Energy in Motion: Get Out of Your Slump: Good Posture Tips to Relieve Pain and Stress

Poor posture is often due to our daily activities such as hours of sitting in front of a computer, slouching while driving and watching television, and leaning forward when cleaning, gardening, etc. Nobody thinks about his or her posture all day---the trick is programming yourself into creating new habits.

To help change those bad habits, start by strengthening the muscles of the neck, back and core. Pilates offers many different exercises, for all levels of ability, which strengthen the back and core. Examples include the hundred, single leg stretch, plank and swimming. Resistance exercises such as reverse flies and rear delt row will strengthen the posterior deltoids and help keep your shoulders from rounding forward.

Exercises that focus on posture correction, including those that incorporate relaxing the shoulders away from the ears and pulling the chin towards the back of the head to align the spine, are helpful for eliminating bad slouching habits. Stretching and reducing stress is also key. A gentle style of yoga can help increase flexibility in the chest and shoulders and the breathing exercises do wonders for turning stress into bliss!

My recommendation is to find a trainer that can assist you with learning these different exercises; proper form and technique is essential to see results.