The Top 6 Exercises to Maintain Good Posture
It’s actually never too late to improve your posture.
The body is resilient and adapts well to changes, making posture improvement a goal you can attain. Our physiotherapy team weighs in with their knowledge so you can start standing up taller.
Common Postural Mistakes
While these postures aren’t harmful if you are only in them momentarily, you want to be aware so you aren’t continually falling into these postures:
Slouching while sitting in a chair
Sticking your bottom out when standing
Leaning on one leg when standing
Hunching your back and neck (especially when browsing on your phone)
Poking out your chin when at the computer
Rounding your shoulders up towards your neck
Sound familiar? Don’t stress, we have the fix!
Exercises to Improve Your Posture
After your first session with one of our Physiotherapists, you will notice your posture improve! To maintain these changes, your Physiotherapist will work with you to create a custom program for your needs. This program may include one of the following exercises:
Child’s pose: Open your knees wide and sit back on your heels, stretching your arms forward and placing your forehead on the ground. This will help relieve tension in your lower back and neck.
Forward fold: Standing with your legs hip-distance apart, fold over your legs with a slight bend in the knee. Holding opposing elbows, sway back and forth slightly. While doing this stretch, you should feel the entire backside of your body opening up and lengthening.
Cat cow: Come down on all fours, looking up when you inhale to create a convex back, and arching your back into a concave position up as you exhale. This exercise helps to massage the spine.
Chest opener: With both hands behind your back, interlace your fingers and stretch your arms long, lifting the arms as high as you can go. Remember to keep your shoulders down to open and stretch your chest. This is a great exercise if you sit at a desk all day.
High or side plank: A high plank helps to strengthen your core muscles, which are key in maintaining a good posture, while a side plank helps to focus on the neutral alignment of your spine and legs.
Downward-facing dog: Starting from a plank position with your legs hip-distance apart, push back on your arms to bring your bottom to the sky, putting energy into your fingers and lengthening the spine. This pose helps to relieve back pain while also aligning your back muscles.