Written by Jennifer Jones, Pilates & Yoga Teacher
Jennifer Jones is a Pilates, Yoga, and Meditation teacher and founder of JenZen Wellness, a holistic health and wellness company. She specialises in supporting women over 40 to prioritise their health and embrace their true selves. Jennifer offers both online and in-person classes and coaching sessions.
As someone who has struggled with back pain for many years, I know the importance of having good posture. The ability to sit, stand, or walk upright requires having strong core and back muscles. In this article, I will share 5 of my favourite exercises to improve your posture. I enjoy these types of exercises and incorporate some form of them into the sessions I create for my clients. I honestly believe that whether your posture is good or poor, you can and will benefit from these exercises. So let’s dive right in!
What is posture?
Let’s first consider what “posture” means. Oxford Dictionary defines posture as “the position in which someone holds their body when standing or sitting.” I would add to that when lying down or performing other activities such as walking, running, or doing a deadlift. Take a moment right now to notice how you're sitting as you read this article. Did you have to adjust your position and sit up? Were you slouching or leaning way in? It’s so easy not to notice right? In the same way, you didn’t notice how you were sitting just now, you probably don’t notice how you bend down to lift your child.
Every day, you wake up in the morning, get ready for work, slip on your heels, grab your handbag, and head through the door to your demanding job. You spend countless hours at your desk banging out emails, answering calls, etc, and before you know it, you’ve been sitting at your desk for several hours straight and didn’t get up once. Most likely you didn’t realise because you’re so focused on your work. It’s also likely that you didn’t realise it because it has become second nature for you. It’s your daily routine. But what you don’t realise is that while your daily routine has become second nature for you, it has also become second nature for your body.
Over time, your body begins to adapt to the habits and movement patterns you perform daily, and you may experience tight neck and shoulder muscles, tension headaches, and so forth. Does this sound familiar?
But how do you determine whether your posture is good or poor? You already did one super simple and quick test when I asked you to notice how you were sitting to read this article. How often do you sit in this way to read? If often enough, it will eventually affect your posture.
Another way is to stand in front of a mirror and look at your shoulders. Are they rounding forward? Were they always rounded? Now stand sideways, is your chin jutting forward? Was this always the case? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be developing poor posture.
There is another more in-depth way to have your posture assessed: by having a trained Pilates Instructor conduct a Postural Analysis using a Plumb Line. A plumb line is a cord hung from the ceiling with a weight at the end. The Instructor will ask you to stand next to the plumb line and look at how your joints stack against it. They will also palpate bony landmarks, to look for muscular imbalances and inconsistencies. In a body with ideal spinal alignment and properly stacked joints, the plumb line should pass through the ear lobe, cervical spine, middle of the shoulder, middle torso, hip joint, knee, and front of the ankle. If any of these points fall beyond the plumb line, for example, if the line passes behind the ears, this could mean that the client has a forward head posture and possibly kyphosis.
What else is affected by poor posture?
Your spine! The spine has 3 main curves: the cervical spine (neck) has a concave curve; the thoracic spine (upper back) which has a convex curve and the lumbar spine (lower back) which, like the neck, has a concave curve. These 3 distinct curves create what is referred to as an “S” curve. When the curves of your spine deviate from this naturally occurring shape, it means your spine may fall into one of the following categories.
Types of spinal alignment
Ideal or Healthy - all joints are aligned creating an “S” curve
Kyphosis - rounded shoulders and excessive upper back curve
Lordosis - excessive lower back curve. This can sometimes be seen in individuals with kyphosis
Swayback - minimal low back curve
Flat back - minimal to no upper and lower back curves.
Poor posture mainly affects the thoracic and cervical spine.
Effects of poor posture
You might be wondering why this matters. When your spine is healthy, and the muscles are well balanced and functioning as they should, your ability to perform your day-to-day activities such as climbing stairs or putting away groceries occurs with the greatest of ease. However, we now know that repeated “bad” habits of movement can have negative effects on the spine, muscles, and ultimately posture. These bad habits in conjunction with the effects of aging and a lack of consistent exercise contribute greatly to poor circulation, dysfunction of the muscles and joints, pain, and immobility.
