Training Exercises To Improve Posture

While good posture does have a huge impact on a person’s appearance, there’s a lot more to it than just that. When there’s something off about your posture, unfortunately, your muscles and bones pay the price. Because you end up putting more pressure on other muscles or joints, it can lead to injury. However, that can be improved by doing specific workouts to develop your posture. 

But before you start performing exercises to improve your posture, it is essential to understand exactly what the problem is to know which muscles you need to work on. The professionals at Springtown Chiropractic recommend a posture and spinal screening to be performed in order to understand which exercises would be beneficial for each unique problem.

For skeletal misalignment, muscles and connective tissues that are out of place, or strains due to improper alignment, a screening will be able to identify the best exercises to perform in order to correct these complications. 

Once you’ve figured out what the problem is, you can start using one of these poses to improve your posture.

Child’s Pose

To straighten and lengthen your spine, glutes or hamstrings, a child’s pose is a great stretching pose to do. It also works on reducing the tension in your lower back and neck, which helps you stand up straighter. To do this movement, you should follow the below steps:

• Start in a seated position on the floor with your knees together beneath you.
• Fold forward at your hips and extend your hands out on the mat.
• Sink your hips down toward your feet.
• Place your forehead on the floor and extend your body forward
• Keep this pose for 5 minutes while breathing deeply.

Chest Opener

After sitting at a desk all day, this can take a toll on your posture. This goes especially if you remain seated for multiple hours on a daily basis. Because your chest moves inwards as a result of this habit, you should practice chest openers on a daily basis to strengthen your chest and stand up straighter instead. To perform this exercise, follow these steps:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-length apart.
• Pull your arms backward and lock your fingers against your palms. If you’re having trouble reaching your hands together, use a towel to bridge the gap.
• Keep your head, neck, and spine on the same line and focus on one point straight ahead.
• Remember to inhale as you lift your chest upwards and bend backward by pushing your hands towards the floor.
• Hold this posture for 5 breaths and inhale deeply.
• Release and relax for a few moments before repeating the same movement 10 times.

Core Stabilizer

One of the best ways to improve your posture is by working on strengthening your core. The core stabilizer allows you to exercise your core muscles and train them to work together in order to stabilize your pelvis. To perform this movement, you should do the following steps:

• Lie on your back while bending your knees and placing your feet flat on the floor.
• Put your hands behind your head, push your lower back against the floor and curl your head up to get off the floor.
• Contract your core muscles by exhaling out and tightening your core.
• Pull one knee to reach your chest while ensuring your lower back is flat on the floor and extend your other leg at a 45-degree angle.
• Switch legs and keep alternating the movement between them for 10 reps on each side.

Cobra Pose

If you have a problem with slouching, then the cobra pose is an essential exercise and stretching pose to practice on a regular basis. That’s because the cobra has the ability to strengthen the erector spinae, which is the back muscle that lengthens your spine. 

To perform this stretch you need to:

• Lie down on your stomach with your palms facing down beneath your shoulders.
• Your legs should be extended behind you in a straight line and your toes should be pressing against the floor.
• Use your back muscles to extend the spine and pull your chest upwards as you breathe deeply.
• Keep your hips firm against the floor and avoid pushing your hands down to get a straighter back.
• Slowly lower your back against the floor and repeat this motion for 3-5 times.

Practicing these exercises and stretches on a regular basis will allow you to fix your posture and stand up tall. Not only will this make a difference in your appearance, but it will also leave a positive impact on your muscles as it allows you to extend and lengthen them, releasing the tension that they could be holding.