Five Tips to Help Strengthen Your Posture
Many of us spend hours at our desks, hunching over while texting or laying around watching Netflix – which can have repercussions on your posture. If like most people you have less than perfect posture, there are some things you may do to help strengthen your form:
- Wall Angels – Stand with your back to a wall so your heels, buttocks, shoulders and the back of your head all lightly touch the wall while you keep your core engaged. Take three slow breaths, feeling your body’s best posture. Try sliding your arms up the wall overhead (like making a snow angel!) while maintaining your breath and posture.
- Ergonomic desk set up – see yesterday’s post for a diagram on the ideal set up
- Support your posture from the ground up – fashion doesn’t have to be painful! High heels can cause the hips to rotate forward and down, increasing the low back curvature and weakening the abdominal muscles. Shoes with poor support can allow your hips, knees, and ankles to develop restrictions that can further lead to core weakness and poor posture.
- Work on your core strength – Exercises that strengthen your core will help you stand taller and help you maintain the proper posture, offering more support to your low back and taking the strain off of overworked neck muscles. Yoga emphasizes body awareness and diaphragmatic breathing, and Pilates is a great option to learn to control the deep core.
- If you can’t put it down, hold it up! – Constantly craning the neck down to stare at our phones isn’t helping. Try holding your phone straight in front of you instead of bending your head down, and similarly propping your tablet up perpendicular to the table if you’re just reading.
Your massage therapist can help give you more tips, as well as work with you to reduce pain caused by incorrect posture. Book your massage therapy appointment online for an individualized assessment and treatment to help you reach your goals.
