12 Good Exercises To Improve Posture You Should Try

This yoga stretch is perfect for achieving spinal flexibility and relieving back tension. It was designed to help people with sedentary lifestyles or those experiencing back stiffness.

As the name suggests, this workout is performed in a fluid motion, transitioning between two poses: the "Cat" and the "Cow."

Steps To Follow:

• Start on your hands and knees (tabletop position).
• Inhale while arching your back (cow pose); lift your head and tailbone.
• Exhale as you round your back (cat pose), tucking your chin and pelvis.
• Alternate between these poses for several breaths.

Also called Balasana, this stretch promotes relaxation. This resting pose stretches the lower back, hips, thighs, and shoulders, often helping to calm the mind.

This exercise for good posture also allows the hips to open and the lower back to decompress. It is especially beneficial after long periods of sitting or standing.

Steps To Follow:

• Kneel on the floor with your big toes touching and knees spread apart.
• Sit back onto your heels, with your hips resting close to or on your heels.
• Stretch your arms forward, reaching as far as comfortable while keeping your palms on the floor.
• Gently lower your chest towards the ground. Bring your forehead to rest on the floor.
• Allow your entire body to relax in this position. Breathe deeply and hold the pose for 30 seconds to a few minutes.
• Slowly walk your hands back towards your knees and return to a seated position.

Useful for opening the chest, the cobra pose is named after the way the body resembles a cobra with its hood raised. In this position, the body arches upward, similar to how a cobra lifts its upper body off the ground and flares its hood when it feels threatened.

The cobra pose is a great exercise to improve posture and stretch the chest muscles. It's particularly beneficial for individuals who spend long hours sitting, as it helps counteract the effects of a hunched posture.

Steps To Follow:

• Lie face down on the floor with your legs extended and feet together.
• Position your hands underneath your shoulders, palms down, with elbows close to your body.
• Press your pelvis into the floor and engage your core muscles.
• Gently press into your hands and lift your chest off the ground.
• Keep your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears.
• Exhale and slowly lower your chest back to the floor.

This simple yet effective workout is focused on improving posture, shoulder mobility, and upper back strength. It involves moving the arms in a "snow angel" motion while keeping the back, head, and arms in contact with a wall.

This exercise is particularly beneficial for counteracting rounded shoulders and forward head posture, often caused by poor ergonomics.

Steps To Follow:

• Lean on a wall while standing. Keep your feet a few inches away from the base and your knees slightly bent.
• Maintain your lower back, upper back, head, and arms in contact with the wall.
• Slowly raise your arms into a "Y" position, keeping them in contact with the wall.
• Gradually bring your arms down to a "W" position by bending your elbows.

Considered one of the best posture exercises, the chest opener stretch counteracts the forward-rounded shoulders and slouched upper back. The workout engages pectoral muscles, which can become tight and shortened by hours of inactivity.

By lengthening these muscles and opening up the chest, the Chest Opener stretch encourages the shoulders to move back into a more neutral position.

Steps To Follow:

• Reach behind your back and interlace your fingers, with your palms facing each other.
• Gently straighten your arms as they get extended away from your back.
• Slowly lift your arms upward and pull your hands away from your body.
• As you lift your arms, feel the stretch across your chest and shoulders. Keep your neck relaxed.
• Breathe deeply and hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds. Slowly lower your arms and return to the starting position.

The planks activate and strengthen the core muscles, serving as a whole-body workout. By holding a static position, the plank works not only the abdominal muscles but also the lower back, hips, and shoulders.

Further, these exercises to help posture promote a neutral spine alignment and reduce the tendency to slouch by stabilizing the spine and upper body.

Steps To Follow:

• Begin in a push-up position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your legs extended.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles, and keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Maintain this position for 20-60 seconds, ensuring your hips do not sag or rise.
• Slowly lower your knees to the ground and rest.

The thoracic spine rotation exercise involves rotating the torso while keeping the pelvis stable, which helps to stretch and mobilize the thoracic vertebrae. Regularly doing this can alleviate stiffness and tightness that often contribute to a rounded or hunched upper back.

By increasing mobility in the thoracic spine, this exercise counteracts the effects of prolonged sitting or poor posture habits. It also helps in better shoulder alignment and reduces strain on the neck.

Steps To Follow:

• If seated, place your hands behind your head. If standing, place one hand on your opposite shoulder.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles to stabilize your torso.
• Rotate your upper body to one side, keeping your hips and lower body stable.
• Maintain the rotation for a few seconds before slowly returning to the starting position.
• Rotate to the opposite side and repeat the movement 5-10 times per side.

The Bird-Dog exercise is performed by extending one arm and the opposite leg simultaneously while maintaining a stable torso. It's named for its resemblance to a bird pointing its beak forward and a dog raising its leg during a stretching motion.

