Quick Posture Exercises for Improving Your Posture
I believe posture exercises are one of the most important things you can do to eliminate neck and back pain. My Mom always told me to sit up straight as a kid, but I never fully realized the true benefits of having good posture until I became a Physical Therapist. The fact is good posture is not only a key to decreasing neck and back pain, but it is also a key to improving your body’s overall performance.
Most people I work with think that since they’ve had bad posture for years, they will not likely be able to improve their posture. The good news is posture is a learned habit that can be improved over time. There is no quick fix to improving your posture, but there are posture exercises you can do regularly that will help you in this process.
Step One: Learn What Proper Posture Is
Before we review some of the key posture exercises, make sure you understand what proper posture is. To assist you in this, I’ve put together a brief instructional video at the link below. Once you understand what good posture is, come back and learn a few posture exercises you can implement today to take unnecessary stress off your neck and back.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/thebackuniversity/ergonomics/backpainchair.mp4
Basic Posture Exercises
Now that you understand what we’re trying to achieve, let’s look at some key posture exercises that will help get you on the right track.
- Shoulder Blade Squeezes – This exercise is one you can do sitting or standing, and it is a great one for strengthening the muscles between your shoulder blades.
To perform this exercise, simply sit up straight and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Imagine you are squeezing your shoulder blades down and back. It is very important to make sure you do not “shrug” your shoulders. Hold each squeeze for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times. Feel free to perform this exercise numerous times a day to start conditioning the muscles responsible for keeping your shoulder blades in a proper position.
- The Pectoral (Pec) Stretch – The pectoral muscles are the muscles that run across the front of your chest and shoulders. If these muscles are tight, they “pull” your shoulders into a forward/rounded position, which increases stress on your mid and upper back. Since the spine is kind of like a stack of blocks, anything that negatively affects the mid and upper back will also put unnecessary stress on the lower back.
To perform the pec stretch, stand in a corner with your feet staggered, your arms parallel with the floor, and your forearms up on the wall, as shown in the picture below. Gently lean into the corner until you feel a light stretch across the front of your chest and shoulders, and make sure to keep your spine in the neutral position. As with all of your stretches, make sure not to bounce, and do 3-4 sets of 30 second holds.
I also recommend doing a variation of this stretch where you slide your forearms up the wall, so that your arms are in more of a “Y” position. As with the previous stretch, make sure to maintain your neutral spine and do 3-4 sets of 30 second holds.
- Sustained Holding of Proper Posture – Another effective exercise for improving bad posture is the simple act of holding proper posture for sustained periods. Here’s why this exercise is so vital.
Many patients say they feel stiff, or robot-like, when they get in a correct posture. This is because the body has become so used to holding a poor posture, it now feels uncomfortable to assume a correct posture.
So, you have to retrain your body to hold proper posture by working on it regularly. One great way to do this is to get in your proper posture, hold it for 30 seconds to a minute, and then relax. Repeat this process as many times a day as you can, and try to hold your proper posture a little longer every time you practice. Eventually, your postural muscles will become so conditioned you won’t even have to think about holding a good posture—they will automatically do it for you!
Improve Posture Through Simple Posture Exercises
Remember, improving posture is one of the best things you can do to take unnecessary stresses off your neck and back. Make a commitment and start these simple posture exercises today to start taking control of your back pain by improving your posture!