Poor posture happens so gradually that it may be hard to notice you are starting to hunch over. But you may notice that you are starting to experience neck and back pain and stiffness. There are a variety of ways to improve your posture but stretching is an excellent place to start. To improve your posture with stretching, you should stretch all over. Flexibility training is an essential, yet often overlooked health-related component of fitness. Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Regular stretching can help you to perform everyday activities with relative ease, as well as it can also help delay the reduced mobility that can come with aging. Stretching will not only make you limber, but it can also alleviate back pain and improve your posture.
There are some simple stretches for better posture that you can do in less than five minutes a day:
- Wall Angels: This exercise is a simple way to test your posture. To do this exercise, simply lean back against the wall and lift your arms up and down. Make sure your rear is touching the wall and your back is flat against the wall.
- Shoulders back: This stretch helps open up the pectoral muscles, expands the heart, releases the back, and gets your blood flowing.
- Stand firmly on two feet: Interlock your fingers behind your back and then slowly lift your arms. Only lift your arms as high as they can go without lifting your shoulders. Again, feel your spine lengthen as you stretch. Imagine your heart pouring forward and your shoulder blades and tailbone dropping down toward the earth.
- Line stretch: Sit down with your hands inter clasped behind your neck, slowly bend your neck and back forward. Aim to feel a deep stretch between the neck and lower back region. Hold this stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds.
- Thoracic spine opener: Lie on your side, placing your top knee on a foam roller this link opens in a new tab next to you. From this position, take your top arm and windmill it over to the opposite side, opening up your chest and touching your back shoulder to the ground. Remember to keep your knee on the foam roller the entire time. After stretching one side, switch to the other. This stretch helps your thoracic mobility, reducing stress on your lumbar and cervical spine regions.
Read more: Ladies: Why Chest Exercises are Must for you?
Reported by Dr. Himani