Poor posture can lead to chronic back and neck pain as well as injuries to the spine, shoulders and neck areas. There are several things you can do to improve your posture within a structured exercise program, as well as some simple tricks to do every day, whether you are at home, in your car or at your office.
Try Pilates
Pilates exercises focus on improving core strength and posture. A key element to good posture is strengthening the muscles in the upper back and learning how to keep the shoulder blades down and pulling slightly together. Every exercise in Pilates addresses the position of the shoulder blades and how to correctly strengthen the shoulder girdle muscles. Another essential piece of good posture is core strength, which is also addressed in Pilates exercises. By strengthening your abdominals, you will be able to hold your stomach in and keep your pelvis and low back in the optimal position for good posture. You will get the best instruction from a certified and experienced Pilates instructor, since they can give you hands-on instruction and personal feedback on your performance of the exercises. Once you have learned correct technique, you can do Pilates at home on your own or with the guidance of a Pilates DVD.
Strength Training
Since abdominal and back strength are needed to maintain good posture throughout the day, a strength training program that includes exercises for these areas is a must. Choose exercises for the upper back, lats, lower back and abdominals for a posture-improving program, lifting weights for these areas one to two times per week. Many of the strength exercises do require some equipment, which can found at most fitness centers and can also be purchased for your home. If you are unsure how to perform these exercises, most fitness facilities offer some free instruction on equipment use and also have personal training services for an extra fee, which provide more personalized instruction and can be very beneficial to learning exercises correctly. Try the following exercises for your posture:
Upper back: seated row, reverse flye
Mid back: lat pulldown, assisted pull-ups
Low back: prone spine extension, quadraped opposite arm-leg raise
Abdominals: plank, bicycle, reverse crunch
Posture Tricks
You can focus on posture almost any time with some quick and easy posture tricks. While sitting in your car at a stoplight or sitting in your desk chair at work, press your tailbone back into your seat and pull your lower back just slightly away from the seat back. Next, pull your shoulder blades into the back of the seat as if you are trying to hold onto it with your upper back. These movements together will help you put your spine in good alignment and sit taller. Maintain this position as long as you comfortably can, keeping your abdominals engaged as well.
A second anytime tip is keep your hamstrings flexible so that they don't exert pull on your lower back, which takes you out of good postural position. Stand 3 to 4 inches from a wall with your back facing the wall. Slowly bend at your hips and bring your upper body as far forward and down as you can, simultaneously reaching your hands toward your toes. Do not allow your buttocks to touch the wall. When you have come down as far as you can, place your hands on your legs, feet or floor for support and hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Come back to standing slowly and with control, making sure your buttocks do not touch the wall on the way back up.
References
- "The Personal Trainer's Handbook"; Teri S. O'Brien, MS; 1997
- "Musculoskeletal Anatomy and Human Movement"; Lawrence A Golding, PhD and Scott M Golding, MS; 2003
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