How to Fix Your Posture with 3 Simple Movements

Poor posture can lead to chronic debilitating pain, but anyone can fix it by performing the 3 simple movements explained in this post.

Almost everyone we know suffers or has suffered from some form of back pain, neck pain, or has developed knee complications later on in life, if not all of the above. 

An estimated 25% of US adults report experiencing low back pain in the last 3 months.

That is 1 in 4 people!

The stats for neck, knee, and hip pain are equally astounding in the US and worldwide. This is no surprise given that nowadays, we: 

• Sit more and move less
• Work more and sleep less (especially quality sleep) 
• We are hunched over on phones, computers, or in cars most of the day
• We deal with more chronic stress and anxiety than we ever have, causing chronic tension in our bodies

This may seem gloomy and bleak at first, but fixing our posture is within our control and can be accomplished through incredibly simple exercises, that anyone can do anytime, wherever they are.

They revolve around the three elements of ALL functional movement, which are explained below: 

1. Fix Neck Pain with the Scapular Retraction

How to perform: Roll your shoulders back, and let them fall back down. This should feel like you’re squeezing your shoulder blades closer together and walking around like you’re ready to fight someone (in reality you look upright). 

2. Fix Low Back Pain With The Pelvic Tilt:

How to perform: Tighten your core like a fighter ready to take a punch. This will force your hips to tilt forward and under your spine. You can do this standing or lying on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. 

3. Fix Knee Pain With The Hip hinge:

How to perform: Start in a standing position (with your shoulders retracted and pelvis tilted) then lean your hips back to sit into a chair or squat down. 

These 3 simple, yet powerful, elements allow our bodies to move with ease, strength, and prevent unnecessary injury.

All pulling, pushing, lifting, squatting, and even sitting require proficiency in these movements in order to prevent injury and maintain an upright posture. 

So with this in mind, how can we retrain our bodies to have good posture both on and off the exercise mat?

Below are exercises that help you improve each element:

• The Scapular retraction (relieve neck pain): Perform the T exercise  

and the Band Pull apart.

• The Pelvic tilt (relieve low back pain): Perform the  Supine March with PPT

and the Straight Arm Plank

• The Hip hinge (relieve knee pain): Perform the Prisoner Squat

and the Glute Bridge

By performing these simple exercises every day, you can begin to heal chronic pain, and regain control of your body.

Many people experience relief within the first week or two of performing this routine.

However, everyone’s body, symptoms, and commitment level is different.

The more consistent you are with your routine, the faster and more sustainable the results you will have.

Here are some simple tips to make this routine work FOR you so that you can eliminate pain & feel in control:

• Write out the exercise names & number of reps. We recommend 10-12 reps for each movement

• Choose the same time every day to perform the exercises, ideally first thing in the morning (or best time in your schedule)

• Do them with a partner or an accountability buddy to help you stay committed on “bad days” (we all have those)

• Be patient, consistent, and the results will come!

If you found this post helpful and you want to learn more about how you can improve your posture, get stronger, and eliminate chronic pain, check out our FREE Online Fitness Courses and start taking control of your health today!