Perfect Posture

Perfect Posture Program
A Guide to athletic & life enhancement

By Mark Sias
http://www.PerfectPostureProgram.com
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this report may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage or retrieval system without express written, dated and signed permission from the author.
DISCLAIMER: The information in the Perfect Posture Program website,

e-book and articles are provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advise. The information contained in this website should not be used to diagnose or treat any illness, metabolic disorder, disease or health problem. Always consult your physician or health care provider before beginning any nutrition or exercise program. Use of the programs, advice, and information contained in this website, e-book and articles is at the sole choice and risk of the reader.
PerfectPostureProgram.com
Table Of Contents
Introduction:....... 3 Chapter 1: Posture and Appearance..... 5 Chapter 2: Posture and Health.. 9 Chapter 3: Posture and Exercise.. 14 Chapter 4: Causes of Bad Posture.....21 Chapter 5: Common Postural Problems & Solutions.. 25 Chapter 6: General Posture Building Solutions..84 Conclusion. 96
Introduction
Posture. Most people don't give a whole lot of thought to the posture they use because instead, they are too focused with how much they can pinch around their waste or how many inches wide their biceps are. This is unfortunate however because your posture is the core of what holds the body together. Every action you take, movement you go through, and breath you take will all be affected by the posture you use and when it isn't right, problems will arise. Furthermore, the progress you make in the gym will also be related to how well of posture you have, so if you aren't making sure your posture is correct, you may just be very well short-circuiting the results you are getting from your workouts. And who wants to waste time in the gym going nowhere? In this ebook you'll learn what it means to have good posture and what it means to not have good posture! We'll also go through the various posture problems that some people run into and what they look like, what their side effects are, and what you can do to treat and manage these conditions. You'll find a large selection of exercises and programs to utilize to getting better posture and go over other important information you need to know about posture, health and your physical well-being. Before we begin though, let's do a quick exercise. Stop for a second - WITHOUT ADJUSTING HOW YOU ARE SITTING - and take note of how you are holding yourself. Are your shoulders fully relaxed or are they slightly tensed?
I'm sure the vast majority of you are holding at least a small amount of tension right this very second. Why is this? Are you overly stressed about something or is it just 'natural' for you to assume a tensed position? Most people are never fully relaxed and they aren't even aware of this. Being in a state of constant tension is one of the biggest reasons why back and neck problems are seen, especially in today's world where we do spend a great deal of time in a motionless position while at work or in front of other entertainment mediums. So, now what I'd like you to do is purposely squeeze your shoulders up to your neck as hard as you can. Hold this position for a few seconds, and then fully relax them. Notice how much they dropped from the initial starting position? This shows you just how tense you really were. It can be scary to look at it from this perspective because when you realize that that is how you are ALL THE TIME it really makes you think of what you are doing to your spine. Now that that exercise is complete, keep it in mind as you progress through reading this book and as you go about your day. Make a concentrated effort every so often to go through this exercise so you can get a better idea of how much tension you're dealing with. As time goes on you should naturally start finding yourself being more relaxed as you become more consciously aware of your posture.
~ Chapter 1: Posture And Appearance ~

Ask almost anyone at the gym why they are there and nine out of ten times at least one reason they give will be some form of improving their appearance. Whether you want to face it or not, we live in a world where appearances matter. Whether you're trying to attract a mate, move up the corporate ladder or simply trying to negotiate a deal on a larger ticket item, your appearance is going to play a role. So many people then, when they think of appearances start thinking about how much excess weight they are carrying, how their hair looks, the type of clothing they are wearing, whether or not their make-up is perfect, and so on. While all of these definitely are going to contribute to the overall image you present, potentially one of the most influential factors in how people perceive you is by your posture.
Confidence
The reason for this is routed in the connection between posture and confidence. Confidence is sexy. You probably have already come to realize this or at the very least have heard others say it before. Take two people who look exactly the same but give one sky-high confidence levels and the other a sense of awkward self-consciousness, and you are most definitely going to find the confident one more attractive (and note here we are talking about confidence and not cockiness - there is a big difference between the two). Now, looking more deeply, what does the confident person likely have the unconfident one doesn't? Good posture. Yes, that's right. You might have not really noticed it before, but that again is due to a lack of focus on posture. Next time you're out, take some time and do some people watching. Focus directly on the posture that they're carrying and how confident they look.
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What is confidence made up of? Usually it's a combination of being sure of yourself and your abilities, respecting yourself as a person and the feeling that you are making the most of everything you do. A confident person's head will be held high, their shoulders back, and they will walk with an aura around them that says they believe in themselves. That right there also describes the basics of good posture (we'll get into the specifics a little later). By ensuring you at the very least have good posture, you will then appear confident in yourself, even if you aren't. There's a golden rule that says if you aren't confident, fake it anyway. You'll grow to be more confident as time progresses. This may sound kind of silly but in all truthfulness most of the time it's pretty accurate. When you force yourself to appear confident, you'll get different reactions from others towards you that will re-enforce your own self-beliefs and this may then translate to what you actually believe about yourself. It's kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy that allows you to improve your own self-concept.
Body Weight
Okay, so true enough, confidence is not going to be the only factor that affects what people notice about you. After all, there are plenty of individuals out there who are not all that self-confident but still come across as very attractive. Probably the second most noticeable thing with regards to attractiveness then is body weight. 90% of the time people do not find obese individuals all that physically attractive. Sad as this may be, being overweight is not a representation of good health, nor a representation that you have made a commitment to take care of yourself. Sure there are a few individuals out there who have clinical issues and have extreme difficulty losing weight but for the vast majority, following a sensible eating program along with
being somewhat physically active is at least enough to get you into the range of what is considered normal and healthy. Sure you may not have abs you could eat off of, but never the less, you will be maintaining a body weight that wouldn't be a turn-off to most. NOW, relating this to posture, the great news is that posture can affect how your body weight looks. Ever hear of a diet that claims you can lose 1o pounds in a day or two? Seems like magic doesn't it. You'd be surprised at the number of people who will be fully willing to give this diet a try, however, as they want that ten pounds gone - NOW! They're willing to subsist on nothing but some celery and maybe a can of a tuna for a day or two in hopes that their weight will magically disappear (although sorry to say for them it usually returns within a week of coming off that insane diet). What if I told you that you could magically lose those same ten pounds instantly, no selfstarvation required? Well you can! That's what proper posture will do for you. Simply fix your posture and you will look slimmer, no dieting required. When you are slouched over, your body is shortened. Notice too how when you stand up straight you tend to get taller all of a sudden? Doesn't it make sense that say, for example, 150 pounds spread over sixty-eight inches is not going to be the same as 150 pounds spread over seventy-one inches? When you stand tall your stomach comes in, your chest gets lifted, and your waist appears slimmer. No magic required.
Inner Feelings
You may have never thought about it before but your posture can also effect your inner thoughts and feelings. Something about carrying yourself tall just makes you believe in yourself more. This ties a lot into confidence, but is slightly different because your inner feelings are what will affect your actions more so. While confidence is something that you project outwards towards those around you and help them formulate an opinion of you, your inner feelings are what help to guide the decisions you make on a daily basis.
Someone who has a lot of negative inner feelings will probably be more likely to shy away from taking risks, will be more likely to take the 'easier, safer' road and often will not approach people as often as they would like. This will impact both your work and personal relationship life, which then relates back to the appearance issue. The better you feel about the direction your life is headed, the more attractive you will look in the eyes of others. Your inner feelings and self-talk will largely impact how you feel about your current direction in the world. So, as you can see, the posture you assume on a daily basis can really affect how you are observed in the eyes of others. From making you look slimmer to giving you more confidence, and then finally to helping you formulate more positive self-statements that then reflect back on the confidence factor, posture makes a difference. The moment you start doubting this is the moment you have just bypassed something that could have drastically improved your life. Not taking advantage of this simple thing and fixing your posture is a huge and senseless mistake. Now that we've covered how posture and appearance correlate, let's look at posture and health.
~ Chapter 2: Posture And Health ~

