Good posture habits help us stay alert and prevent injury. According to WebMD, having good posture is essential for bone, joint and muscle health, and can even improve your mood and energy levels.
If you find yourself slouching throughout the day and want to improve your posture, consider tapping into your inner yogi and trying these three exercises.
Glute bridges
Glute bridges are a great way to help loosen the hips, relieve back pain, build glute muscles and, of course, improve posture. This simple movement helps keep the hips and pelvis aligned. Here’s how to properly do the exercise:
- While laying on your back, bring your knees to a bended position with your feet hip-width apart.
- Make sure your feet are about a foot away from the hips and buttocks.
- As you exhale, lift the hips towards the ceiling keeping the spine straight and hold for a few seconds then release back to the ground.
Cat-Cow
Not only does the cat-cow stretch help improve posture, it’s also great for those needing tension relief in the shoulders, neck and torso. Here’s how to properly do the exercise:
- On the floor on all fours, make sure your weight is distributed evenly between the hands and knees.
- As you inhale, look towards the ceiling while your stomach drops towards the floor.
- As you exhale, arch the spine slowly and carefully. Tucking your chin into the neck and curving the spine.
Child’s pose
For a nice deep stretch of the entire lower body, the child’s pose helps lengthen and strengthen the spine, glutes, hamstrings, arms, back and neck. Here’s how to do the pose:
- While on all fours, bring the knees together keeping the arms wide and reaching the corner of the yoga mat with the tops of your feet lying on the mat.
- Slowly push your hips back towards your heels, resting your belly on the top of your thighs.
- Gently place your forehead on the floor (or close to it). Sit in this position for a few a few minutes while breathing deeply.
A few other ways to help improve posture is working on plank variations — from side planks, all fours and forearms. Proper posture helps relieve stress on the muscles and ligaments. A 2017 study suggest posture can release stress physically, mentally and emotionally while helping deal with moderate depression.
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