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To correct posture and keep your back in line it is recommended to position your head a little further back, but in addition, strengthening your back muscles is also essential to keep your muscles strong and your joints in line with minimal effort.
Below is a short series of 5 exercises, 3 of which are strengthening and 2 of stretching, which can be performed at home 2 to 3 times a week to correct posture. These exercises strengthen the postural muscles forming a kind of natural 'belt', which is ideal for maintaining good posture.
Exercise 1
The first exercise consists of lying on your stomach with your arms along your body and then you should raise your arms and head off the floor, contracting your back, as shown in the image. It is recommended to repeat slowly, 3 to 5 times.
Exercise 2
While lying on your stomach, you should place your hands in the same direction as your head and then you should raise your torso off the floor, keeping your arms straight, always looking straight ahead, keeping your neck parallel to the floor and your shoulders away from your head.
Exercise 3
From the previous position, you should keep your hands in the same place, but you should sit on your heels, keeping your back elongated. Push your arms against the floor to keep your back as long as possible. Hold this position for 30 seconds at 1 minute.
Exercise 4
The feet and hands do not leave this position, but you should stretch your legs as far as you can to maintain the position of the pyramid. Use your back muscles to maintain a good position, and there is no need to put your heels on the floor. Hold this position for 30 seconds at 1 minute.
Exercise 5
Turning on your back, you should position your arms as shown in the image and raise your torso off the floor, maintaining this position for 30 seconds at 1 minute.
If you prefer to follow the performance of these exercises, watch the video:
What exercises help to improve posture?
Practicing balance and muscle strengthening exercises, such as ballet, weight training and horse riding, is also a great way to correct posture. Other good examples are the different types of dance, pilates or swimming, for example, because these exercises strengthen the erector muscles of the spine, pectorals, abdominals and posterior thigh region, which facilitate maintaining the correct posture in everyday life.
When in addition to bad posture there is back or neck pain, or frequent headache, a consultation with a physical therapist is advised because there are treatments such as RPG, which is Global Postural Reeducation, which is able to correct all these situations.