The next topic of concern is posture and health. Nutrition, exercise, stress level; all play a very direct and important role in your health - there is no doubting this. You've known for years that what you eat can increase or decrease your risk of a variety of diseases whether you've done something about that is another question, but one thing is for sure and that is that there are numerous studies available that support this fact. Looking at things a little more indirectly now, posture can affect the above-mentioned factors, which then helps to contribute to your overall health and well being. Because your posture is such an integral part of your every day life, everything you do will be impacted by it. For example, if you don't have proper posture, you aren't going to be getting the same benefits from exercise as you would if you had great posture (more on this later). First, let's discuss breathing. Your circulatory system is going to be most effective when you are able to stand tall and take in as much air as possible. If you are constantly slouched over, as many of you who are sitting at your desk probably are - unless of course you've just completed the exercise I had you do in the introduction - you are also going to be taking in frequent shallow breaths. The depth of your breaths will correspond to the number that you take, so the deeper you are able to breath, the slower and more energizing they will be.
Think about the last time you had to make a break for it to catch the bus (or replace your own 'race' scenario in here). How was your breathing immediately following? Panting like a dog were you? Most likely - if you're like everyone else. Your body was doing its best to try and get a maximum amount of oxygen to your system as quickly as possible. Shallow, frequent breaths would help you achieve this. How did you feel while doing so? Tired? Stressed? Perhaps even a bit on the anxious side? This type of state is not something you want to be in on an everyday basis - granted it will be a much less severe state, but still, those frequent, shallow breaths are typically of a stressful, energydemanding situation. Now think about the last time you were relaxing on the couch watching a movie. How did you feel? Calm? Peaceful? Relaxed? And now think about what type of breathing you were using at that time. Likely, you were taking much deeper, less frequent breaths. Sure you were in a state of inactivity, but arent you, for the most part, in a pretty motionless state for the majority of the day? (assuming you have a typical office related job). The more often you can implement those deep, infrequent breaths into your day, the more you can get your body into that peaceful, relaxed state and away from that stressed, anxious, and tired state. Im not trying to discount the role that physical activity plays in this, obviously in one scenario you are vigorously working and in the next you are laying down; however, I am trying to get you to look at this from a generalized perspective to see how your body interprets the sensations of the way you are breathing. It is that that is going to affect how you feel during the day. When you are taking deeper breaths, chances are you will feel less stressed. There is a reason why when someone is having an anxiety attack, one of the first words to come out of the mouth of a nearby person trying to help is 'breath'.
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So, to sum up, the deeper breathing that is achieved when you assume proper posture (because you'll be opening up your lungs more and this will enable more oxygen to flow through) will help to keep you from feeling tired, will allow you to remain calmer and will help distress your body. Next we have circulation. Circulation plays a vital role in helping to deliver nutrients to the various tissues in your body so they are able to function properly. If you've ever sat cross-legged for a long period of time you've likely seen what a restriction in circulation can do. Upon standing your foot was not quite functioning the way it should. Likewise, after a hard workout it is going to be critical that all the muscles are getting a full supply of carbohydrates, proteins and oxygen (to help clear lactic acid build-up). If your circulatory system is not working maximally, problems will arise with recovery ability and you will then not be able to workout as effectively during your next workout session. For those who have high blood pressure already, decreased circulation becomes even more problematic. For them, ensuring they are doing everything they can to get the blood moving around the body with ease is very important so they do not put themselves at risk for serious health concerns. When you aren't standing tall, you are essentially short-circuiting your circulatory system, as it will not be able to transport the blood nearly as effectively as it would if you were standing tall. Yet another reason to start using proper posture. Back pain. Are you familiar with it? Millions of people across the world suffer from back pain each and every day and this is largely due to the bad posture we are carrying around. Your spine is meant to take a certain shape and alignment, and when you are
consistently forcing it out of place, hour after hour, day after day, are you really surprised it's going to start rebelling against you and screaming out in pain? Common sense would indicate this to be a very realistic chance. What happens after you start slacking on your posture for a few weeks or months is that the intercostals muscles in the spine will begin to weaken. Over time they grow weaker and weaker and thus, maintaining proper posture actually becomes more challenging. The muscles that are normally used to hold your body up are now no longer able to really do their job properly and you will find you can really only maintain proper posture for a short period of time before you move back into your more usual slouched position. When you maintain proper posture in the first place, it will be so much easier to keep your back strong and prevent back pain from occurring. It's letting yourself get into the initial stages of 'letting posture go' that spells trouble because you then begin on this cycle: bad posture giving way to back pain, contributing to weakened muscles, leading to worse posture, causing more back pain, and then developing even weaker muscles. It's not a good situation to be in. If you are looking to avoid back pain, sitting up tall as often as you can is the best way to do it. Remember that at this stage, it may already be a challenge for you. In this case, you'll want to try and go in intervals. Set a timer on your desk for ten minutes and during that ten minutes actively think about sitting as upright as you can. Then, once that ten minutes has passed, relax again for the remaining 50 minutes of the hour. Once that hour is up, get up and go for a brief walk (since sitting in itself for extended durations is another recipe for back pain), then return to your desk and repeat this 10 minute/50 minute process once again. As time progresses and those ten minutes becomes easy, increase it to 15 minutes, then 20 and before you know it, you won't need the timer any more as it will be a rare occurrence when you aren't using proper posture. Additionally, performing some of the exercises that we'll go through below will further help improve your ability to support your back in the correct position and assume proper posture.
So, as you can see, good posture means more than just looking good. It will also help promote better overall health, and help you achieve a better quality of life. Next, we'll move onto the physical benefits you receive from maintaining proper posture, specifically discussing how they are concerned with athletic and other exercise performance.
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~ Chapter 3: Posture And Exercise ~

As you're already well aware, exercise plays a vital role in keeping you in optimum health. Not only does it help to keep weight gain at bay, but it also enables you to do more things that you enjoy in life since you'll have a greater degree of movement ability. Exercise and posture are highly correlated because without proper posture, many of the movements you make while exercising will not be done as effectively or as fluidly as they could have been. Being able to maintain proper posture as you go about your workout or activity will not only decrease your risk of injuries, but also improve the benefits that you see occurring from the exercise. First, let's begin with muscle contraction. While exercising, it's going to be best if your nerves are able to transmit their electrical signals to the muscles causing them to contract as quickly as possible. When you're vertebrae are not in proper alignment due to whatever cause, this can lead to an impingement of nerve tissue. This in return causes issues in nerve transmission of signals and can start causing the muscle to contract slowly or not at all. Not only is this then going to make it harder to give your all during your exercise session but it could become extremely dangerous if you are trying to lift heavy weights. Furthermore, if you are performing a highly skill athletic movement, this could result in a less muscle motor unit recruitment which will definitely impact the strength level you see. With fewer muscle motor units being called into play, you'll have less tension developing in the body, and therefore, less power behind you. With simple nerve
transmission it may only affect a single muscle, but when you start talking about whole muscle motor units the effects can become more noticeable on a larger scale. The next big issue you're likely to have problems with when you are not using correct posture is the range of motion you cover when performing strength-training activities. When you are weight lifting, you are going to get the best results when you can move the muscles over the greatest distance your body will allow. For example, lets imagine you are doing a bench press. You will see much greater strength gains if you lower the bar all the way down to the chest than if you only move half-way down, therefore, seriously short-circuiting the movement. Whether you are only going down halfway due to being to inflexibility to go any lower or because you simply aren't performing it properly, you are not going to see as good of results. How this relates to posture is that when you aren't utilizing the right posture this will lead you to being less flexible than you would be if you had the correct posture. When your body is not able to support a proper alignment, it is simply not going to be as capable of supporting as much weight during the lift nor as capable for assessing the range of motion you need to use. Moving on, we come to another important point when it comes to weight lifting, injuries. Injuries from lifting weights are quite commonplace and occur for a variety of reasons. One reason that's largely seen is because someone is simply trying to lift too much weight. With weight training, it's always best to lift enough to challenge yourself but not so much that you aren't capable of actually performing the movement. As soon as you push too far, you are looking at the possibility of pulling muscles, straining ligaments or worse, dropping the weight and potentially even throwing a joint out of socket.
The next large reason for injuries comes from improper form. Many, MANY people at the gym are just going through the motions, often incorrectly, and are not reaping any benefits at all. Weight lifting exercises have been biomechanically designed for a reason and if you are not doing them correctly, you are not going to be hitting the muscles like you think you are and are not going to see the strength gains you should be. The specific exercises that usually cause issues for most people in terms of maintaining proper form where posture is concerned are military (shoulder) presses, bench presses, and squats. We'll look at each of these individually.
Military Press
The military press is an exercise that is going to predominately work the shoulder muscles. To perform it, you stand upright and using either a set of dumbbells or a barbell, press the weight over your head until the elbows are extended. Then lower it back down once again to complete the rep. The big problem that most people run into with this exercise is that when they press the weight over their head, they will then begin to arch the lower back creating a concave type of appearance. Because at this point the weight is directly over the head, it is exerting its full force, along with gravity, directly down the body. When the spine is in alignment this is not a large problem since your bones are able to support the weight. When the spine is not in alignment, however, then as you can imagine a great deal of pressure is placed on any vertebra that are in the position in order to try and compensate for the ones that are out of position (the ones that are arching). This is what then leads to lower back pain and could potentially cause the spine to compress.
To remedy this situation and prevent any injuries from taking place, when pressing the weight overhead, it is of vital importance that you think about squeezing the bum muscles, pulling the hips upwards. This will help to ensure a proper alignment and also increase the base of support. With any strength training exercise, it's always a good idea to try and keep the abdominal muscles as tight as possible because this will allow you to obtain more driving force in whatever direction you are pressing the weight. To put this into perspective, let's imagine the following football scenario. You have a linebacker who is standing with his knees slightly bent, weight forward over his feet. His core is not particularly tense, however, and is more relaxed in nature. When another player comes directly at him, how effective do you think he is going to be at generating power and force to overcome the force of the other player? Now let's imagine another player in the same scenario who has his whole body tensed. When another player comes charging at him, how will he hold up? It should be obvious that the player who is tense will stand a much better chance at resisting the force exerted by the oncoming guy. This is similar to weight training in that when your core is tight, you will then be better able to resist the force of gravity that the weight is placed upon you, as well as resist any sideways tension that may be created due to the nature of the movement. So when you are doing the military or shoulder press (or any other weight lifting exercise for that manner), ensure you are keeping your stomach muscles tight, then also think of pulling the pelvis in the upwards direction for this exercise in particular.
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Bench Press
Moving on, we come to the bench press. This one, although lying, is another movement where posture becomes an important consideration. To perform this strength training exercise that targets the pectoral, tricep, and front deltoid muscles, you are to lay flat down on a bench, and then press a barbell (or a set of dumbbells can be used if you desire) directly upwards above the body. Once you reach the top, then you begin to lower it back down until it just about touches the chest, and then drive it up once again for another rep. The main issue that people have with this movement where posture is concerned is sometimes they will start to let their back (particularly the lower back) lift off the bench so it again takes on that curved appearance. They do this because often they will be able to generate slightly more upwards force, therefore, being able to press more weight. However, this is deceiving because at this point, it really isn't their chest muscles that are going to be getting stronger, but rather they are better able to use momentum to drive the weight up. This momentum, however, is generated from the lower back rising and will only lead to injuries in the future - NOT strength gains. So in all reality, it is simply better to accept lifting a lower weight properly, and then see only true gains in strength without the lower back pain. By having strong postural muscles, you will be less likely to let the lower back rise up because you will be able to control its movements. Furthermore, again with this
exercise, continually think of tensing the abdominal muscles as this again will help keep that lower back pressed against the bench. If you need to provide a check on yourself, have the spotter you are using (since you should always be using a spotter when bench pressing) place their hand directly under your back. If at any point they feel the downwards pressure being released, they need to let you know as then you know you are not longer 'flat-backed' against the bench.
Squat
The final exercise where postural difficulties are commonly experienced is the squat. Because this movement is often done with a very large amount of weight, it is potentially one of the more dangerous ones in terms of leading to back pain since there is going to be so much direct weight placed on the spine. Furthermore if something goes wrong while performing the exercise, you could wind up in a very awkward position while trying to 'save' yourself, and this twisting stress on the vertebra, if your postural muscles are not strong enough to support it, could cause a severe injury. The squat exercise is usually performed using a squat rack or Smith machine. You will stand with a barbell across your back, weight plates at either end, and then slowly squat downwards, leaning forwards slightly as you do. How low you squat is up to you, some individuals like to go as low as they possibly can, while others only go to 90 degrees. Furthermore, there are different variations of this exercise that will call for you to turn your feet out slightly, widen your stance or adjust where the barbell is placed on your body. Whatever variation you choose, however, proper posture is essential.
If you begin leaning forwards too much there will be a great deal of stress placed on the spine similarly if you begin to arch your back and stick out the bum a great deal. You want to maintain a neutral spine position as much as possible, with just a slight lean forward. This lean forward should come from the hips and not from the middle of the back, which would then create a rounded appearance. In order to effectively monitor the current position you are using, try performing the squat exercise near a mirror so you are facing the mirror with your side view. This will then enable you to get the side profile and really be able to see how your spine is in alignment with the rest of your body. An alternative that would work well also, would be having a spotter watch your back position, however, it may be slightly more effective if you are able to see it for yourself. So, this wraps up the discussion on the popular weight lifting exercises that cause problems. Keep in mind that it is not only these where you need to be careful. Any movement you make, you must maintain a good spine alignment or you could risk injury. As you can see, exercise and posture are heavily intertwined with each other and it is essential that you are paying attention to your posture if you want to see maximal results each and every time you go to the gym. Individuals who overlook this, thinking either they are fine already or that it simply does not really affect them are the ones that you are going to see sitting on the side at the end of the day when they wind up injured. Next up, we're going to take a look at some of the everyday factors that can lead to bad posture and what you can do about it.
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~ Chapter 4: Causes Of Bad Posture ~

