How to Correct Posture With Exercise

Bad posture is one of the most common problems people come to the gym with. They may not even notice it but once itgets better everyone around them surely takes note.

Posture problems come from things we do (or don’t do) everyday like sitting in one position without taking breaks, which is probably the most common reason. And they can lead to further worse health problems and injuries too, so improving bad posture is very important for your back’s health.

But don’t rush lifting weights to make those posture problems sort themselves out along the way. First, make sure to do a few exercises that will stretch and strenthen your back muscles without pulling heavy load, which might worsen your posture or cause an injury.

It’s easy to tell a bad posture from good one. Posture is good when your whole body is aligned in one straight line. Your head doesn’t protrude forward and past your shoulders and your pelvis doesn’t tilt back or forth. Your back isn’t curved and your stomach doesn’t fall out. You may take a picture of yourself if you can’t tell by looking in the mirror whether you have posture problems.

Exercises To Correct Posture

If you do, however, there are a few exercises that you can do at home or at the office to make sure your posture wouldn’t cause further problems. It is important especially if you are thinking about starting working with weights.

One of the best exercises for posture is standing with your back against the wall with your heels, butt, and back of the head touching the wall. Stand for a full minute everyday to strengthen back muscles. This isn’t the perfect posture, mind you. We cannot hold our back as straight as the wall, this is simply for opening up the chest and making back muscles work just a little.

You probably know the Superman or Locust (yoga) exercise. Lying with your stomach on the floor lift up your chest, arms and legs and hold for five seconds. Repeat as many times as you can working your way up to ten reps. You can work your glutes better by curling your toes inwards.

Cobra pose is another great yoga position that will work your back and strenthen those muscles. Lie down with your stomach on the floor and start lifting your upper body slowly from it keeping your neck in line with your shoulders as you go up. Hold pose for 10 breaths if you can or less.

Bird dog is an exercise that will help you strengthen small muscles in your back and balance and stabilize low back. Start on all fours with your gaze forward. Slowly lift your right arm and left leg up and hold in line for five to ten seconds. Switch and repeat.

These exercises may look easy but they are far better than stretches for those who have muscle imbalance (some shortened other elongated) and poor porsture. But these alone might not help if you have serious problems both physical (scoliosis) and emotional (depression). Seek professional help and also be sure to take breaks from sitting asmoften as you can.