You have been lazing around in the posture department?
Thanks to our smartphones, iPads, and more, many of us spend our days craning our necks to look at our devices. Working from home has also created complications, which experts affectionately refer to as “pandemic posture.”
Fixing your posture can not only relieve back or neck pain, “it can also have a significant impact on everything related to our respiratory function, core and pelvic health,” explained Trista Zinn, trainer and founder of basic fitness set.
Taking small steps to improve your posture is the best way to go. Here are 16 exercises to try to help you stand up and sit up straighter.
row of seats
“This exercise works all the muscles of the back and helps to counteract the weight of the chest and support the spine,” he explained. Sebastien Lagree, trainer and founder of Lagre Fitness.
Sit cross-legged or straddle a bench with cables or bands wrapped around a doorknob or mount on the floor in front of you. Then pull the handles toward your rib cage.
“As you continue to pull the handles toward you, focus on lifting your spine or sitting up higher,” Lagree said. “Every time you pull the handles, try to sit up higher.”
Bent-over rows
If you don’t have a cable system at home or access to a gym, grab some free weights and perform bent rows.
“Strengthening the muscles that retract the scapula leads to better posture,” he said. Dr. Alejandro Badia, an orthopedic surgeon in Miami. “This also helps prevent shoulder pain, which often occurs when we slouch or work in a stooped position.”
Bend your knees and lean your upper body forward, keeping your spine straight. Start with your arms down in front of you with your palms facing your body, then pull the dumbbells back, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top. Try not to overextend the movement: stop just as you reach where your pants pockets would be, i.e. near your hips. Lower your weights and repeat the movement.
cat-cow
This is an exercise without equipment and a popular yoga move. Get into a four-legged position on your hands and knees. From here, arch your back, lifting your chest and head as your stomach drops.
“Then you move in the opposite direction, rounding your back toward the ceiling, bringing your stomach in and your chin in toward your chest,” said Joy Puleo, a Pilates instructor and Balanced Body Education Program Manager. Hold each position for one to two seconds and repeat eight to 10 times.
This exercise, he said, can provide a good stretch in the front of the body where the muscles are tight, as well as strengthen the muscles in the back to help maintain good posture.
band separators
For this exercise, you will need a resistance band. “Hold the band with your arms straight out in front of you at chest level,” Puleo said. “Pull your shoulders back, keep your torso tight and spine neutral, and spread the band so your hands come out in opposite directions.”
This exercise stretches tight chest muscles and strengthens underworked back muscles. Puleo said to aim for 10-15 reps, rest for a minute, and repeat for a total of three rounds.
Chest stretch at entrance
“Since the chest is often tight in someone with poor posture, doing a front stretch can help loosen those muscles and make it easier to maintain good posture throughout the day,” Puleo explained.
Place your hands and elbows on a door frame and take a small step forward until you feel a stretch in your chest. Hold the stretch for 15 to 25 seconds, take a minute to rest, and repeat as needed.
column extension
This exercise strengthens the erector spinae muscles, which are responsible for helping the body extend and rotate the spine.
“This move doesn’t require any apparatus and can be done on the floor,” Lagree said. Lie face down on a mat. Keep your arms alongside your body and slowly lift your head and chest off the ground. Repeat for 30-60 seconds.
Dead weight
Badia said this exercise strengthens the paraspinal muscles that support the back and the hamstrings, which help maintain posture.
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Hold free weights in front of your thighs; You can also perform the movement with just your body weight. “Make sure your back isn’t arched, your feet are flat, and your butt is back,” Badia explained.
Keep your shoulders straight and push your hips back, your knees slightly bent, lower the weights below your knees, keeping them as close to your body as possible. Then get up.
Scapular squeezes
When sitting or working in front of a computer all day, people’s posture tends to slouch and their shoulders round forward.
“Shoulder blade compression strengthens the upper back muscles that keep the upper body in good posture,” said Kandis Daroski, a physical therapist with hinge health. To perform them, stand or sit up straight with your arms at your sides and your elbows bent. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and down your back. Hold for five seconds. Relax your arms and shoulders. Repeat 10-15 times.