So, what causes bad posture? While there are different causes for each individual, there are generally a few issues that are most commonly seen. Work. You have to work, there's no way around it, but in today's world where the vast majority of us are sitting behind a computer desk for hours at a time, we are doing nothing for the development for proper posture. While some of us may go to the lengths to, at the very least, invest in a good chair to be sitting in, most of us will not sit up tall once we get this chair but rather hunch over and relax all the back muscles. While this may feel comfortable for the time being, as we discussed above, over time, the back muscles are then going to grow weaker and weaker and soon you will no longer really be able to support yourself all that well. That hunched over posture will now have become a way of life when you are in the seated position. Added to this that often times our computer screens are not at a desirable distance from our faces so we are constantly looking downwards and you really have problems. Not only will your neck be straining, but your upper and lower back will feel it as well. There are a few different ways you can go about trying to correct this problem. The first is to do the obvious and make a conscious effort to sit up taller. One additional suggestion, if you are able to part with your ever so comfortable chair, is to invest in an exercise ball to sit on. Since these roll around if you don't maintain a strong core, it will call your muscles into work more and make it much harder to slouch over.
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Additionally, since you have less back support on an exercise ball, there will be no leaning back into full relaxation mode, which basically takes all stress off the back muscles so they are not required to support you at all. Even if you choose not to sit on the exercise ball for the entire day, using it for an hour before lunch and after will go a long way towards helping to keep these muscles strong so you don't see near the problems occurring with weakened back muscles and pain. The next thing you can do to help the solution is to be sure to get up from your desk once an hour. Whether you are getting up to go the washroom, get a glass of water or just drop something off at a co-workers office, getting the muscles moving will help to prevent stiffness which can then lead to soreness. In addition to preventing stiffness, moving around more during the day will help you burn more calories on a regular basis and thus, maintain your weight easier. Excess weight is also problematic for those who are dealing with back pain so doing things to prevent weight gain will definitely support your cause. The next factor that can lead to bad posture and back pain is the bed you sleep on and your sleeping style. Having a good firm and supportive mattress is particularly important to helping prevent back pain from occurring, as well as helping give you a good night's sleep so you feel rested and refreshed upon waking. Waterbeds are particularly notorious for causing problems for those who currently have back pain and provide no support whatsoever for those with postural problems already so these should really be avoided at all costs. While they definitely might be comfortable, they aren't going to do anything for your body, so the sacrifice should be made. Consider too, if you are sleeping with someone else, that their being in the bed could be affecting how well you sleep and whether or not you experience back pain. Because their body weight will cause one area of the bed to sink lower, this could affect how well your spine stays in alignment, depending on how closely you are sleeping next to them.
While it may not be practical to kick a loved one out of your bed, consider investing in a high quality mattress that has a support system where the coils are acting independently of each other and absorb both weight and motion really well. After you've gotten the mattress taken care of, then it's time to look at the pillow you are using. Since good posture starts with the neck, if your neck is sitting funny, it isn't going to be doing much for getting your spine in the correct alignment from the beginning. The best position to be sleeping in is on your side because it causes less stress on the lower back due to the curvature of your spine, so it is good to find a pillow that will support your head in this fashion. There are now special pillows that you can buy that are shaped somewhat differently (in the shape of the letter nine) that are meant for side sleepers as opposed to back sleepers. If you really want to ensure a good rest, it would be worthwhile to invest in one of these. As an added benefit, those who sleep on their sides are less likely to experience snoring or sleep apnea, both of which can definitely affect how you feel and function the next day. Finally, you might want to consider placing a pillow between your knees while you are sleeping, as this can also help to relieve lower back pain in certain individuals. This will depend on how your hip joints are naturally, and whether when laying on your side the way your legs fall creates additional stress. Another cause that can contribute to back pain issues and bad posture is your car seat. It is not uncommon for some individuals to spend up to two hours each day commuting to and from work, so if you are not sitting in a good, supportive seat, this is a lot of time to spend placing stress on the back and causing the spine to be forced into a position of misalignment.
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If this is your situation, look into investing in some good driving seat back pads that can be placed right in your seat and provide more support. Usually these are going to target the lower back area and will consist of either a small pad or else a full-length padding that is extra thick near the bottom. So those are some of the everyday problems that can cause bad posture and what you can do about them to help prevent them from becoming ongoing problems in your future. The sooner you take action on doing things to stop these issues from occurring, the sooner you will see the benefits and can then focus on building stronger back muscles so bad posture is no longer a concern of yours. Next, I'm going to go over the main postural problems that certain individuals may experience if their condition progresses enough. These are a bit more extreme then simply being too hunched over and will require a lot more attention to fix.
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~ Chapter 5: Common Postural Problems & Solutions~

