How to have better posture on 43 Things

How to have better posture by trico

It took me

7 days

It made me

feel good

"Learn to pull your shoulders into right position to achieve better posture."

How I did it: I learned this from a cranial-sacral therapist.

Lie on your back. Reach your arms straight up and extend them as far out as you comfortably can. Keeping them straight, pull your shoulders back so that they reach as short as you comfortably can. (That is, just the opposite of the first move.) Put your arms along your body, keeping the shoulders back. Pull your arms and shoulder blades down.

Learn to do this standing up. (Or you may even start standing up, reaching out, then retracting, then letting arms hang, then pulling shoulder blades down. But it's easier lying down.)

That's it!

The reason we don't have good posture is usually related to slumping. Slumping is due to not having the shoulders back. But just pulling the shoulders back alone won't work--they won't "stay"--unless you learn to pull the shoulder blades together and down.

It's done wonders for me.

33 people found this helpful

Nov 16, 2008, 02:15PM PST | 6 comments | 21 cheers

Comments:

misslariss You cheated on me?? When I specifically asked you not to?!

Awesome exercise

Thanks for sharing… it makes total sense, because usually when you think of ‘good posture’, you think of shoulders back, and not shoulders down and back!

I’m going to try this out!

Dec 27, 2008, 12:12PM PST | Respond to this

hfayew

Felt natural

Just sitting here at the desk I did your exercise. When you pull your shoulders back from the far reach they actually seem to set in there proper place. I honestly feel better all ready. Thanks for the tip!

Jan 22, 2009, 08:24PM PST | Respond to this

perpender is packing & preparing for a move

Thanks for the suggestion...

I tried it while sitting at the computer. I could feel joints moving from before my arms got parallel with the floor through the remainder of the movement. I felt better after the first one, then did it 3 more times!

This move also helped me to confirm the tingling in my hands is from my neck/shoulder region, NOT carpal tunnel.

May 25, 01:17AM PDT | Respond to this