• Posture is the way you hold your body when standing, sitting or performing tasks
• When one has good posture, it means that the vertebrae (bones of the spine) are aligned
• Did You Know? Your spine has a natural S-shape curvature
• Lordosis is the 2 forward curves seen in the neck and low back
• Many chairs have lumbar support allowing for this curve to be supported
• Kyphosis is the 2 backward curves seen in the chest and hip area
4 Ways to Improve Your Posture
1. Balloon Imagery
• Imagine a balloon attached to your head is pulling you upwards:
• Your head is stretching toward the ceiling
• Your ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles are even and lined up vertically
• Your pelvis is level, ensuring that your lower back doesn’t sway
2. Cat Cow Stretch
• Get in a tabletop position by kneeling on all fours
• Cat Pose: Exhale and round your back towards the ceiling
• Drop your head and look towards the floor
• Cow Stretch: Inhale and lift your chin and chest toward the ceiling
• Look up to the ceiling and draw your shoulders away from your ears
Return to the tabletop position and repeat 10 times
3. Shoulder Blade Squeezes
• Sit up straight in a chair
• Rest your hands on your thighs and keep your shoulders down
• Draw your shoulders back, squeezing your shoulder blades together
• Pretend there is an apple between your shoulder blades that you are squeezing
• Hold for 5 seconds and release
4. Childs Pose
• Kneel on the floor
• Bring your toes together and try to sit on your heels
• Your knees should be hip width apart
• Exhale and lower your buttocks toward the floor
• As you bring your torso over your thighs, lengthen the back of your neck before you tryto rest your forehead on the floor
• Bring your arms by your thighs with your palms facing up • Hold for 30 seconds • Release thestretch
Inhale and lengthen your torso
Lift from your tailbone
Practice the balloon imagery technique and the posture exercises throughout your day. Try and determine what triggers you to slouch and what causes poor posture. Remember poor posture affects your spine and can lead to poor mobility, tightness and pain.
The “Straighten Up” Posture App
Another good resource for people to help their posture through different exercises is the “Straighten Up App”. It only takes 3 minutes to do and you can get the app to remind you throughout the day to stretch! Check it out here!
By practicing the above, you should be standing tall and proud in no time!! We believe these can help improve your posture and prevent lower back pain in 2015! If you or anyone you know needs a postural evaluation, don’t hesitate to email or give our office a call for an appointment. We are happy to help everyone and we are accepting new patients! Healthy posture leads to a healthy spine!
