Exercises that can help you fix bad posture

Many of us sit in front of a computer or at a desk for hours each day, and if we’re not careful our backs are usually howling at us. Slouching at your desk may seem relatively harmless but poor posture can cause muscle tension, back pain, joint pain, headaches, and poor circulation. If you aren’t attentive, you can even cause shortness of breath and general fatigue by slumping (via Healthline).

About 80 percent of adults have low back pain at some point, and It’s definitely the greatest foe to workplace productivity, accounting for the most job-related disabilities and missed work days (via National Institute for Neurological Disorders).

Posture is ultra important if you consider the consequences of slouching. For every inch the head moves forward in posture, it multiples its weight on your shoulders and back tenfold. If a head weighs 12 pounds and is leaning forward three inches it’s essentially putting an additional 42 pounds on your back, which is obviously less than ideal for back health (via Heritage Victor Valley Medical Group). If you find yourself constantly hunched over, try some following exercises to fix your bad posture.

Easy exercises to improve posture

The best thing to ensure your body is feeling good is just to move. Getting up to drink water, stretch, or even to use the bathroom every 30 minutes or so is a good rule of thumb (via Mind Body Green).

An affective (albeit unflattering) exercise is the chin tuck. Get in a seated position with your feet flat on the floor, relax your shoulders, look straight ahead, then move your chin straight back. Don’t tilt your head up or down. It should feel like a subtle movement and you should expect to have a nice double chin during the exercise. Hold the position for five seconds and do five reps (via Saint Luke’s) .

Healthline recommends simple yoga poses throughout your day. Child’s pose is super simple and can offer a nice stretch. Start on all fours on your hands and knees, then sink your hips back toward your feet while walking your hands out in front of you, finally place your forehead on the floor. The pose should help you relax. Staying in child’s pose for five minutes should benefit your back.

You can also hold a plank pose. Planking strengthens your shoulders and back as well as your core, which helps support your spine. To perform a plank, start on your hands a knees and then tuck your toes behind you, like a push-up position. Make sure that you’re back isn’t swaying and your stomach muscles are tight. Just hold the position as long as you can and then repeat (via WebMD).

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