A Great Stretch To Improve Your Posture!

A Great Stretch to Improve your Posture

This week I wanted to go over a stretch that is great for pulling our shoulders back. We spend most of our day with our shoulders pulled forward. This can be seen when we are cooking, working on the computer, reading, typing and many other tasks that we complete throughout the day that keep our shoulders pulled forward, back rounded, and head facing downward.  This stretch is meant to help counteract this imbalance and it can assist with breathing and releasing neck pressure.

How To Complete The Stretch

This stretch is meant to open the front of our body and pull the shoulders back, giving you a nice stretch in the chest area.

  1. First, you will reach up to the ceiling as high as you can, similar to grabbing a chin up bar. After reaching as high up as you can, bring your elbows out to the side, squeezing the shoulder blades together. You will want your shoulder blades down and slightly back.
  2. Repeat this exercise 3 times, raising your arms and reaching upwards for 5 seconds, then bring your elbows out to the side, shoulder blades squeezed for 5 seconds, then repeat.

Try to reach higher up each time you complete this stretch. This will assist you in engaging those back muscles and train your brain to pull the muscles backward. Putting effort in can assist in loosening the spine and allow a deeper stretch every time you complete this exercise. All it takes is getting started!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office by phone or email.

Here’s To A Better Life,

Dr. Steve Puckette