day for a year now, and I can report that my pain at end range has drastically gone down. I still have some tightness in my triceps at left shoulder end range, so I will keep working on it. I plan to keep up this habit for the rest of my life because it is so easy to add, does not take extra time, and will keep my shoulders in good shape.