In this section I am going to explain and give illustrations to some of the most common posture problems affecting the general population. You shouldnt have any trouble identifying what issues you might be dealing with and how you should now go about correcting them. If you do, however, try asking some friends to have a look at your stance and give you their opinion or better yet, video tape yourself throughout the day and review it later on. Initially, as you'll be aware you're on camera, you might selfcorrect yourself, however, as time passes you'll likely slip back into your old habits, and problems will then resume.
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Lordosis
The first problematic syndrome we'll look at, Lordosis, is characterized by abnormal curvature of the lumbar spine resulting in a forward tilting of the pelvis which gives the swayed back appearance. The condition is thus commonly referred to as Sway Back posture. While it is sometimes present at birth, more commonly it will result later on in life due to neuromuscular deficits. The long-term result of this type of posture, if left unchecked, is that it could result in spinal deformity from vertebral compression. If this occurs, it can be a permanent problem that you then have to deal with. Overweight individuals will be at an even higher risk from suffering from this due to the excess weight coming down on their back. Their muscles may start to counter-balance themselves, which leads to tight, over developed spinal erector muscles, as well as tight hamstrings and posterior deltoids. All of this together compounds the problem and leads to worse and worse posture as time goes on. Also, another precipitating factor that can enhance the occurrence of this condition, is if these overweight people have weak, underdeveloped gluteus, and rectus abdominal muscles. Above is a photo illustration of what a person with this affliction might look like. As you can see, there is a distinct pelvic tilting along with at times, an excessive lumbar curvature and distended abdomen.
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Recommended Stretching
One of the best ways to deal with this condition is to implement a regular stretching program into your fitness plan. This will help to relax the muscles that are involved and improve the overall placement of the back bone. Below are the exercises you should look at completing.
Hunch Stretch
To perform this exercise, sit on your knees and reach as far forwards as you can so your back is taking on a hunched appearance. Try and hold this for at least 20 seconds per time and complete it through two to three times. Taking a deep breath in and slowly releasing it should help you reach slightly further, so remember to do this as well. If you can, perform this stretch at least three times per week, if not every single day.
Toe Touch
A toe touch will really work at lengthening the hamstring muscles and therefore, help to set your hips back into their normal, healthy placement. To do this, stand so that the knees are pretty much straight (however, not in a locked position) and then bend over at the hips. Reach your hands towards the ground, trying to place palms on the floor if possible. Hold this position for up to thirty seconds and repeat for a total of three times. This particular stretch can be done numerous times a day and is an especially good one to do after you have been sitting for a long period of time.
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Posterior Deltoid Stretch

To perform a posterior deltoid stretch, cross one arm all the way across your body, and then place the other hand over the elbow joint. Slowly begin to press the elbow joint inwards so you can feel the outside shoulder muscle stretching ever so slightly. This will help to relax the muscles in the shoulder as well as those that are located in the upper back area. Hold this for fifteen seconds, and then repeat on the other side.
Single Leg Hamstring Stretch

This exercise is a great advanced version of the regular hamstring stretch described above. To do it, first place one foot up on a bench or chair behind you. The leg you are standing on should remain straight, however, the one elevated can bend ever so slightly if you wish. Next, bend at the hips so you are reaching your hands towards the ground, just as you did with the other exercise. Hold this position for twenty to thirty seconds, and then repeat on the other side. Again, remember that breathing deeply will help you improve upon this stretch.
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Quad Stretch
The next important stretch to include regularly for those with this condition is a quad stretch. Not only is this great for keeping you overall more limber, but it can help to ensure that the hips remain in a neutral position and are not pulled forward due to tight quads. It will also target your hip flexor (iliopsoas) muscle as well, which can get particularly tight in those who have this condition.
Refer To Video Library For Step-By Step Video Demonstration
To start this stretch, you are to stand in the upright position, with the knees slightly bent so they are not locked into place. Next, bend one leg at the knee so it moves behind the body and grab a hold of it with your free hand. As you do so, ensure that you focus on keeping the hips up. If you think of squeezing the bum muscles at the same time, you should be able to accomplish this without too many problems. Once you've gotten a good hold of your foot behind you, then you are to slightly pull it back, pushing the hips forwards, but also focusing on keeping the knee locked in place next to other knee and still pointing directly downward. Whatever you do, be sure that the knee does not start moving out to the side as this will cause the muscle to stretch in a way that is not desirable.
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Hold this position for a good thirty seconds before moving onto the other leg. Note that you can, and should, do this stretch at any point in the day when your quads feel tight. Especially try and do it after you have been sitting for a great length of time, as it will help keep the leg muscles relaxed.
Gravity Inversion
This stretching exercise is much less common; however, it is a terrific one to perform if you have this condition. There are recently a number of new devises developed for the purposes of gravity inversion such as Gravity tables and inversion boards and chairs, perhaps the oldest and most versatile, however, is the Gravity boot. Consequently it is also usually the most cost effective as well. These hit the scene in the early 1980s as a fad and made their way into more popular by movies like American Gigolo and Goonies, only to then fade away. Unfortunately, the true versatility and benefits they offered were never really explored until just recently. Gravity boots cuff around the shin, just above ankle, and have a hook designed to work like a body hanger. You will hang from a sturdy bar above head height and while doing so, all the compression forces that have been acting downwards on the spine will be reversed. Once you have the hook hanger, most of the time you can hang it around any type of pull-up bar to get the proper effect. Furthermore, the act of being suspended upside down will reverse the compounding effects of the daily wear and tear of gravity, providing the ultimate stretch, while improving lymph function and circulation. If you wish, you can also perform a variety of strength training exercises from this apparatus, from inverted sit-ups to inverted squats (which will work the hip flexors predominately). To invert yourself, take a wider than shoulder width grip on an overhead bar, then as swiftly as possible, swing both legs up until the hooks clear the bar. You are then free to
hang as you wish. The first time doing this you may be too timid to let go of the bar with your hands. If this is the case, first use a spotter to provide extra support by holding onto your feet so you can have a bit more confidence. After a few sets, you'll likely then have more than enough confidence in the boots themselves, and it will no longer be an issue for you. Note that if you have difficulty getting your feet over the bar, it is usually due to weak abdominals and hip flexors. To remedy this, you can use a chair to step/kick yourself up to clear the bar. Perform this exercise 3-4 times per week and hang for 2-3 minutes per time if you can (watch to ensure there is not too much blood rushing to your head - and after you are finished, be sure to relax by sitting in a chair a few minutes to allow the blood flow to return to normal afterwards).
Hanging Traction
One good back stretch is to periodically stand with your back to a wall and press yourself to it in an isometric fashion. This will also allow you to check and see just how out of line your posture has gotten. If you are willing to take this one step further, you can see even more benefits. Most often used in the medical field, extravagant traction devises (carefully applied pulling) are used to treat numerous conditions from fractured legs to back pain to cervical halos. It is all based on using pulling technique or gravity to properly align the muscles & skeleton. This concept has also been used by chiropractors and physical therapists to correct and develop posture. Japanese doctors have actually documented that methods like this can work as good as braces for scoliosis patients.
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The good news is that you can do this right at home or your gym to get the same effects. You need to have a secure overhead bar (ideally the same one you use for inversions) just out of arms reach to use. It is important that you can free hang without any extremities touching the ground. Try to hang for about 30 seconds, and then rest and repeat. If your forearms are slightly weaker you may need to start off with less than 0 seconds and gradually build up to that. Note that if you have ankle weights, you can also use these to add extra resistance and further the benefits you derive from this movement. This will then add to the gravity's ability to align everything perfectly straight. While performing this drill, it is also a good time to strengthen any muscle groups that need it through dynamic tensions. For example, if you have weak abdominals, squeeze them tightly for duration of your hang. Alternatively, if it's your gluteals, give them a strong contraction. Finally, try rolling the shoulders back as if to pinch the shoulder blades together for 10-15 seconds if you are a slumper. You are only limited to your ambition and imagination in terms of what you can do with this exercise! Again, try and do these three to four times per week after your other training regiments have been completed. Perform two to three hangs for up to thirty seconds each.
Book Balance
This exercise can be performed almost anywhere when you have a minute (okay and probably some privacy). It's something that will require some practice in order to become proficient at it; however, over time you will get the hang of it and your time duration will definitely improve.
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Because you are going to try and balance the book on top of your head while walking, it will be a necessity that you straighten your body and work on your balance if you are to be successful. If you are hunched over, the book will begin falling to the back, front or side, so only those who are utilizing proper posture will be able to do it. To perform this exercise, place a thick, hard covered book that is slightly larger than the size of your head on top. It may take a few moments for you to properly find where on your head will be your balance point but once you let go it should stay without too much difficulty. Then, once you are able to balance it effectively without moving, begin to walk very slowly. At the beginning you may only get a few steps until it falls down and you have to begin again. Remember to think of trying to keep as fluid as a motion as possible because any jerking movement is what will throw it off. Eventually you should try and progress to the point where you can walk across the room, turn around and walk back without trouble. Once you are able to do that, then you can advance it and begin trying to perform usual tasks you normally would, and potentially even try squatting down and getting back up this will really ensure that you are squatting with the correct form. In addition to providing you with improved balancing abilities, the spine and neck muscles will also begin to develop, particularly with regards to neuromuscular coordination. This is important for helping to further improve overall balance abilities and maintain a correct posture during any type of movements you execute. If you can, try and dedicate 10 minutes or so each day to working on this skill.
Recommended Strengthening
Next we move on to the strengthening exercises that you should be doing to help with this condition. You can either do this at the same time you do your normal workouts as quite in fact many of these exercises will likely also be included in your usual routine, or if you wish, you can dedicate some separate sessions to doing just these each week. If your posture is currently really bad, you may actually want to hold off on your other workouts until you get this problem solved. Maintaining proper posture, as we discussed above, is very essential in preventing other workout related injuries, so if your current condition is going to prevent you from doing this, caution needs to be taken. Below are the strengthening movements to perform.
V-Sit Ups
This is a great exercise that will really help to strengthen not only your core abdominal muscles, but also the hip flexors. As tight hip flexors are a common problem associated with this condition, by strengthening them, you reduce the chances they become tense when worked. To perform the movement, first lie so that your back is flat against the floor (preferably on a cushioned surface), legs and arms stretched below and above your core respectively.
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Next, you will drive your heels up off the floor while simultaneously lifting the upper body up so the arms meet them overhead. When in the top of the position your body should basically resemble a "V" position. Hold this for a few seconds if possible, and then slowly lower back down. Pay particular attention to the lowering phase so that you do not just 'flop' down because it is just as important for strengthening the muscle as the initial rise phase is. If you want to add additional difficulty to this movement than you can place a medicine ball or Swiss ball between the thighs while you rise up. Alternatively, another option would be to strap ankle weights to your legs so you are forced to lift more weight. If doing this movement with a partner, you can also request that they 'throw' your legs down after you reach the top so again you have more momentum that you must resist against to maintain that slow, fluid-like motion. Try and perform up to twenty reps of these per set, and a total of three to four sets per workout.
Bicycle Crunches
Performing this activity is a great way to target in on the oblique muscles, which play an important role for maintaining proper posture. To do them, lie again on your back, legs stretched below you and hands at the sides of your head, elbows bent. Next you are going to raise both legs off the ground ever so slightly and bring one knee towards your chest while at the same time crossing over with your upper body so the opposite elbow now moves towards this knee. Once they are in
close proximity to each other, pause, and then lower again, switching the side you use for the next rep. Begin doing these by 1st lying flat on your back, fingers laced behind your head and legs out stretched. Next, in one motion, you will lift your left leg up, bending at the knee while crunching and crossing over so the right elbow touches the left knee. Lower & repeat the exact movement on the opposite side. Work your way up to doing ten reps per side (so 20 in total), for a total of 3 sets.
Gut Suck
This next exercise is another one that you can do anywhere and should be doing numerous times a day if you can think about it. It will probably have the largest effect on helping you maintain proper posture simply for the reason that it in itself will cause you to take on the right postural alignment. The movement is going to mostly target the transverse abdominal wall, which is the lining of the muscles underneath the rectus abdominals. These are used when you do situps and when you perform any type of power movement. To envision what they look like, imagine a corset that's being placed around your body. That's what these muscles essential do (only they are just in the front of the body). To perform the movement, all you need to do is think of sucking in your stomach as hard as you can. While doing so, additionally think of tensing the ab muscles to fully get into the movement. You want to pretend like you are basically trying to get your belly button to touch the back of your body and in doing so, the hips will be lifted and the chest will start to stick outwards (bringing you into proper postural alignment).
Hold this position for at least twenty seconds then (remember to breath!) and then slowly relax once again. Repeat two to three times each time you do it, and try and consistently do it at least three times per day. If you want to add further difficulty to this movement, you can do the same type of thing only with your feet on an exercise ball and you balancing on your forearms (so you resemble a table top - note that your stomach is facing the direction of the ground now and you are in a horizontal position).
Good Morning Lift

