The Power Of Posture: 5 Stretches to Improve Posture
“If you don’t stand up straight… you are going to grow that way.”
This is what my mom used to say if she saw us slouching when we were kids. At the time, we were made aware of our posture mostly for its appearance—not its health benefits.
Little did my mom know that poor posture is the cause of many health issues and she was right—you WILL grow that way!
Thank you, mom!
We can’t escape poor posture unless we are aware of it and take steps to correct it.
Think about it: almost every movement we make in daily life is a forward movement.
Take morning routines for example...
Waking up and making coffee: We lean forward to sink to fill the pot with water then into the coffeemaker. We lean forward to pour coffee into a cup and drink.
Eating breakfast: We lean forward toward our food and plate.
Loading & unloading the dishwasher: All forward movement!
Brushing teeth: We lean in and over sink.
Putting on makeup & shaving: We lean into the mirror.
Putting on clothes & shoes: All forward movement!
Making the bed: More forward movement!
Using our computers and phones: We lean into the keyboard or drop our head to see the phone.
Taking out the trash: All forward movement!
Doing laundry: We lean into the washer and dryer.
Whoa… Are you seeing what I am seeing?
Let’s continue on and take a trip to the grocery store…
>> We lean forward to open the house door and car door.
>> We lean forward to hold onto the car steering wheel.
>> We lean forward to hold onto the grocery cart.
>> We lean forward to grab our items and place them into the cart.
>> We lean forward to load our items from the cart onto the checkout table.
>> We lean forward to unload bags from the cart to car.
>> We lean forward to take bags from the car to the house.
>> We lean forward to put items away.
I have a feeling that by now, you do not need anymore convincing. We can’t help having poor posture when we are always engaged in forward motion in daily life functions.
Poor posture affects our entire body—head to toe!
When our shoulders are not aligned over our hips, many things happen to our body’s muscular and organ systems.
Our spine is meant to be long and strong. When our upper bodies are always tilted forward, our spine becomes shortened and weak.
Biomechanically, our hip joints are built to be strong enough to support the weight of our upper body. When our upper body tilts forward, our knees have to support our upper body—a task our knees are not strong enough to do (they were never meant to!). Eventually, knee problems surface.
Poor posture causes neck, shoulder, low back, knee, hip, and feet pain.
Maybe even worse, the forward drop of our shoulders constricts and reduces the function of our vital organs in our chest cavity (heart and lungs) and belly!
It is also a major contributor to headaches as mentioned in an article from Mayo Clinic.
When our upper body collapses forward, the rib cage compresses down on the diaphragm and depletes oxygen flow from our lunges and blood flow from our heart. This reduces lung capacity and can deplete energy levels and cause fatigue.
YIKES!
We need to help our body out by reversing this forward motion!
How can we do this?!
Assisted Stretching!
Stretching your quads and training your shoulders to come back and stay on top or your hips will improve your posture and your quality of life in a big way.
Here are 5 stretches for improving your posture:
1. At Ease Stretch:
This one is simple!
While standing, put your hands behind your body in a comfortable “at ease” posture, holding onto your fingers.
2. Doorway Shoulder Stretch:
1. Incorporate this stretch into your routine every time you walk through a doorway.
2. Stand 1 foot away from doorway.
3. Place hands on the door frame with fingertips facing up and your palms at shoulder height.
4. Let your body gently fall forward into the doorway as you hang onto the doorway.
5. Hold 5 – 10 seconds.
3. Kitchen Sink/Banister Stretch:
Try this stretch while you wait for your coffee to brew in the morning!
1. Face sink/banister and hold onto the edge with both hands, standing about an arm’s length away.
2. Pull away from the sink/banister, dropping your head between your elbows and keeping your feet in front of your hips.
3. Drop head in between elbows with your feet in front of hips. Keep a tiny bend in your knees.
4. Allow spine to lengthen as you pull back.
5. Hold 10 - 15 seconds.
4. Shoulder Opener Wall Stretch
Open up those shoulders with this easy wall stretch!
1. Stand with one side of your body toward wall
2. Place one hand on the wall with your arm fully extended. Your fingertips should be facing behind you with your palm forward.
3. Keep palm pressed into wall and start to slowly turn body away from the wall.
4. Hold for 10 seconds.
Repeat on other side.
5. Quad Roller Stretch:
If you don’t have a foam roller, get one! It will truly change your life.
1. Lying on the ground, place the roller onto your quads and plant elbows on the floor. This position is a lot like the plank position.
2. Using your elbows to rock your forward and back, roll the foam roller over your quads from knee to hip.
I hope these stretches inspire you to pause and think about your posture and the effect it has on your health.
Remember, if we are not lengthening and extending our body, it is naturally decreasing its flexibility on its own! We have to help it out through Assisted Stretching!
