3 Easy Exercises for Good Posture for Kids and Adults
Are you trying to improve your posture or help your child with their posture? We help break down 3 easy posture tips for kids and adults. Elite Chiropractic owner Dr. Josh Bross gives simple examples that you can begin to do daily as part of your morning, evening, or lunch break routine.
What is Defined as Good Posture
Good posture is defined as a straight back, shoulders back, and your head level and in line with your body. You can also focus on pulling in your stomach, relaxing your knees, and having your feet shoulder-width apart.
Sitting, you want to focus on the same alignment: feet apart, stomach slightly active, heels on the floor.
Effects of Poor Posture
Poor posture is defined as slouching, slumping, pulling the shoulders forward, rounding the shoulders forward, and having the head out of line with the neck. When sitting or typing, it can also include heels not flat on the floor, ankles crossed, or a slouching torso.
Bad posture leads to prolonged neck and back pain, headaches, restricted nerves, muscle tension, fatigue, and breathing problems. These issues will worsen over the years, which is why correct posture for kids and young adults is important to build healthy habits.
Why is Good Posture Important
Holding proper posture when walking or sitting helps improve back pain relief, avoid muscle tension, improve energy, and assist with blood flow. Continuous good posture can improve your overall mental health, body tension, pain relief, muscle support, and more.
Benefits of good posture:
- Back pain relief
- Neck pain relief
- Release of muscle tension
- Stronger body
- More energy
- Better blood flow
- Back and neck pain prevention
- Avoid stress on the body
How Often to Practice Good Posture
You should be mindful of your posture at all times. However, key moments include walking, sitting at a desk, typing, working on the computer, and playing on a phone. These tasks are often done for long periods of time so you want to build correct muscle patterns and good habits.
Do not let your shoulders pull forward, align your phone with your head when it is level and straight, keep your legs shoulder width apart when possible, don’t slouch, and always straighten out the back.
If you need to, set a reminder on your phone for intervals of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or each hour to check in with your posture.
How to Improve Posture
Improving posture in kids and adults comes down to being mindful, building muscle memory, and helping to release tension that may pull your body into a slouch. Check-in with your posture throughout the day and make corrections when you’re walking, sitting, studying, or working.
Once a day, utilize good posture tips, exercises, and muscle releases that can assist with holding proper posture. These can include foam rolling, shoulder and arm stretches, tensing and releasing, and more.