Congratulations, you’re a training machine.  I bet you didn’t even know it.  All those missed workout can be forgotten because you’ve been training every minute of the day.
 
Well let me back up and explain myself a little before you break your elbow trying to pat yourself on the back.  You see, the human body is an amazing creation.  It is constantly breaking down old tissue structures in order to build better, more efficient ones.  It does that without our knowledge, laying down extra fascia or changing bone densities to match stress levels placed upon those structures.
 
Whether you are sitting on your couch, or in your chair at work, or in your car, your body is working hard to accommodate those positions.  Rounding your shoulders is tough.  So your body shortens and thickens some muscles to make the job easier.  This causes other muscles and fascia to become stretched out. 
 
The opposite is also true.  If you don’t provide enough stress to force your heart to pump large volumes of blood or your lungs to exchange oxygen quickly, they don’t have to.  Gradually the heart and lungs adapt to the non-stimuli.  They become lazy, weak and inefficient.
 
Part of the reason we train in ROSS is to undo these unwanted adaptations.  We retrain how to breathe and move efficiently with proper posture.  This way, our bodies are ready when we need them. 
 
If you consider the shoulder example above, the rounding of the shoulders restricts the expansion of the rib cage and inhibits breathing.  It also decreases shoulder range of motion that might be necessary to defend an attacker or thwart an arm lock.
 
The ROSS solution would involve some dynamic tension exercises to decrease residual tension in the shoulders.  Also dynamic joint range of motion exercises for the neck and scapula would look to break up dense tissue structures to allow more freedom of movement.  (The range of motion exercises would have an added bonus of fine-tuning the proprioceptors in the joints worked.  Meaning that your ability to sense where your arms are in space would improve.  But that is a topic for another article.)  Finally the individual would need to actively work to improve the alignment of his spine and length-tension relationships throughout the day.  Otherwise, you are not addressing the root issue.
 
Here is a routine that ROSS Instructor Oleg Yakimovich suggests to deal with slouched posture.  Perform 8 – 10 reps of each exercise once a day.  As with any exercise and nutrition advice, consult your physician before beginning to make sure it is safe for your specific circumstances.
 
 
Shoulder Figure 8 (Front and Back) – Keep your arms at 45 degree angles to your body.  Make sure to really move the scapula.
Shoulder Question Mark (forward, backward, outward) – With your shoulder, draw a question mark, driving your shoulder up then in an arc and finally pulling it downward.  Perform in all three directions.
Upper Body Question Mark – Move the tension from your neck, down your back, finally settling your weight on your hips.
Neck/Upper Torso Figure 8 – Create a figure 8 with the thoracic region of your spine, your head goes along for the ride.
Chest Expansion and Compression – Inhale on expansion, externally rotating your shoulders so that your thumbs point to the sides.  Exhale on compression, internally rotating your shoulders so that your pinkies point forward.
Alternate Shoulder Back/Forward – Try not to rotate about the spine.  Simply move one shoulder forward and one backward.
Shoulder Shrug with a Neck Roll – shrug your shoulders and hold them while you roll your head in the front.
Upper Torso Rotation – With your arms out at 90 degrees from your body, rotate just your upper torso.  Keep your head and hips stationary.
3D Upper Torso/Arm Figure 8 – it is easier than it looks and fun to perform at parties.

Ready to try it? Take a look at the following video for some examples: