4 Simple stretches to improve your posture
A lot of people experience back pain at some point in their lives. Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to make sure you’re not among them. And, fixing your posture is at the top of the list.
While sore muscles and aching joints are usually the first symptom of posture problems, slouching can also lead to other health issues like digestive upset, shallow breathing, fatigue, stress, and even anxiety.
In addition to relieving aches and pains, standing up straight can help you feel happier, more confident and even improve your focus, productivity and problem-solving abilities.
If you’d like to reap the benefits of good posture and protect your body from unnecessary wear and tear, here are four simple stretches that can help.
Why is stretching important?
Before we get started, we need to first understand why stretching your body is so important. Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, they are weak and unable to extend all the way. That puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage.
For example, sitting in a chair all day results in tight hamstrings in the back of the thigh. That can make it harder to extend your leg or straighten your knee all the way, which inhibits walking. Sometimes, it may even ruin your posture when you sit in a position for too long all day.
Regular stretching keeps muscles long, lean, and flexible, and this means that exertion won’t put too much force on the muscle itself. Healthy muscles also help a person with balance problems to avoid falls.
Stretches to straighten up-
You can improve your posture — and head off back pain — by practicing a few easy exercises.
1. The mid-back stretch
This posture-correcting stretch both opens the front of your chest and releases tension between your shoulder blades to help you stand up straighter.
- Place the palms of your hands against a wall, stepping back until your arms are straight.
- Keeping your palms against the wall, walk your feet back while folding at the waist until your head is between your arms and you’re looking down at your toes.
- Engage all the muscles of your arms and shoulders, using 100 percent of your strength to press into the wall, pulling slightly downward with your hands (don’t actually slide them, though).
- Hold this isometric contraction for 15–20 seconds and then relax, deepening the stretch. You should be able to press your chest forward and down further.
- Repeat this 2–3 times, deepening the stretch a little more with each repetition.
2. The back of the hip stretch
Most people have tight hips because modern humans recline in chairs instead of squatting or sitting on the floor, both of which build strength and flexibility in the hip joint. This stretch will help improve your range of motion and also relieve lower back tension.
- From your hands and knees, cross your right leg in front of your left leg so your shin is contacting the floor.
- Extend your left leg back. You should feel a stretch down the back of your right hip.
- Let your hips be heavy and sink down into the stretch on the right side. You can either keep your chest upright or come down onto your forearms.
- Stay here for thirty seconds to a minute at least, breathing deeply into your hip to release any tension.
- Repeat on the other side.
3. Upper body stretch
- Stand facing a corner with your arms raised, hands flat against the walls, elbows at shoulder height.
- Place one foot ahead of the other.
- Bending your forward knee, exhale as you lean your body toward the corner.
- Keep your back straight and your chest and head up.
- You should feel a nice stretch across your chest. Hold this position for 20–30 seconds. Relax.
4. Arm-across-chest stretch
- Raise your right arm to shoulder level in front of you and bend the arm at the elbow, keeping the forearm parallel to the floor.
- Grasp the right elbow with your left hand and gently pull it across your chest so that you feel a stretch in the upper arm and shoulder on the right side.
- Hold for 20 seconds; relax both arms.
- Repeat to the other side. Repeat three times on each side.
When used regularly, these four stretches will help you stand up straighter. Of course, the more often you do the posture-correction stretches, the easier it will be to avoid slouching and the related negative health effects. You might try to find a good trigger to help you remember, such as doing one or more of them when you get up from your desk, or right before scheduled breaks and lunch. Soon it will become a habit.
References-
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/posture-align-yourself-for-good-health/art-20269950
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/4-ways-to-turn-good-posture-into-less-back-pain
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-importance-of-stretching
