Poor posture can take a serious toll on not only your spine, but your shoulders, hips, knees, and joints, regardless of how healthy you eat and how much you go to the gym. Fortunately, Dr. Barry Goldstein, a NYC chiropractor, can tell you a few ways to fix your posture so you can be sitting and standing up straight in no time.
If you have stiff muscles in the back of your neck that cause your head to lean a bit forward, drop your chin down to your sternum, moving your head only, to stretch the back of your neck. Hold and count to five. Repeat this exercise ten times each day until your posture improves.
If your shoulders are rounded over, the NYC chiropractor says you have a weakness in the middle and lower part of your back muscles. You can lay on the floor facedown, with each arm at a 90-degree angle with your palms down. Raise both of your arms by pulling your shoulders back and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Do not change the 90-degree angle of your arms. Hold this for five seconds. Try doing a few sets of 12 repetitions every day to fix your posture.
As far as going to the gym, NYC chiropractor, Dr. Barry Goldstein, suggests practicing yoga, planks, and doing your squats. These movements strengthen your core to fix your posture over time.
To assess your posture and keep up with your progress, the NYC chiropractor says to take full body photos of yourself in a mirror, one from the front and one from the side. Relax all of your muscles and stand as tall as you can, with your feet hip-width apart. If your ear is in front of the midpoint of your shoulder, your head is too far forward. If you can see your shoulder blade, your back is too rounded. Make sure one shoulder is not higher than the other. Your kneecaps should not be pointing inward.