This is not only a good exercise to do to improve upon your posture but is a great lower body strengthener as well.
It's going to primarily build strength in the spinal erectors, gluteus maximus, and the hamstring muscle. All of these help to maintain the correct lower body positioning that is essential for keeping the spine in good alignment.
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You can do this exercise with a couple different pieces of equipment; either a resistance tubing band or a set a dumbbells. Using the tubing band for the example, you will anchor the middle of the band underneath one of your feet so you are holding each handle in your hands on either side of the body. Next bend your back so it is at about an ninety degree angle, and then keeping the spine straight with the head up and shoulders back, you are to lift the back into an upright position. Remember to try and also keep the shoulders back and chest out while performing the movement so that you do not hunch over at all. The whole point is to maintain proper posture throughout the movement until you are standing tall. Once you've reached the top, then take a deep breath, and slowly lower back down until you are at ninety degrees once again, and ready to do another rep. Perform two sets of twelve reps each. If you happen to be using dumbbells, you will instead just hold them at your sides instead of in front of you, as you would be with the handles of the tubing.
Push-Ups
The next exercise that you'll perform will be the classic push-up exercise which most of you are probably very familiar with. There are, however, some great variations that can be done to make this movement more challenging and speed along your progress.
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These exercises are going to predominately work your chest, shoulder, and tricep muscles, however, will also call into play your abdominal core as it will be necessary to be tensed in order to prevent a 'swayback' appearance during the movement. This movement is another great one that you can do anywhere, so you don't need to worry about not having any fancy equipment in order to get a good workout. If you choose to do the movement with a closed hand position then you will be working more of the tricep muscle and slightly less of the chest, so it is up to you how you'd like to target in on the movement. First begin by performing some regular, old-fashioned type of push-ups. If you need to, start with your knees on the floor to decrease the difficulty until you are fully able to do them regular style. At that point, you are then ready to kick it up a notch and introduce a variation. The first variation to try is with your feet elevated on an exercise ball. Since the ball will be moving around, you will need to call your ab muscles into play more to keep it steady beneath you. If you really feel like having a challenge, place both hands on smaller balls as well. This is only for the really advanced, however, and should not be done until you can fully do the former variation without any trouble at all.
Another variation to try is the clap push-up, which will work your explosive power as well. To do this you will propel your body in the upwards' direction so that both hands come off the ground and when they do, they clap underneath you. After clapping they quickly move back into the normal position so that you can resume as you were before, pressing down, and then propelling yourself off the ground once again. Lastly, if you are very strong already, you can always challenge yourself to performing a few one-arm push-ups. To do these you will also need very good core abdominal strength, as this is essential in order to keep yourself sturdy since your base of support is so small. When doing a one arm push-up, think of spreading the feet slightly farther apart too as this will help to put you in a better position to then perform them. Get into the habit of performing push-ups three times per week, completing anywhere from three to ten sets with ten to twenty reps per set.
Balance 'T'
Another great exercise that you should be performing to help improve upon this condition is called the balance 'T'.
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The balance 'T' exercise is one that is really going to challenge both your balancing abilities, as well as all the muscles that make up the spine. Because you are going to be required to hold the position for as long as possible, you'll also work your core muscles because they will be called into action in order to stabilize yourself. Working on your balance ability is important because it will challenge the brains skill at deciphering and processing various stimuli to speed up which is critical for when you find yourself in a situation that's producing abnormal body alignment. Being able to realize this and sense where your body is in space will then help you get to a position that is much better suited to maintaining proper posture. The general term that's used to refer to this ability is proprioception. The better proprioception you have, the better you will also likely do at any sports you play or try and learn. Those who lack good proprioception find themselves feeling clumsy often and have difficulties with coordination. For this exercise, you are going to work on mastering the pose so that you can hold it for up to a minute. It is a movement that is often used in various forms of Yoga, Tai Chi and gymnastic training, and can be performed pretty much anywhere. While doing it, you will work on strengthening the posterior chain of the body, from the deltoid muscle to the semitendinosus (a muscle in the hamstring).
Start by first focusing on a point that is a distance in front of you. It is essential that you maintain concentration on this point at all times if you wish to be successful at balancing in this hold. This point should be about three and a half feet in front of you and something that is obviously not moving. Then, while trying to stand as tall as possible, suck in your stomach and put your arms up straight over your head. The neck should remain straight throughout the entire movement. Then, begin to lift one of the back legs up off the ground until it becomes parallel with the torso. Note that while doing so, your back will start to lower and this is fine and natural; however, at no point should it take a hunched appearance. As the leg raises the back should come up so they work in conjunction with each other. When you reach the holding position of the movement, your body should basically look like a flat table top. Once there, lock your knees and elbows in place, and focus on keeping the hips square. Squeeze the muscles in the abdominal region as well as the bum to help maintain control of your balance. Hold this for as long as you can, working up to one minute in duration. Afterwards, switch sides, and repeat once again. Note that to make this slightly easier when just starting, you may want to place a chair out in front of you to rest your hands on when in the 'T' position so that you can learn how to maintain your balance. This exercise should be performed every day as often as you can.
Lunges
The final exercise that you should be doing if you are experiencing this problem is one that will primarily focus on strengthening the glute muscles. When these muscles are
week, it is much harder to maintain a proper hip position as they can either be shifted forwards or backwards, depending on the nature of your weakness. Lunges, however, will take care of that issue and will also help to strengthen the quad muscles as well, making it a great full, lower body conditioning movement. To begin, hold either two dumbbells, one at either side of your body, or a barbell that's resting across your back (or, if you are not strong enough yet, just do this exercise with your own body weight). Start from an upright standing position, then slowly move one foot directly in front of the body, placing it at a comfortable, but relatively large distance from the other foot. Once you have your balance, begin to move downwards, primarily placing the body weight on the front leg, bending at the knee to lower the body. Note that the back leg will bend too, however, the knee should at no point rest directly on the floor. Go down as low as you can (ideally you want the front knee to be bent at 90 degrees) and then, pressing up through the front leg again, move back into the standing position, bringing both legs together once. Next, you will step forward with the other foot, doing the same motion to complete one full rep of the exercise. Perform 10-12 reps of these (so a total of 20-24 steps). This exercise should be done at maximum, 3 times per week, leaving one day in between to allow the muscles to recover.
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So, follow this exercise program for at least six weeks. After this time period you should begin to start seeing results in your progress and spinal alignment. Don't become discouraged if it takes a little while, it's perfectly normal for those who are very deep into this condition to take a bit of time to retrain the body. Next we'll move onto our next postural problem, Kyphosis.
Kyphosis
Kyphosis, also sometimes referred to as 'hunchback', is characterized by rounded shoulders and holding the head too far forward. It is probably the most common postural issue that's seen out there and can even occur in athletes. It can develop because of muscle weakness or out of being lazy at one point in time, which then produced the posture and now has just become habit. The big problem with this postural issue is that it makes the lungs have to work harder and can contribute to having poor respiration. If you are hunched over enough, your total lung capacity can be reduced by up to 30%. For anyone who is involved in athletic activity, you could see why this would be largely problematic.
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One common reason why gymgoers may develop this condition is because they are focusing too much on the exercises of the bench press and doing lots of abdominal work. As such, they start to overdevelop the muscles that cause a rounding of the shoulders while the muscles that help pull the shoulder blades back and together begin to weaken. This muscular imbalance then creates the problem. In other words, they are too focused on their anterior chain muscles and not focused enough on their posterior chain muscles. So that said, below is a stretching and strengthening exercise program that you should follow in order to correct this problem. Again you can do it separately from your other workouts or in conjunction with them in the same session.
Recommended Stretching Exercises

