4 Posture Exercises To Get You Started

When it comes to posture, it is important to recognize how one area of the body can effect another.  A muscular strength discrepancy in the hips can effect your shoulders.  Poor ankle mobility can effect your knees.  Stiffness in the low back can change your gait patterns, which can manifest into shoulder or elbow issues and/or knee problems.  For this reason, I like to focus on a few simple musculoskeletal areas that are most likely affecting you.  Hopefully these exercises will help you see how each segment of the body is connected to another.  Here are some simple mobility and stability exercises to implement into your daily routines to stop the regression into poor(er) posture.

4 exercises to target the main areas  effecting your posture: stability and mobility at the shoulders, trunk, hips, and ankles.

While you try these exercises, compare your left side to your right side for discrepancies.  Just because one side feels good, doesn’t mean the other side will feel the same.  While these selected exercises may not suit everyone, they can be used as a starting point to assess where you may be experiencing some stiffness, weakness, and perhaps even some pain symptoms. Please note that if pain is felt, do not proceed with the exercise.  It is advisable to make an appointment with a health practitioner for a more thorough assessment and to diagnose the problem.  Pain is a sign your body is not happy and the sooner you can address it, the better.

Give these a try!

1. Hip Flexor and Calf Stretch   

Step 1 foot up on a  step or stable platform about shin or knee height, keep hips/knees/and toes square to the front.  Keep the torso as upright as possible with a slight posterior pelvic tilt and lean forward to get a stretch in the rear hip flexors (front of hip a
rea).  Ensure to keep rear leg straight with the heel pressing into the ground.  Stretch should be felt in the hip flexors and/or calf of the rear leg.  Hold 5 seconds, release, repeat 5 times.  Switch legs and repeat.  This stretch focuses on hip and ankle mobility.  The hip flexors play a vital role in our body’s everyday  movements.  Without going into too much detail, tightness in the hip flexors has a cause/effect relationship with our glutes, lower back, and ankles.  The glutes need good mobility of the hips in order to contract properly.  The calves often compensate for poor hip biomechanics.  This particular stretch addresses that by involving all 3 structures in a simple hip extension position.  Quite often when this stretch is attempted, the lower back arches or the back knee bends.  Make sure to keep a slight posterior pelvic tilt and the back knee straight to get a good stretch through this pattern.  Our bodies move through this position numerous times a day as we walk, take the stairs, and get up and down off a chair.  

2.  Seated Rotations 

Sit Upright with Knees at 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor, arms across the chest.   Inhale and rotate as far as you can pain-free to one side as you exhale.  Inhale to return to the centre, and repeat  on the other side.  Repeat 10x alternating sides.

This rotation is all about core stability and active range of motion, both of which are imperative for all of our everyday movements. If you’ve ever broken a rib, you’ll know how much this area can be effected! Make sure that your feet are evenly placed flat on the floor and that they do not move as you rotate.  I like to exhale as I rotate, do not hold your breath.  If this movement feels easy, you can increase the intensity by gently pressing a rolled up towel or pillow between your knees.  This will minimize any hip movement and get more activation through the thoraco-lumbar area (the ribs and low back).  This is a safe way to strengthen your trunk rotators without excessive strain or compensation from other structures.  You’ll feel your obliques working as well as some muscles through the back and shoulder blades.  You may also feel some areas stretching.          

3. Crocodile Bites

Lie on your side with the top knee propped on a 15-20cm Med Ball or stable object at 90 degrees from the hip, straight arms extended in front of the shoulders with palms together.  Slowly move the top arm off the ground and reach as far behind as possible, taking the shoulders with you.  Keep the top knee bent at 90 degrees and stable on the ball/object; don’t let it move.  The aim is to rotate through your mid-section to get both shoulder blades on the floor while keeping your hips square.  Repeat 5x on each side, focusing on the upper body rotating while the hips stay stationary.

This side-lying trunk rotation is a great mobility exercise.  The position helps the body relax without actively holding one’s body weight, and the arm movement helps us connect the relationship between tight chest/shoulders and its effect on the hips.  People often ask “what does my sore back have to do with my chest muscles?”.  Try these crocodile bites and see for yourself!  As you rotate your arm up and over to the floor behind you, or as far as you can, you will notice that you need a lot of mobility through the trunk and shoulders to do so.  Tight chest muscles will restrict this movement, which in turn can cause the lower back to compensate and take on more stress.  Compensation often means faulty movement patterns leading to injury… (this is just one example!)          

4. Passive Chest Stretch over the foam roller 

Lie lengthwise on the roller, knees bent, arms out to the side about shoulder level, keep them relaxed so the elbows can touch the ground (don’t worry about how high you can get your arms)…..  and rest for 4-5 minutes.  Lie here and do nothing!  This is a great time to let the mind rest too.  
Finally, this is quite possibly my favourite thing to do on a foam roller… Nothing!  I recommend that people do this at least once a day, whenever suits them.  This position on a roller will allow the muscles to relax, letting gravity pull our arms down into the ground to open our chests and upper thoracic spine.  Make sure to allow the elbows to bend and touch the ground.  If this is too intense try elevating your elbows on a rolled up towel.  If your neck is uncomfortable in this position, roll a face towel under your neck to help support it.  If your chest is quite stiff, you may need to place your hands down closer to hip level – this will be easier to start with.  

I like to start with my hands around rib height for 1-2 minutes, then move them up around shoulder level (as shown in this photo) for the following 1-2 minutes .  Go at your own level, and don’t force the arms up.  I also don’t advise to use any weights to weigh down the arms, I prefer to let the weight of your own arms do the job.  And again, once in this position, do nothing!  Just relax and enjoy the gentle stretch.  When finished, you should feel like the upper back has a big hallow space between the shoulder blades and the shoulders are more mobile.    

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