These good posture exercises are highly effective for enhancing core stability, lower back strength, and overall balance. It also helps improve coordination and supports spinal alignment.

Steps To Follow:

• Begin on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Your wrists should be under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
• Slowly extend your right arm forward while simultaneously extending your left leg straight back.
• Keep your hips and shoulders square to the ground, avoiding any tilting or shifting.
• Lower your arm and leg back to the initial position.
• Perform the same movement on the opposite side, with the left arm and right leg.

The standing forward bend is a simple yet highly effective stretch for improving posture by lengthening and decompressing the spine. This exercise involves bending forward from a standing position to stretch the hamstrings, lower back, and calves.

By elongating these muscles, it helps counteract the effects of tight hamstrings and a rounded lower back. The workout also contributes to better flexibility and muscle strength.

Steps To Follow:

• While standing, hinge at your hips, not your waist. Slowly bend forward towards the floor; keep your knees slightly bent if necessary.
• Let your head hang naturally and relax your shoulders away from your ears.
• Hold tight for about 30 seconds, breathing deeply and feeling the stretch in your hamstrings and lower back.
• Slowly roll up to a standing position, one vertebra at a time.

The reverse plank is an exercise that involves lifting your body into a straight line while supported by your hands and feet. This variation of the plank primarily targets the posterior chain, including the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.

By regularly practicing this plank variation, you can strengthen the muscles that support the spine and improve overall stability.

Steps To Follow:

• Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Meanwhile, the hands should be placed slightly behind your hips, with fingers pointing toward your feet.
• Press through your hands and heels as you lift the hips and torso off the ground.
• Keep your head, neck, and spine aligned, gazing slightly upward without straining your neck.
• Remain still for about 30 minutes before lowering your hips back to the floor.

Named for the way the body forms a "bridge" shape when lifted off the ground, these exercises to better posture power up the glutes and lower back. This workout is ideal for those looking to improve posture or alleviate lower back pain.

The bridge method involves raising the hips while keeping the shoulders and feet planted on the floor. It is an ideal stretch for athletes and individuals recovering from back injuries.

Steps To Follow:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles to stabilize your spine.
• Press through your heels, lifting your hips toward the ceiling until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
• Squeeze your glutes and hold the position for a few seconds.
• Gently lower your hips back to the floor, keeping control of the movement.

These exercises to correct posture are perfect for individuals with a relatively inactive lifestyle, especially desk workers. Excessive sitting can pull the pelvis forward and cause an anterior pelvic tilt. 

By regularly stretching the hip flexors, the tension is released. When the hip flexors are lengthened and relaxed, it reduces the strain on the lower back and helps maintain a healthier spine alignment.

Steps To Follow:

• Begin in a kneeling position with one knee on the ground and the other foot in front.
• The two knees should form a 90-degree angle.
• Keep your hips square and facing forward.
• Slowly shift your weight forward onto your front leg.
• After holding the position for 30 seconds, return to the starting position and repeat the stretch on the opposite side.

Maintaining a healthy posture is a fundamental prerequisite for healthy living. A fit posture supports the body's natural alignment and even allows for efficient movement.

A healthy posture is closely linked to a healthy life as it enables the body to perform daily activities with less effort and a lower risk of injury. It also supports mental well-being by boosting confidence and reducing feelings of fatigue.

Poor posture, on the other hand, can lead to a range of health problems. Over time, it can cause muscle strain, joint pain, and spinal issues such as herniated discs or degenerative conditions.

Benefits of Healthy Posture

1. Reduces Back and Neck Pain

When the body is correctly aligned, the natural curves of the spine are supported. This reduces unnecessary strain on the ligaments and muscles that support the spine, preventing tension and discomfort.

By adopting a good posture, individuals can prevent common issues like herniated discs, muscle fatigue, and tension headaches. Consistently maintaining proper posture can also promote the healing of existing pain by relieving the pressure on the affected areas.

2. Improves Breathing

With a proper posture, the chest cavity has more space to expand. The process allows the lungs to fully inflate with each breath.

This increased lung capacity enhances oxygen intake. Slouching or hunching over compresses the chest and diaphragm, restricting the ability of the lungs to expand fully.

3. Enhances Digestion

Healthy posture positively impacts digestion by preventing the compression of the abdominal organs. Improper posture squeezes the stomach and intestines, leading to slower digestion and issues like acid reflux, bloating, and constipation.

On the other hand, good posture allows the digestive organs to function more freely and efficiently. Maintaining an upright posture also helps in supporting the intestines and aiding in the regular movement of food through the digestive tract.

4. Boosts Energy Levels

When the body is properly aligned, the muscles work more efficiently, using less energy to maintain balance and perform everyday activities. In contrast, poor posture forces certain muscles to overwork to compensate for the misalignment.

Furthermore, a correct posture promotes better circulation and oxygen flow throughout the body, which contributes to sustained energy levels.