When you repeatedly engage in seemingly innocent everyday activities, such as wearing a heavy handbag on the same shoulder, your body becomes familiar with the patterns of movement and adapts to move the body into those positions more quickly. In some instances, it may even aim to keep your body in that position.
These adaptations cause muscular imbalances or compensation.
Compensation occurs when one muscle or group of muscles takes over the job of another. When this happens for a prolonged period, it creates improper movement patterns that put strain on other parts of the body.
Below are a few examples of how poor posture can affect you
Neck pain and tension headaches - forward head posture, rounded shoulders, and tight traps. This leads to tension headaches and neck pain
Upper and lower back pain - abdominals become short and weak, and back muscles become long and weak
Difficulty breathing - rounded shoulders and tight chest muscles prevent the ribcage from expanding properly when inhaling which impacts the ability to breathe
Poor digestion - sitting for long periods compresses the organs and slows digestion
Tight hips and hamstrings - tight hip flexors and hamstrings from sitting for long periods create pressure on the lower back which can lead to back pain
Lack of motivation - one experiences a general lack or desire to move and exercise
The good news is that there are a few simple things you can implement right now to help!
4 quick tips for improving your daily movement patterns
Take a break - Set a reminder on your phone or smartwatch to remind you to move every hour throughout the day. Getting up to move stretches your glutes, hamstrings, and hips. Also, it can help boost your energy levels.
Focused breathing - Remember poor posture affects your ability to breathe properly. Take a few minutes throughout the day to focus on breathing deeply into the back and sides of your ribcage.
Build awareness - Begin paying attention to how you’re standing in a queue at the bank or checkout. Do you tend to shift your weight more onto one side than the other? If yes, aim to balance your weight evenly between both feet.
Workstation set up - take a look at your workstation. How might it be contributing to poor posture? Would a different chair or standing workstation be more suitable?
These simple steps are great for helping you build awareness to learn your movement habits and how to adjust them.
Benefits of good posture
Engaging in regular exercise, and developing a keen sense of awareness of your movement patterns will improve your overall health and posture. Below are some benefits:
Reduced neck and shoulder pain
Reduced lower back pain
Improved breathing
Improved digestion
Fewer tension heads
Improved circulation
Increased energy levels
Increased range of motion through joints, less injuries
Strong core muscles
Improved mood
Let’s get ready to exercise
It’s time to roll out your mat! There are many exercises and stretches you can do to help improve posture. I’ve chosen five exercises that target your glutes, abdominals, chest, back, and hips! I’ve even added in a bonus stretch for the chest and mid- upper back.
For this workout you will need
A mat or soft surface to exercise on
A yoga block, thick book, or large beach towel
A flex band
Aim to set aside at least 20-30 minutes two to three times a week to do this workout. Complete 3 sets of each exercise, 10 reps each with a short break in between each set. During this workout, pay attention to your form. If at any point you begin to feel tired and break form, please stop and rest. Okay, let’s get started with a quick warm-up!
Warm-up
1. Shoulder rolls
Stand with your feet shoulder-width, long spine, soft knees and roll your shoulder forward and back 8 times each way.
2. Side bend
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, long spine, soft knees. Inhale reach your arms up above the head, exhale; hold onto the right wrist with your left hand; Inhale lengthen, and reach up, exhale over to the left. Hold for two breaths, inhale to centre, and switch sides. Repeat 4 times per side.
3. Standing twist
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, long spine, soft knees. Bend elbows and place fingertips on shoulders. Inhale, lengthen the spine, exhale to the right, inhale to centre, and exhale to the other side. Complete 8 reps per side.
4. Cat/Cow
On all fours in a tabletop position. Wrists under shoulders, knees under hips. Inhale extend your spine, exhale flex your spine.
Complete 6-8 reps.
Workout
1. Seated row
Sit on your mat with your legs extended in front of you, keeping your spine upright and a slight bend in your knees. Relax your shoulders and lift your chest. Place the flex band across the balls of your feet and press your feet evenly into the band. Hold the flex band closer to your knees, with your arms extended forward.
