Posture is everything when it comes to looking good. You can wear a gorgeous dress worth thousands, but if you can’t stand up straight, chances are you won’t bedazzle in it like you expect yourself to. Having good posture is not only beneficial in looking good and tall, but it’s also important for your general well-being. Back pains can lower your energy level, affect your digestion and even cause throbbing headaches.
Fortunately, with a few exercises daily, you can actually correct your posture into perfect alignment. The key is to stretch and strengthen your body. Here are six simple exercises that can help you correct your posture.
1. Child’s Pose
Yoga’s a great form of exercises to improve your posture as it consists of a lot of stretching and it strengthens your back because a lot of the positions require your to use the strength from your back.
The child’s pose is generally the first position in yoga. It’s a very light form of exercise that helps your stretch and warm your body up immediately. Stand on your knees with your arms up, then exhale slowly as your bring your buttocks to your heels, and lower your upper body to the floor. Stretch your arms in front of you and press your palms to the floor. As you inhale, lift your body up and go back to the starting position. Repeat six to eight times.
2. Cobra Pose
Once you’ve warmed up your spine and the rest of your body with the child’s pose, it’s time to move on to something for a little more stretch. Lie on your stomach with your hands by your shoulders. Gently press your hands into the floor, and then elevate your chest and arch your spine. Hold your pose as you take in three deep breaths before you lower your body. Repeat 10 times a day.
3. The Balancing Crane
Grab a pair of dumbbells or if you don’t have any, two cans of soup or a pair of 1 liter water bottles should suffice. Hold the dumbbells in front of your thighs, and bend forward from your hips. Keep your back flat and allow your arms to hang straight toward the ground.
With a slight bend in your arms too, raise the weights out to your sides. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, and slowly lower back to the starting position slowly. Repeat 10 times
4. Bridge Pose
Lie back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your arms up and with your palms facing down, interlock your fingers. This is where it gets a little challenging – Inhale and press down your feet and your lift your pelvis off the floor, with the back of your neck is flat on the floor. Do this slowly and remember to take deep breaths. Exhale as your return to your starting position. Repeat six times.
5. The Plank
Planking is a popular form of exercise that strengthens all your core muscles without having to flail your arms around. Although it may look simple, it can be extremely challenging to beginners. Start by laying flat on your stomach, with your feet flat against the wall. Get up on your elbows and keep your neck straight.
Then lift your body up only sung the strength of your toes and forearms. The trick is practice, but tighten your belly muscles and breathe. If you’ve not done it before, plank for about 5 to 10 seconds. Aim for a full 60 seconds of planking in short intervals if you’re having a hard time.
6. The Swimmer
Similar to planking, this position wouldn’t be as strenuous. Simply lie down on the floor with your legs together and your arms over your head. Then lift your arms and legs a few inches off the ground.
As you stay lifted, try to bring your arms back as your rotate your wrist to hold your hands from the back. If you can’t reach, simply stretch to bring your palms as close as the can together. Remember to keep breathing. Slowly reverse the move and return to the starting position. Repeat 6 times.
