If you're like most of us, you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk or hunched over your smartphone. As a result, your posture may be less than ideal. Poor posture can increase risk of injuries and pain in the neck, back, and shoulders—not to mention it can make you look (and feel) like an old person!
Here are 6 exercises to help correct bad posture!
1. Chin tucks
How to do it: Tuck your chin in toward your chest, lifting the back of your head as you do so (don't lift just the front). Your chin should be tucked in as far as possible without being painful or uncomfortable.
- Frequency: Practice this exercise three times per day for one minute each time.
- Length of time: Continue doing this exercise until you feel comfortable with it and can hold the position for longer than one minute at a time without feeling any pain or discomfort in your neck muscles or joints.
2. Shoulder shrugs
Shoulder shrugs are important for correcting posture because they strengthen the upper back muscles and help you stand up straight. Here's how to do them:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent and arms at your sides. Don't lock your knees! Just a little bend is all that's needed here.
- Lift both shoulders up towards your ears as high as they'll go without straining yourself (you should feel this in your upper back). Hold this position for 1-2 seconds before lowering them slowly back down again, hunching over slightly as you go so that all of the tension falls on just those muscles instead of being shared by others like chest or neck regions--but don't let those other areas relax entirely either! This is key because any time there's less stretch on certain muscle groups than others means less work gets done overall; worse yet when some muscles aren't contracting at all during exercise which not only wastes energy but also makes it harder for us later when we try something else requiring strength from other parts of body such as walking upstairs after eating dinner too late at night.
3. Scapular wall slides
This exercise is very simple and can be done in the comfort of your own home. To do this exercise, stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Raise both arms out to the side at shoulder height, making sure that they are parallel with the floor. Next, slowly slide them down towards your hips while keeping them straight. Make sure not to bend at any point during this motion! Once you reach a 90 degree angle (arms parallel with torso), hold for 5 seconds before returning back up again until reaching their original position above head level again. Repeat 10 times per set 3 times per day for best results!
Benefits: This exercise helps strengthen muscles around scapula which are involved in good posture as well as improving flexibility around joints within upper body area such as shoulders and spine itself due its combination between being static (not moving) yet still having some movement taking place within muscles themselves while performing exercises like these ones listed above.
4. Overhead reaches
This exercise is great for stretching the chest and upper back. It can be done anywhere, but it's especially helpful if you have a doorway to work with.
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Place one hand on each side of the doorway and lean forward until you feel tension in your chest muscles (or as far as you can go without straining).
- Keeping this position, reach up as far as possible without moving from where you're standing--you should feel it stretch across your upper back too!
- Hold this pose for 10 seconds before lowering yourself down slowly until all tension has gone out of those muscles again, then repeat 5 times in total
How often should you do this exercise: Practice this exercise three times per day for one minute each time.
Length of time: Continue doing this exercise until you feel comfortable with it and can hold the position for longer than one minute at a time without feeling any pain or discomfort in your neck muscles or joints.
5. External rotation gliding
External rotation gliding is a simple exercise to help improve posture. It's also effective for increasing flexibility in the shoulders and upper back, which can be another cause of bad posture.
To do external rotation gliding: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides, palms facing down (like you're holding two water bottles). Gently press into your heels as if trying to lift them off the ground while keeping knees soft and chest lifted; this should create a slight arch in your lower back. Then rotate at least one inch outwards at each hip joint (away from center), keeping shoulders relaxed down away from ears throughout movement--think about rolling over an imaginary ball placed between these joints). Hold for three deep breaths before returning to starting position; repeat six times on each side per set (for total of twelve reps).
The next time you're standing and feel like slumping, try to remember that there's a reason why you have good posture. It's not just about looking better; it has health benefits as well!
6. Chest stretches
Chest stretches can help to improve posture. To perform a chest stretch, stand with feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Place one hand on top of your head and gently pull down as you inhale through the nose. Hold for five seconds before releasing slowly while exhaling through pursed lips. Repeat this exercise 10 times per session two times per day for best results!
To make this stretch even more effective, try leaning forward further and reaching up as far as possible with both arms at the same time.
Bad posture can have a negative impact on your health, but these exercises will help you to correct it.
Bad posture is common among people who spend long periods of time sitting at desks or in front of computers. It can lead to back pain, which makes it difficult for you to be physically active and will make you look older than your actual age. Correcting your posture will help you look younger and more confident!
Conclusion
At the end of the day, it's important to remember that bad posture is a problem that can be corrected with exercise and good habits. The exercises listed above will help you to correct your posture, but in order for them to work effectively, it's important that you practice them regularly and consistently over time. This will ensure that they become second nature for when those days come where things don't go as planned!