Inhale to prepare, exhale as you draw your elbows back alongside your body and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Keep your chest lifted. Aim to complete 10 repetitions.
Focus: Keep the chest lifted and initiate drawing back the elbows with the contraction of the shoulder blades.
2. Deadbug
Lie on your back and bring your knees up so they are at a 90-degree angle. Keep your knees over your hips, or bring them closer to your chest if you have any discomfort in your lower back. Extend both arms up towards the ceiling with your fingertips pointing upwards. Press your right hand and thigh against each other. Inhale and get ready, then exhale as you extend your left arm and leg out. Inhale as you return to the starting position. Do 10 repetitions on each side.
Focus: Works the lower abs and obliques to stabilise while extending the arm and leg. Only lower your leg and arm as low as you can maintain your back on the mat.
3. Kneeling lunge with thoracic mobility
Start from a kneeling position, then step your right foot forward and wider than hip's distance to come into a lunge. Turn your toes out, your heel points in. Place your right hand down on the mat or block on the inside of your right leg. Hinge your torso forward, place your left hand on the back of your head, and gently press your hand and the back of your head into each other, with your elbow pointing down towards the mat. Inhale and twist open to the left, reaching your elbow up towards the ceiling, then exhale and twist down towards your right ankle. Do 10 reps on each side.
Focus: Hip flexor and chest stretch and mid-upper back and ribcage mobility. Move with the breath as much as possible.
4. Superwoman
Come on to your belly with arms and legs extended. Draw your navel in, relax your shoulders, and gently tone your leg muscles. Inhale to prepare, exhale lift your upper torso and legs off your mat, inhale pause, and exhale to lower. Lengthen the crown of your head away from your toes to create space and lift. Complete 10 reps.
Focus: Maintain the length of the spine while lifting the torso and limbs. Targets all postural muscles - calves, hamstrings, glutes, and back extensor muscles.
5. Glute bridge
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hips distance. Place a yoga block between your thighs and squeeze your inner thighs into the block without moving your legs towards each other. Maintain this inner thigh squeeze. Reach your fingertips towards the ceiling with your palms facing inwards. Plant your feet into the mat. Inhale to prepare, exhale to lift your hips, and then inhale to lower them back down.
Focus: Maintain the inner thigh squeeze, and your feet firmly planted on the floor. Initiate the lift with the squeeze of your glutes.
Bonus: Chest stretch
If you spend long hours sitting at a desk, this stretch is for you! Roll your beach towel so it's wide enough to place across your mat. Sit in front of the towel and lie down so your shoulder blades rest on the towel. If your neck feels strained, place another towel under your head. You should be able to swallow easily. Bring your arms into a cactus shape and bend your knees. From here, you can take your legs wide and let your knees fall in towards each other, or extend your legs fully.
Focus: Chest stretch, mid-upper backstretch, and release. Breathe in deeply, and exhale slowly. Over time you can increase the size of the support under the shoulder blades to get a deeper stretch.
Cool down
Knees to chest
Draw both knees into the chest and rock gently from side to side.
Windshield wipers + twist
Lie on your back with your feet wider than your hips and your arms in a cactus position. Slowly shift your knees from side to side, holding each side for 3 breaths.
Savasana
Lie on your back, extend your arms and legs as wide as your mat, take deep breaths, and relax.
You did it! Well done! How do you feel? I hope you enjoyed this workout and learning more about your posture. Be sure to make it a part of your weekly routine!
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Read more from Jennifer Jones
Jennifer Jones, Pilates & Yoga Teacher
Jennifer Jones is a certified Stott Pilates® Matwork Instructor, registered E-RYT 200HR, 500HR Rasa Yoga teacher, and a CNTRD Wellness Meditation teacher. For many years, health and fitness have been an important part of her life in helping manage frequent back pain. As a teacher, Jennifer's passion is to educate and empower her students and clients by providing them with useful tools to support their well-being. Her classes are inclusive, creative, fun, and educational. Jennifer is a highly experienced pilates and yoga instructor who holds multiple certifications including specialties in Group Matwork, Core®, Hot Yoga, and Yin Yoga.
