Just Swim
Posture exercises to try at home
18/04/2020Swim England physiotherapist and Pilates instructor Karen Chapman has put together a video of posture exercises to try at home to keep your body healthy.
No matter how much activity we fit into our days, there aren’t too many people who don’t also spend time sitting for long periods of time.
Whether it’s studying, watching TV or zoning out on our mobile phones. Be honest – when was the last time you had a reminder on your phone or watch to stand up and move around?
Spending some time every day stretching out muscles prone to tightness, and waking up our core muscles, can be really beneficial.
Three gentle curves in the spine
Our spines naturally have three gentle curves.
In the lower back you have a lordosis, where the spine curves inwards. In the middle back, there’s a curving outwards called a kyphosis. And in the neck there is another lordosis.
These curves are really important to help our spine absorb shock so simply trying to be aware of these curves and trying to imagine a lengthening spine can really help you improve your posture.
It’s a bit more difficult to maintain the spinal curves when sitting but still really important.
Make sure whatever position you’re in, that you’re trying to keep your spine in a good alignment and don’t forget to get up and move regularly. If your phone or watch is telling you stand and have a walk around, it’s for good reason!
Our joints like to move. So even if you’re in a good position, make sure you are moving frequently.
Posture exercises to try at home
Make sure you are wearing something comfortable that you can move in, grab a small towel and, if you have them, an exercise mat and foam roller.
Then click play on the video below, and perform these posture exercises along with Karen. The exercises start at 1:09.
