4 Stretches That Will Help You Correct Your Posture

Suffering from back pain or muscle aches is very common in adults. Daily routine and stress can strain your muscles and affect your posture. Therefore, we recommend some stretches to correct body posture.

The human body is like a perfect machine with its parts interlocked, so we must take care of it and pay special attention to what it says. Do you suffer from back, hip, shoulder or head pain? These can be signs that something is not right with your posture, so you should work on improving it.

Although it seems incredible, body posture can affect some internal organs of the body, breathing and digestion. This is due to the tension of the muscles, those responsible for maintaining balance, standing upright and facilitating body movements.

Likewise, an incorrect posture can cause ailments such as scoliosis, torticollis, kyphosis, low back pain or shoulder tendonitis that in their most serious cases require the help of a specialist. Luckily, these discomforts can be alleviated, or even prevented, with frequent simple stretching exercises.

Muscles modify the orientation of the bones and this includes, of course, the spine, which is our support. For this reason, the work must start from the muscles and there are several stretches to correct posture that are very effective, so start stretching your muscles!

Some stretches to correct posture

1. Neck lift with the chin back

First of all, keep in mind that you should do this stretch very carefully to avoid neck injuries or make them worse if you already have them.

• Stand up straight, with your feet parallel to the hips, and gently push your chin back with the help of your fingers.
• Count to three slowly and then relax. 

• You can do it with your eyes open or closed. If you choose the latter option, you can combine it with a deep breath to relax even more.

Benefits of this stretch

• Reduces neck pain.
• Improve back posture.
• Strengthens the muscles of the neck.

2. Stretch your arms behind your back

As in the previous case, do this stretch slowly and smoothly. Remember that at no time should you strain your muscles. So if you feel pain, relax a bit.

• To start, put your arms back and interlock your fingers.
• Raise your arms slowly until you feel your chest stretch.

Benefits of this stretch

• Corrects the hunched shoulders posture.
• Releases tension in the chest muscles.
• Release tension from your shoulders.

3. Stretching your arms against the wall

• Approach a wall and stretch one of your arms horizontally. The palm of the hand should be against the wall.
• Then exert a little pressure by turning your body away from your outstretched arm.
• Hold the position for ten seconds and then repeat the exercise with the other arm.
• While holding the pose, it would be good to inhale and exhale deeply to release tension.

Benefits of this stretch

• Stretch your pectoral muscles.
• Releases tension in the shoulders.
• Reduces pain in the shoulders.

4. Stretch the hip adductors

• First, sit on the floor and place your legs in a butterfly position.
• Bring the soles of your feet together and bring them as close to your body as possible without causing a lot of pain.
• Then, with the help of your elbows, bring your knees slightly outwards. Hold the position for 20 seconds.

Benefits of this stretch

• Reduces pelvic tilt.
• Reduces the curve of the back of the back.
• Relieves pain in the hips and lower back.

With these stretches to correct posture you can relieve muscle and lower back pain. You can also reduce stress, the risk of injury and your physical condition will improve significantly.

Good postural hygiene is always beneficial

Do the exercises daily to get results. Remember that your body is used to wrong postures and it will take time to get used to adopting correct postures.

Being aware of your body is essential for you to detect and correct postures that are not adequate and cause you discomfort. It’s no easy task to correct your hunched or slumped posture just by thinking about it. You must be careful to stay upright and complement this work with exercises that will undoubtedly help you.

However, if your posture problem is more severe, it may not be possible for you to correct it yourself and you should seek help from a specialist. The important thing is that you worry about improving your physical condition and at the same time improving your self-esteem. Having good posture will also make you feel more confident  and even improve your physical appearance.