How many times do you see smartly dressed folks at a party that ruin their polished look, by slouching?
Not only does bad posture make a person look poorly groomed, it is also bad for your health. And when it comes to posture, your mother did know best. Her frequent reminders to stand up straight and stop slouching were good advice. Your spine is strong and stable when you practice healthy posture. But when you stoop or slouch, your muscles and ligaments struggle to keep you balanced — which can lead to fatigue, back pain, headaches and other problems.
Well the good news is that apart from training yourself to stand up straight, stretching can also help to align the spine. Here are 6 easy stretches you can do at home, to improve your posture.
good posture is about standing up straight, not shifting your weight onto just one leg..
My Top 6 Stretches to Improve the Posture are..
Relax the Back
Lie on your back, knees bent at 90 degrees, placing your calves on the seat of a chair. Straighten your arms out from the shoulders with your palms up. Relax, breathing deeply, letting your low back settle into the floor. Hold the position for 5 minutes.
Stretch the chest
Stay in the ‘relax the back’ position. Lace your fingers, palms together, with your arms extended above your chest toward the ceiling. Extend your arms, keeping your elbows straight, over your head to the floor behind you. Repeat 30 times with a steady, controlled movement.
Kneeling hip-flexor stretch
Kneel (preferably on a padded floor). Bring your right knee into a 90 degree angle and push your left leg back so it’s at an angle where you feel stretch in the front of your hip. Keep your legs parallel to each other and place your hands on your right knee and let your hips sink forward to the floor, keeping your upper body straight. Do not lean forward. Hold for 1 minute and switch legs.
Airbench
Sit against the wall with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees bent at 90 degrees, heels straight under or slightly in front (not behind) of your knees. Keep your feet pointing straight ahead, push your lower back into wall and keep pressure on heels. Press your shoulders back, keeping your head up, and relax your shoulders, neck, arms and hands. Hold for 90 seconds.
Back-friendly crunches
Lie on your back with your feet on the wall and your knees bent less than 90 degrees (glutes should only be about four to six inches from wall and knees almost touching chest). Lace your fingers behind your head to support your neck. Keep your elbows back while looking at the ceiling. Exhale as you use your stomach muscles to lift your shoulders, elbows and head off the floor, then lower. Be sure you don’t pull on your head with your hands. Repeat for two sets of 30 reps.
Supine hip-flexor stretch
Lie on your back with your right leg bent and resting on a chair at a 90 degree angle. Place your left leg straight on the floor, keeping your toes pointed up so your knee and foot do not roll out. Place your arms straight out from your shoulders with your palms up. Breathe deeply and relax your body. Remain in this position for 10 minutes, then repeat on other side.
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