Neck Roll
The neck roll exercise is exactly what it sounds like. The benefits to performing this exercise are that you will be able to locate where your tension is and work through it so that you end up more relaxed then before and will not take on such a hunched over appearance.
Start by rolling the head gently in one direction on a five count. Going slowly allows you to thoroughly work out the tension and see where you may have a limited range of motion. After you have reached one side, then you want to roll it in the other direction in the exact same manner. After this is finished, then you are ready to move onto the stretching. First rotate your head as left as you possibly can while trying to look over the shoulder. It is important that you pay attention to feeling a stretch here though and not a strain. The point is not to strain the muscles, as this could cause problems, but more to feel a gentle stretch that will increase the flexibility and reduce any current soreness while also increasing your range of motion. Once you have moved the head as far as you can, then you want to place your left hand on the chin and the right hand on the side of your head and gently push a tiny bit more. Again this should be a light stretching feeling, not a jarring pain. Hold this for approximately twenty seconds, and then repeat on the other side. As you do this, you will find that your muscles naturally start loosening up and you will not need to do it quite as often. Remember as well that you should at no point hear bones cracking. If you do, you are likely pushing too hard and need to ease up. You are not playing chiropractor! After you have finished this, then you'll want to move your head in the downwards direction as if you are trying to get your chin to touch your collar bone. Place one hand at the crown of the skull and push downwards just as you did before, holding for twenty seconds once again. Finally, the next direction you want to go is back, however, do not let your head 'drop' back because this is very dangerous. You just want to go back as far as comfortable and apply the pressure ever so slightly.
Try and do this exercise whenever you feel some tension in your neck. Every day is preferable; however, if you are making a conscious effort to monitor tension and doing it when present then you should be okay.
Wall Bridge
The wall bridge is a great exercise to do to loosen up the pelvis muscles, the hip flexors, the abdominal core, as well as the deltoid muscles. It will also help to strengthen the lower back, which is particularly important for promoting proper posture.
If you already have a hunched back then this is one exercise you should really be doing on a daily basis. If there is one exercise that's going to help the most - this is it! To start the movement, first find a flat wall that has plenty of room overhead. You do not want anything obstructing your range of motion in any direction of you because if you did happen to misplace yourself, you do not want to hit anything and risk injury. Next, stand about two and a half feet away from this wall with your back towards it. Once you are in that position, you are going to raise the arms up over your shoulders
and look up the ceiling. Then, gently start to tilt yourself back until you hands are touching the wall behind you (they are still in the overhead position). Once you are comfortably in this position, then slowly begin to walk your hands down the wall so that you are starting to form a 'bridge' type of position. Make sure your hands are firmly against the wall, however, so that at no point you risk losing your balance. Challenge yourself to walk as far down the wall as possible, working towards being able to eventually place hands directly on the floor. Make sure that you do not cheat yourself by taking steps forward with your feet. As they move away from the wall you will get a decreased stretch happening and thus weaken the effects of the exercise. Once you reach as low as you can go, try and hold this position for 20 seconds before beginning once again. Complete a total of 3 times per session.
Pectoral Stretch
The next stretch exercise that you'll want to perform to help manage this condition is the pectoral stretch.
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This stretch should be performed about three times per week and each time you do it you are to perform it twice, holding each for at least twenty seconds. The main purpose of this stretch is to help loosen the muscles that are surrounding the chest so that the tension won't cause you to take on a hunched appearance. In order to complete the stretch you should use a dowel that's approximately 4 feet in length. If you do not have access to one of these than you can easily use a broomstick or a PVC tube as well. One of the great things about this stretch is that it can be performed easily at any time that's convenient for you. To begin, you'll grasp the dowel in both hands using a grip that's approximately one and a half times your shoulder width. Your arms are to be over your head and palms should be facing the outside direction. Once you are comfortable in this position, then you should take a deep breath in and on the exhale, slightly pull back. When doing this you should notice you feel a small stretch along the chest and bicep muscles. Once you are stretched back as far as you can go, hold this position for a couple of deep breaths. If you wish to change the target of the stretch to more of the anterior deltoid and lower pecs, then you should start with the bar behind you (holding near the hips) and raise it upwards from behind. Do note with this, however, that you will likely not have to move it very far in the upwards direction in order to start feeling a good, deep stretch.
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This is an excellent movement to perform though so be sure you don't overlook it.
Quad Stretch
The next important stretch to include regularly for those with this condition is a quad stretch. Not only is this great for keeping you overall more limber, but it can help to ensure that the hips remain in a neutral position and are not pulled forward due to tight quads.
To start this stretch, you are to stand in the upright position, with the knees slightly bent so they are not locked into place. Next, bend one leg at the knee so it moves behind the body and grab a hold of it with your free hand. As you do so, ensure that you focus on keeping the hips up. If you think of squeezing the bum muscles at the same time, you should be able to accomplish this without too many problems. Once you've gotten a good hold of your foot behind you, then you are to slightly pull it back, pushing the hips forwards, but also focusing on keeping the knee locked in place next to other knee and still pointing directly downward. Whatever you do, be sure that the knee does not start moving out to the side as this will cause the muscle to stretch in a way that is not desirable.
Hold this position for a good thirty seconds before moving onto the other leg. Note that you can, and should, do this stretch at any point in the day when your quads feel tight. Especially try and do it after you have been sitting for a great length of time, as it will help keep the leg muscles relaxed.
Anterior Deltoid Stretch

