15 posture exercises that only take 10 minutes

Why posture is important

With good posture, all the muscles in the body work optimally, the limbs move in full range without restriction, and the body weight is placed above the feet, ensuring perfect balance.

When posture deteriorates, an imbalance occurs in the body: some muscles shorten, others weaken and lengthen. Over time, the new position is fixed by the fascia network - the connective tissue that surrounds and permeates all muscles and organs.

The body begins to work ineffectively, the load on the ligaments, tendons and muscles increases, and the sense of balance deteriorates. Over time, structures wear out, range of motion is limited, and pain occurs.

Moreover, posture can affect a person's mental state. For example, one study found that a straighter back reduced levels of fatigue, anxiety and depression and improved overall emotional levels.

How posture exercises work

The exercises on our list are used in yoga and physical therapy to relieve back and neck pain and improve posture.

First of all, they are aimed at strengthening the body. Strong muscles will keep your back straight and your shoulders straight, preventing your neck from coming forward and your lower back from flexing excessively. At the same time, the movement will help stretch tight and shortened muscles that cause you to slouch or tilt your pelvis forward.

Posture exercises are suitable for all fitness levels and are safe for healthy people.

If you suffer from osteoarthritis, protrusions and herniated intervertebral discs, pinched nerves, fibromyalgia, muscle and ligament injuries and other problems with the musculoskeletal system, consult your doctor before exercising and exercise under the supervision of a trainer.

What posture exercises to perform

This set of posture exercises will sweep for about 10 minutes. You only need a rug to do this.

1. Inclination of the pelvis lying

This exercise is used to relieve back pain, help strengthen the abdominal muscles, and correct excessive lower back flexion.

Lie on the floor on your back, bend your knees and place your feet on the floor. Tilt your pelvis, pressing your lower back to the floor. Imagine pulling your pubic bone towards your belly button - this thought will help you understand what movement to make.

If done correctly, the buttocks will slightly rise above the surface, and the gap between the lower back and the floor will completely disappear. Count to yourself to five, relax and repeat 2-4 more times.

2. Child's pose

This exercise stretches the muscles in your shoulders and back and helps you relax and release tension.

Get on all fours, then push your pelvis back, lie on your knees with your stomach and stretch your arms forward. Place your forehead on the mat and relax. Feel the spine stretch.

If you want to increase the stretch in your shoulders, move your knees slightly apart, as in the photo, and stretch your chest towards the floor. Spend 30 seconds in the pose.

3. Forward bend

Exercise relieves tension from the back, stretches the back of the thigh and buttocks.

Stand up straight with your feet together. Lean forward, keeping your lower back in a neutral position. As soon as it starts to round, stop.

Depending on how low you got to bend, place your hands on the floor on either side of your legs, place them on top of your feet or shins. If there is a lot of pulling under your knees, you can bend them a little.

Hold in position for 30 seconds.

4. "Cat-cow"

This exercise stretches the back muscles and increases the mobility of the spine.

Get on all fours. With an inhalation, round your back like a frightened cat, press your chin to your chest and push the floor away from you with your hands. Then, exhale, arch your back, turning your shoulders outward. Try to bend more in the thoracic spine - feel the place between the shoulder blades. Alternate positions for 30 seconds.

5. Breast opening

Exercise stretches the pectoral muscles and anterior deltas, which are often shortened and stiff in people with a stooped back and extended shoulders.

Stand up straight, draw in your knees, tighten your abs, and tilt your pelvis back - pull your pubic bone towards your navel. Straighten and lower your shoulders, bring your hands behind your back and lock your fingers.

Gently and gently raise your straight arms behind your back until you feel discomfort. Do not do it through the pain, so as not to get hurt. Fix the position for 1-2 seconds, lower your arms back and repeat five more times.

6. High bar

This movement will strengthen the core muscles, which are responsible for maintaining good posture and balance.

Stand upright, place your wrists under your shoulders, stretch your body in one line from crown to heels. Pull in your stomach and tighten your glutes to keep your lower back neutral. Direct your gaze to the floor in front of you.

Hold the bar for 30 seconds. If your wrists are sore, lower your forearms to the floor and do an elbow plank.

7. Side bar

This exercise perfectly loads the rectus and oblique muscles of the abdomen, pumps the back. If you have scoliosis, try doing a side plank on one side only - this will help reduce the curvature.

Posture Exercises: Outstretched Arm Side Plank

Lie on your side, place your feet on top of each other, with your wrist next to your shoulder. Lift your pelvis off the floor and extend your body in one line from feet to crown. Pull your other hand up, look at the wall in front of you.

Make sure that the whole body is in the same plane, without tilting the shoulders forward or pulling the pelvis back. Tighten the abs and buttocks, do not let the pelvis sink to the floor.

