Having poor posture creates more stress on your body, and that stress negatively affects your overall health. Maybe it’s easier said than done; but I’d rather go through life with my best efforts rather than giving up on myself. Along with workouts and stretches for posture, I also practice good posture throughout the day; like when I do the laundry, while sitting, how I look at my phone, when I pick up my baby, and while cleaning. I also really try to be intentional with my posture while pregnant and nursing, so that I’m protecting myself from poor posture and the ill effects it has.
My focus in this workout video is to demonstrate and give instruction on how to do the movements correctly to prevent injury.
The first move is Shoulder Blade Pinchers
- This one is good for everyone, especially if you have a desk job and have a tendency to slouch.
- For this one activate your shoulders down and towards each other, repeating a subtle squeezing movement.
- I like to do about 40 of these.
Next is Standing Windmills
- For this one, lock your arms at shoulder height, hands facing out, thumbs up
- Start with your feet hip-width apart and then bend from your waist, moving your torso from one side to the other.
- I recommend doing this against a wall, touching your head, back, butt and heels to the wall throughout the motion
- I do a set of 10 with my feet in starting position, then another set a step wider, and a third set a step wider than that.
Next is Walking Lunge Twists
- Make sure when you lunge, your knee is directly over your ankle planted and then twist your torso towards your lunging knee.
- Alternate legs as you go.
- Aim to do three sets of 12 on each side.
Next is Zombie Walks
- Lift your knee to 90 degrees or as high as your belly button and keep each foot in alignment with your hips.
- Do 40 steps of these or more.
Next is Bridge Pose
- Start with your feet hip width apart and lift up your hips, really squeezing your glutes as you reach the top.
- This helps strengthen the back of your legs and glutes.
- The key here is to focus on slow steady movement.
- Aim to do 40-50 of these.
Last is Cat & Dog
- With this move align your hands under your shoulders, knees under your hips and look up to the sky like a dog while you drop your hips.
- Then as you exhale, round your back like a frazzled cat and lift your hips to the sky while you drop your head down.
- Do this fluidly and with control for about a minute.
I hope you enjoyed this workout! Try incorporating these moves over the next week and notice the improvements in your posture and stress levels! You may want to try these moves in front of a mirror so you can watch your posture and correct if needed.
Like this workout? Have questions? Share with me at #bethanystylehealth
p.s. Optimizing your health — this includes movement and posture — is one of the topics we cover in the Unstoppable Year online course. Learn more.