Open Book Rotations
“In order to assume or have good posture, one must have the necessary flexibility and mobility,” Daroski said. The open book exercise, he explained, improves upper back and neck mobility and provides a gentle stretch to the front of the shoulders.
Begin by lying on your side with your knees bent, arms extended in front of your chest, and hands together. Keeping her legs together, she slowly raises her upper arm and twists her torso open. Follow your moving hand with your gaze to rotate your neck as well. Hold for five seconds in the open position and perform 10 times on each side. “This is a great workout to start or end the day,” Daroski said. “Try doing it in bed.”
FG Trade via Getty Images
chin tucks
Daroski said that chin ups are a great way to nullify the effects of forward head posture. “They help strengthen the deep neck muscles that keep your head thrown back in good posture,” he said.
Start in a lying or standing position. Slowly tilt your head back so your ears are in line with your shoulders; this is a small move. Hold this position for five seconds. Repeat for five to 10 repetitions.
Abdominal braces
“By sitting or standing for a long time in poor posture, the muscles of the abdomen can weaken, allowing an increase in the arch of the lower back,” Daroski said.
Abdominal braces can help improve core muscle strength by supporting the lower back and improving standing posture, he explained.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Next, contract your abdominal muscles as if you were pulling your belly button in toward your spine. Hold for five seconds, then repeat 10-15 times. “This exercise can also be done sitting or standing,” Daroski said.
Shrugs
Shrugs are another exercise that can help target the tech neck. These exercises “relax and loosen neck muscles, such as the trapezius, which can be overworked while the neck is in a forward position,” explained Dr. Oluseun Olufade, an assistant professor of orthopedics at Emory School of Medicine and a consultant of BackEmbrace.
Raise your shoulders towards your ears. Shrug both shoulders at the same time and hold for three seconds. Try three sets of 10 repetitions, twice a day.
Chest opener with his hands tied
“This opens up the chest and stretches the front of the shoulders, which helps improve posture,” he said. Alissa Tucker, Certified Personal Trainer and Master Trainer at akt.
Start sitting or standing tall. Roll your shoulders down and back and clasp your hands behind your back. Hold for up to 30 seconds. This is a great stretch to do during the workday, Tucker said. “Repeat several times a day while at your desk.”
chest extension
“This can be done lying on the floor with a foam roller or sitting at your desk, using the back of your chair,” Tucker explained.
Start sitting with the foam roller or chair at or just below your shoulder blades. Bring both hands behind your head and bring your elbows toward your face. Keep your abs tight and lower back straight as you lean back onto the chair or foam roller, then slowly return to your starting position, bringing your chin toward your chest.
Move slowly and repeat eight to 10 times. “This stretch is great for counteracting the forward rounded position of the thoracic spine by bringing the thoracic spine into a bit of extension,” Tucker said.
neck retraction
This is another exercise that you can do sitting at your desk. “I like to use a small towel for this one, although you can do without it,” Tucker said.
Sitting up straight, place the towel on the back of your head, holding it with both hands by your ears. Press your head back into the towel and hold for five seconds, then release. Repeat 10-15 times.
Tucker said to be careful not to put too much strain on your neck during this exercise. “It should be a smooth movement,” she explained. “This strengthens the deep flexor muscles in the back of the neck to help keep the neck in proper alignment over the shoulders.”
lying angels
Do you remember making snow angels as a child? This is a similar idea and is “a great exercise for shoulder mobility,” he said. Joshua Kozak, CEO of the online gym HAS fit.
Lie on your back with your hands on top of your hand, elbows flat on the floor, palms facing up. “Draw those elbows and your hands straight up toward your body while keeping your arms flat on the ground,” Kozak said. “When you get to the furthest point, stretch them directly over your head.”
Do your best to keep contact with your arms and the ground and keep your lower back flat on the ground throughout the movement.
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