Time to straighten up (5 exercises to improve your posture)

Maintaining good posture is not easy. Often the set up of our environment makes it hard to to keep our bodies in a good position. Plus our muscles become weak or tight making it even harder to keep a straight and erect spine. And unfortunately studies have shown that low load, long duration work loads placed on muscles can cause significant pain and muscle trigger points (also known as muscle knots). What does this mean? It means it doesn’t take a specific sudden mechanism of injury, like a car accident or falling down, to cause damage to your muscles. Instead, it is often the little things we do day to day that cause the most damage, like having bad posture. So how can we straighten up and improve our posture?

Common everyday activities where you might have bad posture:

• Doing work at a desk or computer
• Reading or looking down at a phone
• Driving in the car
• Nursing or holding a baby
• Prolonged standing (with any work or household activities)

Headaches, jaw pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, and back pain are all associated with bad posture. Maintaining good posture and avoiding posture pitfalls is very important for good overall health. But let’s get to the good stuff and learn how you can straighten up and improve your posture.

How can we improve our posture?

Improved ergonomic set up

An easy way to improve your posture is to make sure your work space is set up properly. This is called ergonomics. You can learn about setting your home environment up for better body mechanics and ergonomics when caring for a baby on my post about basic baby body mechanics. But in regards to desk work the general rule of thumb is everything should be at 90 degrees. This means your hips and knees should be at a 90 degree angle when your feet are flat on the floor while sitting. Your arms should be supported so your elbows fall at a 90 degree angle. And your computer screen should be straight ahead at eye level to prevent neck craning or looking downwards.

Core strengthening for better posture 

Our backs are not solely responsible for holding us upright. In fact our core or stomach muscles play the largest role in keeping our spine and bodies upright. Incorporating strengthening exercises for your core, specifically your transverse abdominis, muscle is crucial for good posture. Check back in two weeks for great exercises for strengthening more essential core muscles.

Stretching for better posture 

Prone press up: Laying on your stomach press your body upwards and look up towards the ceiling. You should feel a stretch in the front of your hips and stomach. Perform slowly while taking full deep breaths. If this hurts your low back, stop. Repeat x 10. 

Supine chest stretch: Lay over the top of an exercise ball, a foam roll, or even just flat on the ground with a towel rolled up between your shoulder blades. Let your arms fall out to the side and bring your hands behind your head. You should feel a stretch all across your chest and and your stomach. Hold for at least 30 seconds and repeat x 3. 

Mid back strengthening for improving posture 

The following exercises will work to strengthen your mid back muscles. These muscles work to retract your shoulder blades and keep your spine erect and standing tall. Strengthening of these muscles helps counterbalance the tight muscles around the front of your chest. 

Perform all the below exercises laying on your stomach with a rolled up towel under your forehead and your head and neck in a straight neutral position. Your chin should be slightly tucked towards your chest. If these are too challenging laying on your stomach try them laying at a diagonal angle over an exercise ball. Repeat for 2-3 sets slow and with good control. If any of these exercises cause pain, stop. 

T’s: Laying on your stomach lift your arms up to the side as though you are making a letter “T”.  Your thumbs should be pointing up towards the ceiling. Think about pulling your shoulder blades together. Repeat x 10 

 

 

Y’s: Laying on your stomach lift your arms up in front of you as though you are making the letter “Y”. Your thumbs should be pointing up towards the ceiling. Repeat x 10. 

 

 

W’s: Flex your elbows to a 90 degree position and again lift both your arms up off the floor by pinching your shoulder blades together. You can imagine your arms making the letter “W”. Repeat x 10 

 

You can see all these above exercises performed here:

 

Other tips for improving posture

Lumbar roll: 

A lumbar roll is a small cylinder shaped pillow that can be placed at your low back while sitting. It’s great for sitting desk work, prolonged driving, or any other time you may be sitting for extended periods of time. In a pinch a large rolled towel can be substituted for a lumbar roll. 

Setting a timer for posture check

Another great tip if you are really struggling with maintaining good posture is  setting a posture check timer. Set an alarm on your phone every 30 minutes for a posture check. This is great for people who do a lot of desk work. It’s simply a friendly reminder to get up and move around, pull your shoulders back, and move your head left to right to avoid stiffness and tightness. 

If you start to feel pain: check your posture

If you start to feel pain and tension in your neck or shoulders I always suggest checking your posture. When you start to feel that tension it’s highly likely that your posture needs a reset. Shoulder rolls, shoulder shrugs, or scapular retractions are all great ways to move your head and neck around. More helpful exercises for neck and upper back pain can be found here. 

What’s next for improving posture?

Maintaining or improving your posture is a lifetime thing. As we age gravity, activity changes, and life in general takes it’s toll on our posture. And unfortunately it tends to go downhill. But like I have said before the best offense is a good defense. Keeping your body strong and avoiding bad posture pitfalls will set you up for success. Come back for more tips on core, back, and pelvic strengthening to keep you feeling strong and moving like a mother. 

-Monica