Undo the damage done by all of the sitting, staring, and scrolling you’ve been doing.
Many of us spend most of the hours of our day with our body in less-than-ideal positions that take a large toll on our posture.
Work, kids, and well, life in general can really take a toll on our bodies, especially our posture and alignment.
Countless hours of sitting tightens our hip flexors.
Looking at our phones and computers flattens the back of our neck.
Picking up our kiddos incorrectly without the proper core strength or alignment puts pressure on our joints and strain on our back.
Even when we make time to build strength and flexibility through movement, it can still be difficult to shake these bad habits which ultimately limits the benefits we hope to see from exercise.
That is why it is vitally important that we dedicate time and energy to working towards improving our posture and creating habits that reinforce good body connection in our day to day life.
5 exercises you can do to improve your posture every day!
Chest Opener
We know that we should be pulling our shoulders back for the best posture. But with so much time spent with our shoulders rolled forward, our chest muscles can get very tight, limiting the range of motion there.
Here’s one of my favorite ways to open the chest:
Place one hand on the wall and lean slightly away.
Hold the position for 30-60 seconds making sure to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth throughout.
2. Hip flexor stretch
Hip flexors can be stubborn to stretch out, especially with all the sitting we’re doing nowadays. Try focusing on opening your hips as much as possible in different lunge variations like the one below.
Place your foot on your bed, a short stool or an ottoman and bend both knees.
Think of tucking your pelvis under and pulling your belly upward.
Hold for 30-60 seconds on each side, making sure to breathe deeply and consistently.
3. Downward dog
Opening your lower back and hamstrings wakes up the upper back muscles that play a large part in your posture.
Focus on driving your chest towards the ground.
Soften your knees and allow yourself to be moveable.
4. Spinal extension
This stretch is pure gold!
Keep your feet pressed down, hips pressed down, and belly lifted. Lengthen your spine to lift up in one straight line (do not lift the head too high).
Hold the position for 60 seconds.
5. Deep breaths
Taking deep breaths can truly help you make space in your body and opens you up.
Inhale for five full seconds, hold the breath for five seconds, then exhale.
Focus on feeling your diaphragm expanding and collapsing with each breath.