The next stretch to perform is for your anterior deltoid muscle (outside head of the shoulder) and is a good one because for those of you who hold a lot of tension in the neck, this can transfer down the body and into the shoulders. By performing this stretch regularly you will help to reduce that tension and overall loosen this area of the body.
It will be easiest to complete this stretch if you find a doorsill somewhere that you can hold onto. Begin by crossing the arm you wish to stretch and grabbing a hold of that doorsill (or whatever else you may be using). Once you have a firm grasp, then begin to twist the body in the opposite direction until you begin to feel a stretch on the outside portion of the shoulder. Note that this means your body will be twisting into itself (the direction of your underarm). You should also hold on slightly with your free hand to the elbow that is on the stretching arm to both support it and to offer a little more pressure to further enhance the stretch.
Make sure that at no time your elbow actually locks into place because this can place too much stress on the joint and injury could result. If you feel like you are tight towards the top of the shoulders as well, another great stretch to do is to place both palms together with arms behind your back. Then slowly bring the arms in the upwards direction (with the palms remaining intact) until they are touching the small of your back. When doing so you should feel a good stretch taking place. Make sure to breath in and out deeply while doing this to allow for full relaxation and optimal range of motion. Perform this exercise at least three times per week, doing two sets each session and holding for 20 seconds per arm.
Gravity Inversion
As already stated earlier, the gravity inversion exercise is an excellent one to perform for a wide variety of postural problems. There are recently a number of new devises developed for the purposes of gravity inversion such as Gravity tables and inversion boards and chairs; however, perhaps the oldest and most versatile is the Gravity boot. Consequently, it is also usually the most cost effective as well. These hit the scene in the early 1980s as a fad and made their way into more popular by movies like American Gigolo and Goonies, only to then fade away. Unfortunately, the true versatility and benefits they offered were never really explored until just recently. Gravity boots cuff around the shin, just above ankle, and have a hook designed to work like a body hanger. You will hang from a sturdy bar above head height and while doing so, all the compression forces that have been acting downwards on the spine will be reversed.
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Once you have the hook hanger, most of the time you can hang it around any type of pull-up bar to get the proper effect. Furthermore, the act of being suspended upside down will reverse the compounding effects of the daily wear and tear of gravity, provide the ultimate stretch, and improve lymph function and circulation. If you wish, you can also perform a variety of strength training exercises from this apparatus, from inverted sit-ups to inverted squats (which will work the hip flexors predominately). To invert yourself, take a wider than shoulder width grip on an overhead bar, then as swiftly as possible, swing both legs up till the hooks clear the bar. You are then free to hang as you wish. The first time doing this you may be too timid to let go of the bar with your hands. If this is the case, first use a spotter to provide extra support by holding onto your feet so you can have a bit more confidence. After a few sets you'll likely then have more than enough confidence in the boots themselves and it will no longer be an issue for you. Note that if you have difficulty getting your feet over the bar, it is usually due to weak abdominals and hip flexors. To remedy this, you can use a chair to step/kick yourself up to clear the bar. Perform this exercise 3-4 times per week and hang for 2-3 minutes per time if you can (watch to ensure there is not too much blood rushing to your head - and after you are finished, be sure to relax by sitting in a chair a few minutes to allow the blood flow to return to normal afterwards).
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Hanging Traction
Another exercise that we went over for the Lordosis postural problem is the hanging traction. This is a common exercise that is done by chiropractors with their patients to improve their postural conditioning and as such, should be done by you as well. This exercise is going to work based on the fact that gravity will be acting downwards upon the body, helping to properly align the skeleton and muscles associated with the joints. It is important to remember when doing this, not to let your back arch too much, but rather to try and maintain a proper, straight alignment. To do this at home, find an overhead bar that is study enough it will allow you to hang from it. It also needs to be high enough off the ground so that your feet will not be touching when you are using it. Once you have the bar, then begin to hang off of it, for thirty seconds to start with, resting in between sets. Try and build your way two sets of this, three to four days per week. To add extra difficulty, place ankle weights around the ankles, to further increase the effects of gravity acting downwards upon you. While performing this drill, it is also a good time to strengthen any muscle groups that need it through dynamic tensions. For example if you have weak abdominals, squeeze them tightly the duration of your hang. Alternatively, if it's your gluteals, give them a
strong contraction. Finally, try rolling the shoulders back as if to pinch the shoulder blades together for 10-15 seconds if you are a slumper. You are only limited to your ambition and imagination in terms of what you can do with this exercise!
Book Balance Walk

Finally, the last exercise that you should be doing to treat this condition is a book balance walk. To do this, you'll want to first place a book upon your head and practice simply standing there while balancing it. It will take some getting used to at first, so do not become discouraged if at first it's constantly falling off. Over time, you'll get used to adjusting your posture to accommodate the book and soon will have no troubles keeping it balanced for a full minute or longer. Once you've reached that stage and can easily do that, then it's time to begin walking. Again, first start by ensuring that the book is fully balanced upon your head. It is absolutely essential that you do this before trying to walk or else you will be largely unsuccessful. So, after the book is balanced, then start slowly moving across the floor, focusing on taking very small steps in the beginning. As you progress, then work on taking normal length steps, until you are able to walk across a room and back, all while maintaining the balance of the book upon your head. Try and do this drill on a daily basis if you can, working at it for periods of 10 minutes each time.
Next, we move onto the strengthening exercises that will be recommended in order to help treat this condition. Strengthening is absolutely vital because often, weak muscles will be at the core problem of what is happening with you.
Recommended Strengthening Exercises

