Slouching when sitting down or standing up won’t really inspire confidence in you and may not look great either. What’s more, this can be detrimental to your overall health as well as it can affect the rest of your body. The good news is that there are ways for you to correct your posture so you will feel taller, more flexible, and stronger in no time. Here are six ways that can help you get that back straightened up.
- For rounded shoulders. If you notice that you have rounded shoulders, you need to lie on the floor facedown. Your arms should be at a 90-degree angle or as if you’re doing a high-five. Keep your arms in this position as you pull your shoulders back to lift them up. Squeeze your shoulder blades as you raise your arms up. Hold this pose for five seconds before releasing. This counts as 1 rep. Do 2 to 3 sets of 12 reps.
- For elevated shoulders. If the muscles under your chest or the muscles that run from the ribs to the shoulder blades are weak, you will need to do this exercise. Start by sitting upright on your chair with hands placed next to the hips. Your palms should be down on the seat of your chair with your arms straight. Push down on your chair to lift your hips off the seat and that your upper body rises. Hold this pose for five seconds before releasing. This counts as one rep. Again do 2 to 3 sets of 12 reps.
- For duck feet. If you have duck feet, it means that you have weak hip flexors and oblique muscles. The best way to correct this is to follow this exercise. Start by going into a pushup position with your feet placed on top of a stability ball. Tuck knees under the torso as you roll the stability ball towards your body using your feet. Make sure that you don’t round your lower back when you roll the ball forward. Go back to first position and repeat. Do two to three sets of six to twelve repetitions regularly.
- For pigeon toes. This problem is often linked to weak glutes or muscles in the butt. Fix this by lying down on one side with knees bent at 90 degrees with heels together. Raise top knee up while making sure that the hips remain unmoving. Hold this pose for five seconds before lowering knee to first position. This counts as one rep. Again, do 2 to 3 sets of 12 reps.
- For anterior pelvic tilt. If your hip flexors are a bit tight, do this exercise. Kneel down on left knee with right foot placed in front of you and with your right knee bent. Press forward to get that stretch in your left hip. Engage your butt muscles on the left side until you feel that front hip stretching nicely. Reach upward with left arm and stretch towards the right side. Hold this pose for 20 seconds before releasing. This counts as one rep. Repeat three times before switching sides.
For forward head. Problem with the muscles behind your neck? For stiff neck muscles, move your head forward to bring chin down and in towards the sternum to give your neck muscles a nice stretch. Hold this for five counts before going back to first position. Repeat this 10 times daily.
