This is a great stretch to do several times a day, especially if you’re sitting at a desk for long periods. It’s one that you might like to find some private space for or else get your work mates involved.
On the floor on your hands and knees, knees and feet hip-width apart, hands directly underneath shoulders. Arch back up towards ceiling (like an angry cat)– hold – then sink chest and lower-back towards the floor, lift head up towards the ceiling (like a happy cat). Only move as far as you can that is comfortable in either direction, 8 each way. Repeat as you feel achey in your back or several times a day.
Posture is the way we hold ourselves, our habits, how we keep ourselves upright and functioning, getting our jobs done, living our lives, playing our sports.
Posture depends on your skeletal structure, which we don’t have much control over, but also could be considered as your body’s adaptive response to physical challenges, which we have a lot of control over. Examples include sitting or standing for extended periods of time, lifting heaving items repetitively or carrying children on a hip or breastfeeding. If we are facing these physical challenges repetitively our posture can become a habit and may lead to pain and discomfort in our neck, back, hips and shoulders.
Postural pain can be a recurring or persistent discomfort or pain from our work or life commitments where we may not be holding ourselves optimally.
The good news is that it can often be corrected with a little bit of effort and the rewards can be long-term and amazing. There are many ways in which you can get some easy wins with certain posture corrections. The trick is to understand how your individual postural habits are causing your aches and pains and being shown an effective way to correct. In some cases a few strengthening exercises or stretches can make correction easier as well as exercises to increase your awareness of better posture.
If you’re working at a computer for long periods of time, here are two stretches that may be helpful in giving your shoulders and back a good stretch. If you have specific postural concerns, contact one of our staff to discuss in more detail.
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