Spend 30-60 seconds in the pose. If you have scoliosis and your right shoulder is higher, do the side plank on your right arm only. If there is no curvature, move to both sides.

8. Downward-facing dog

The exercise relieves the back, stretches the muscles on the back of the thigh and shoulders.

Stand upright, place your wrists shoulder-width apart and press your palms to the floor. Bring your pelvis up and straighten your back from the tailbone to the neck.

Keep your lower back neutral, if it is rounded - bend your knees slightly and lift your heels off the floor. Try to bend in the thoracic spine, turn your shoulders to the sides without lifting your palms off the floor.

Spend 30-60 seconds in the pose.

9. Table pose

This exercise stretches the pectoral muscles and the front of the shoulders, and strengthens the glutes and the back of the thigh.

Sit on the floor, place your hands behind your body, bend your legs at the knees. Raise your pelvis so that the body is stretched from shoulders to knees in a straight line. Don't throw your head back, look at the ceiling. Hold the position for 30 seconds, straining the buttocks so that the pelvis does not drop.

10. Dove pose

This movement opens the hips and stretches the iliopsoas muscles, which are often shortened in those who spend a lot of time sitting.

Get on all fours, bend one knee and bring it forward. Place your thigh on the floor between your hands, straighten the other leg back. Expand the pelvis so that both bones are facing forward. Inhale, stretch your back up, straighten your shoulders and look at the ceiling.

If in this position the hip lying in front comes off the floor, place a blanket folded several times under it.

Then, with your back straight, bend forward, place your stomach on your thigh and lower your forehead onto the mat. You can place a block or rolled up blanket under your head to make it more comfortable.

Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other leg.

11. Rotation of the thoracic spine

A 2019 analysis of scientific papers on the impact of the thoracic spine on neck pain suggested that poor posture while working at a computer could cause upper back stiffness.

This, in turn, increases thoracic kyphosis (stoop), makes the neck stretch forward, and can result in problems with the cervical spine. Exercising your chest mobility will help restore flexibility to your back and prevent pain.

Lie on the floor on your left side, bend your right leg at the knee and place it on some kind of elevation, for example, on a rolled blanket. Stretch your arms in front of the body and connect.

Raise your right hand up and swing your chest toward the ceiling. Try to put your right hand on the floor to the right of your body, but do not change the position of your hips. Your knee should not come off the blanket throughout the exercise.

Perform 5 slow, controlled movements on each side.

12. Glute bridge and scapula lift

This exercise strengthens the gluteal muscles and hips, as well as stretches the chest and pumps the back.

Lie on the floor, bend your knees and place your feet on the floor. Spread your arms to the sides, bend at the elbows and direct your hands to the ceiling. Lift your pelvis off the floor, squeezing your buttocks as hard as you can. Raise your hips as high as you can, lock for a second and return to the floor.

Then, leaning on your elbows, lift your chest towards the ceiling, arching in your chest. Freeze in the pose for a couple of seconds and lower yourself to the floor. Repeat a bunch of movements for 30 seconds.

13. "Bird-dog"

Exercise strengthens the muscles of the back and buttocks, pumps the sense of balance.

Get on all fours, simultaneously raise your right leg and left arm. At the same time, try to keep the body as straight as if all four limbs were on the floor.

Lock the position for a second, squeezing the buttocks, and then return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Perform for 30 seconds, alternating sides every other time.

14. Raising arms with a deadlift on the stomach

The movement pumps the muscles of the back, on the strength of which your ability to maintain a straight position and not slouch depends.

Lie on your stomach, stretch your arms forward, straighten your legs. Lift your chest off the floor, trying to raise the body as high as possible, and then bend your elbows and pull them back, as if you were pulling a heavy object to your face. It is important not just to bend your arms, but to pull them towards you with effort and at the same time not lower your chest to the floor.

Fix the extreme position for a couple of seconds without relaxing the tension in the muscles of the back, and then stretch your arms forward and repeat again. Work for 30 seconds.

15. Deep lunge on one knee

This movement stretches the hip flexor muscles.

Posture exercises: deep lunge on one knee

Make a deep lunge forward with your right foot, lower your left knee to the floor. Bring your pelvis forward, increasing the stretch, straighten your back and straighten your shoulders. You can wiggle back and forth a little, deepening the stretch, but do it smoothly.

Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other leg.

How to do posture exercises

For your posture to change for the better, your body needs to get used to the new position. And this requires regular exercise. Exercise daily and even several times a day. For example, you can do the complex in the morning as a exercise, and then repeat it in the evening after a working day.

If you sit a lot during the day, get up every 45-60 minutes and do a little warm-up.

After a few weeks of regular exercise, you will stop suffering from pain in the lower back and neck, and you will more often notice that you are slouching or standing with a strong bend in the lower back. Make these posture exercises a part of your life, and your body will begin to change for the better.