Written by Anne Praino, Account Manager
As the season of gratitude arrives, November invites us to gather, reflect and nourish both body and soul. This month, we’re offering a wellness challenge inspired by the holiday table — but instead of turkey and stuffing, we’re serving up strength, balance and mobility. “Serve the Platter” is a simple yet effective exercise for improving mobility and posture. It promotes better posture, enhances shoulder mobility and stability and activates the core to improve balance. It’s a great remedy for that forward-leaning posture many of us develop from long hours sitting at our desks or scrolling through our phones.
“Serve the Platter” may look simple, but it’s a powerful exercise for improving posture. With so much time spent hunched over devices, many people develop rounded shoulders and a collapsed chest, which can affect breathing, neck and shoulder health, athletic performance and even confidence. This exercise helps counter those effects by encouraging proper alignment: when you extend your arms forward with palms facing up, it naturally rolls the shoulders back, opens the chest and lengthens the spine. Practicing this chest movement regularly helps retrain your body to stand tall and upright, reducing strain on the neck and upper back while promoting a more confident posture (Dale, 2024).
This same practice of sitting, working on computers and looking down at our phones not only affects our posture, but also causes our shoulders to round forward. This can lead to tight chest muscles, weak upper back muscles, and poor shoulder movement. To fix this, we need to strengthen the muscles that pull the shoulder blades back — this is known as a scapular retraction. The “Serve the Platter” exercise helps by gently working the shoulder stabilizers and rotator cuff muscles. As you extend your arms forward with palms up, your shoulders move through a controlled range of motion that improves flexibility and reduces stiffness. Over time, this movement can lead to better shoulder function, less risk of injury, and more ease with everyday movements like lifting, reaching or carrying (Jayaker Medical Group, 2025).
Although “Serve the Platter” looks like an upper-body exercise, it also works your core muscles. Core strength is important for everyday movement — like standing, sitting and staying balanced. A strong core helps support your spine and reduces strain on your joints. To keep proper posture during the exercise, your abdominal and lower back muscles need to stay engaged, which helps build strength and endurance in your midsection. Adding this movement to your daily routine can help you develop a more stable, resilient core — the foundation for nearly all physical activity (Comps SpineCare PA, 2024).
So how do you do it? Start by standing tall with your feet about hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell, a can of green beans or simply keep your hands empty — whatever works for you. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees with your palms facing up, as if you're presenting a platter. Keep your shoulders relaxed, chest open and core engaged. Slowly extend your arms straight out in front of you, then return to the starting position. Perform one set of 10 reps daily during week 1. Each week in November, add one additional set — so week 2 would be two sets of 10 reps, week 3 would be three sets and so on (Osnato, 2025).
In the hustle of holiday prep, it’s easy to forget about self-care. This challenge is a gentle reminder to pause, breathe, and move with intention. It’s not about intensity — it’s about consistency and connection. So, this November, let’s serve up something nourishing for ourselves. Your body will thank you.