Neck Isometrics
The neck isometrics exercise is going to be great for those who have heads that tend to move forwards all the time due to their posture. These should be performed before you attempt the head rolls movements described in the stretching section, because this way, after you work on the muscle, you will then ensure that it does not become too overly tight by performing the stretching exercises.
To begin this movement, start by placing both palms at the base of the skull. Once there, then you should start to firmly push on the head, trying to fight against the pressure. You are to aim to continually resist the pressure for a total of 10 seconds before resting once again. This isn't a long duration exercise, and therefore, you really
must ensure that you are exerting maximal contraction. Do note that you shouldn't feel any pain while doing so, but should definitely feel the muscles working.
After you have done this, then you are to move your hands so they are on the top of the forward, and this time, press in the opposite direction. Again, hold this for ten seconds and then release.
If you can, do this three days per week, working up to doing two sets of 10 seconds for each pressing direction. You can also go side-to-side with the pressing/pushing if you feel this would help to benefit your situation.
Good Mornings
The next exercise to perform is good mornings and they will really work to strengthen the hamstring muscles, as well as the muscles that are in the lower back. These will then start working together to improve your ability to maintain correct postural alignment.
To begin them, stand with your feet approximately shoulder width apart. Next lift a barbell so that it moves up over your head, and then rest it gently on the shoulders behind the end. Your arms should be located on either side of the barbell, just slightly wider than shoulder width apart. You can add weight to the barbell if you are more advanced; however, if you are just starting out you should aim to complete it without any weight.
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Once the barbell is balanced across your shoulders, then slowly begin to lower the upper body, bending at the hips. You are to continue to lower until you are in a horizontal position, the back forming a 90 degree angle with the legs.
After that, slowly rise up once again to complete the rep. Aim to do two sets of 10-15 reps total, three times per week. Note that you can use other equipment aside from a barbell, such as dumbbells (resting on the shoulders), resistance bands, medicine balls, cables, or even with a partner assisting you by gently pressing on the body as you try and push upwards.
Isometric Bridge
The isometric bridge is a terrific exercise that will enable you to increase the strength in your spinal erector to help counter-balance underdeveloped pectoral and abdominal muscles. It will also serve to help you gain strength in the gluteal, neck, and hamstring muscles, working as a really excellent compound movement.
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There are a variety of different ways you can do the movement, so play around and try out different techniques. This will help to continually alter the stimulus that is being placed on the muscle and help ensure that you keep on improving.
To begin the movement, start with two solid, stable chairs along with some padding. Place the chairs at a good distance between each other so that when you lay in between, you will be able to stretch out your legs (one leg should be propped up on one chair and then your back should be resting on the other - with padding behind you).
Once you're comfortable, press through the heels so that your hips begin to rise off the floor, and your body takes on a flat, board-like appearance. Do note that it will be easier to hold this position if you think of tensing the abdominal muscles, thus keeping the core nice and tight.
Try and hold this position for a total of ten seconds before coming back down to the floor once again.
If you struggle to do this, don't worry - that's normal at first. This is an intense exercise and takes some time to get used to, both speaking in terms of neuromuscular control and pure strength abilities. If you are finding this to be an issue, then start out with only your feet propped up on the chair, while your back remains on the floor. This will make it slightly easier at first, allow you to complete the exercise without too much difficulty.
Another thing you can consider, is simply propping your back and feet up using a block of some sort that is lower to the ground than the chairs were. Since you don't have as much of a distance to cover, this will make it slightly easier.
If you are finding this exercise not to be challenging enough, on the other hand, then you can add weight to your midsection to increase the difficulty. This should be done using anchored bands, weighted plates, or else dumbbells. Yet another way you can increase the difficulty is to place your feet on a swiss ball, rather than a chair, in order to destabilize yourself more and really get your whole entire core working hard. You can also try and perform the same exercise, only laying face down if you really want a challenge and have problems with a swayed back position. To do this though, only place one leg on the chair, while the other is held up in the air freely. Try and complete the exercise three times each week, performing 2 sets of 10 holds each time. Do make sure to do some stretching after you are finished as well, so that the muscles do not become tight.
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Chest Expander
The Chest Expander exercise is one that will work the deltoid and trapezius muscles, helping you maintain a better position with your upper back.
To perform it, you will require a resistance tubing band, like one of the ones they use in physiotherapy clinics, or that are often seen at the gym in the stretching room. Often they will come in different colors, with the colors being an indication to how much resistance they provide. Usually yellow is the least resistance, while blue will be the tightest. If there are no blue bands around however, simply double up another, easier band, to increase the resistance it provides. To start the movement, keep your back flat against a wall, pushing the shoulders back and down, while trying to squeeze the shoulder blades together. Make sure you keep your head held high at all times and your stomach sucked in. Hold the band at chest level, with hands shoulder width apart. From there, in one controlled, smooth motion, begin to resist the arms outwards, trying to bring both hands to the side of the body. Make sure you do not start to let the band drop, it is to remain at shoulder height throughout the entire exercise.
After doing this for about 10-15 reps, you should be feeling it pretty good in your muscles so if you aren't, this is a good indication you may need to increase the resistance of the tubing. If you are at the gym, you can also perform this exercise using cables, which allow for a little more direct measurement of the particular weight you are using. Try and complete the 10-15 repetitions, for two sets, three times per week.
Balance 'T'
Finally, the last strengthening exercise you are to perform as part of this routine is the Balance 'T'.
The balance 'T', as described in the above section, will really a total strengthening exercise as it will challenge all the muscles in the spine. This is a popular movement that they often do in yoga and pilates classes, because not only does it get you focusing on your breathing and balance, but it increases the strength of the muscles as well.
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It is important to think of tensing the core muscles at all times while you perform the movement, because this will help to not only aid in balance, but also ensure that you are deriving full benefits from the exercise. Start by first focusing on a point that is a distance in front of you. It is essential that you maintain concentration on this point at all times if you wish to be successful at balancing in this hold. This point should be about three and a half feet in front of you and something that is obviously not moving. Then, while trying to stand as tall as possible, suck in your stomach and put your arms up straight over your head. The neck should remain straight throughout the entire movement. Then begin to lift one of the back legs up off the ground until it becomes parallel with the torso. Note that while doing so, your back will start to lower and this is fine and natural; however, at no point should it take a hunched appearance. As the leg raises, the back should come up so they work in conjunction with each other. When you reach the holding position of the movement, your body should basically look like a flat table top. Once there, lock your knees and elbows in place and focus on keeping the hips square. Squeeze the muscles in the abdominal region, as well as the bum to help maintain control of your balance. Hold this for as long as you can, working up to one minute in duration. Afterwards, switch sides and repeat once again. Note that to make this slightly easier when just starting, you may want to place a chair out in front of you to rest your hands on when in the 'T' position so that you can learn how to maintain your balance. Try and do this movement five times each week, any time throughout the day or at the end of your workout when you are cooling down. You should be trying to hold it for thirty seconds each time, making sure you maintain proper form.
So, try and stick with this program consistently for a time period of at least six weeks. You should start noticing some improvements in strength after two to three weeks, and then as time progresses on, noticeable posture improvements should also be seen. Be sure too, once you are getting the results you are looking for, that you don't just stop the exercises all together. While you may be able to reduce the frequency of them slightly, you should still keep at them in order to maintain the new strength gains you've made.
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Scoliosis
The last issue we'll look at is Scoliosis, which is primarily characterized by a lateral bending of the spine. This problem can develop in early childhood or adulthood, however, most commonly it will be seen during the adolescence years. The rate of occurrence of this postural problem is more common in females, so they in particular need to be focusing on ensuring proper nutrition during their prime growing years.
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Additionally, getting sufficient exercise during these time periods in life will help to promote good postural alignment and is something that should definitely be focused on. If scoliosis is detected early, it can often be controlled with a special orthotic brace and exercises that are performed to help strengthen the muscles that are weak and causing problems. The bad point though, is that for those who do develop this problem in adolescence and don't take steps to fix it, it cause a great deal of issues down the road that are much harder to solve. About 75% of the cases of scoliosis are idiopathic, meaning there is no known cause, and about 25% of the cases are postural or related to neuromuscular disease. Interestingly though, both conditions can be significantly improved if you take the time and put for the effort to perform proper strengthening and conditioning exercises. Some of the common symptoms that are seen when you have scoliosis include: -An uneven waist and shoulders -A spinal position where the head is not entirely centered over the pelvis -There is a ribcage deformity or unevenness present -The hips or scapula begin to protrude
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-There is a positive forward bend when you are bent at 90 degrees (your back looks like an 'S'). With this condition in particular, nutrition seems to also factor in. Some studies have shown that in animals, scoliosis can actually be induced when there is a deficiency in vitamin B, C, E, elemental copper, and when physical activity is limited. This demonstrates that to help prevent this condition, especially if you are starting to notice it in mild forms in the very early childhood years, you need to be absolutely sure you are actively taking a good look at your eating habits, ensuring you are meeting your vitamin and mineral needs. Exercise again will play a large role so try and be as active as possible. Implementing some stretching activities in with the physical activity during the early years is also smart since it will help to keep the muscles long and prevent them from becoming tensed into a bad position. As with the other problems we've discussed, doing some specific types of exercises is a good way to treat the problem, or prevent it from developing in the first place. The following routine, like the others, consists of strengthening and stretching activities that are tailored towards this specific problem. Some of them overlap what was seen before, since they will be applicable to both.
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Strengthening Exercises
Good Mornings
Good mornings really work to strengthen the hamstring muscles, as well as the muscles that are in the lower back. Since these muscles are typically week in individuals with Scoliosis it is important to focus on them. To begin, stand with your feet approximately shoulder width apart. Next lift a barbell so that it moves up over your head, and then rest it gently on the shoulders behind the end. Your arms should be located on either side of the barbell, just slightly wider than shoulder width apart. You can add weight to the barbell if you are more advanced; however, if you are just starting out you should aim to complete it without any weight. Once the barbell is balanced across your shoulders, then slowly begin to lower the upper body, bending at the hips. You are to continue to lower until you are in a horizontal position, the back forming a 90 degree angle with the legs. After that, slowly rise up once again to complete the rep. Aim to do two sets of 10-15 reps total, three times per week. Note that you can use other equipment aside from a barbell, such as dumbbells (resting on the shoulders), resistance bands, medicine balls, cables, or even with a partner assisting you by gently pressing on the body as you try and push upwards. Perform this exercise three times per week, working your way to doing two sets of 10-15 reps.
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Isometric Bridge
The next exercise you will perform in this routine is an isometric bridge. The isometric bridge is a terrific exercise that will enable you to increase the strength in your spinal erector to help counter-balance underdeveloped pectoral and abdominal muscles. It will also serve to help you gain strength in the gluteal, neck, and hamstring muscles, working as a really excellent compound movement.
There are a variety of different ways you can do the movement, so play around and try out different techniques. This will help to continually alter the stimulus that is being placed on the muscle and help ensure that you keep on improving. To begin the movement, start with two solid, stable chairs along with some padding. Place the chairs at a good distance between each other so that when you lay in between, you will be able to stretch out your legs (one leg should be propped up on one chair, and then your back should be resting on the other - with padding behind you). Once you're comfortable, press through the heels so that your hips begin to rise off the floor, and your body takes on a flat, board-like appearance. Do note that it will be easier
to hold this position if you think of tensing the abdominal muscles, thus keeping the core nice and tight. Try and hold this position for a total of ten seconds before coming back down to the floor once again.
If you struggle to do this, don't worry - that's normal at first. This is an intense exercise and takes some time to get used to, both speaking in terms of neuromuscular control and pure strength abilities. If you are finding this to be an issue, then start out with only your feet propped up on the chair, while your back remains on the floor. This will make it slightly easier at first, allowing you to complete the exercise without too much difficulty.
Another thing you can consider, is simply propping your back and feet up using a block of some sort that is lower to the ground than the chairs were. Since you don't have as much of a distance to cover, this will make it slightly easier. If you are finding this exercise not to be challenging enough, on the other hand, then you can add weight to your midsection to increase the difficulty. This should be done using anchored bands, weighted plates, or else dumbbells. Yet another way you can increase the difficulty is to place your feet on a swiss ball, rather than a chair, in order to destabilize yourself more and really get your whole entire core working hard.
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You can also try and perform the same exercise, only laying face down if you really want a challenge and have problems with a swayed back position. To do this though, only place one leg on the chair, while the other is held up in the air freely. Try and complete the exercise three times each week, performing 2 sets of 10 holds each time. Do make sure to do some stretching after you are finished as well, so that the muscles do not become tight.
Side Bends
Next up, you are going to move onto performing side bend exercises to help increase the strength in your lateral obliques. This is a great one that will target the core muscles as well, helping to promote a good overall postural alignment. The idea behind the resistance bending exercise is that it will also create a good stabilization of the spine and torso rotation. When you are affected with this condition, even every day movements that would normally not be an issue can become problematic. By increasing your base stabilization, you help to decrease the risk that you will be affected in any physical movement you perform.
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What often happens, is that people focus on working their abdominal muscles so hard, while forgetting to target the obliques. This causes a great imbalance and will not provide you with a good supportive base to your body. So, to start this exercise, what you are to do is grab a resistance band from the side in one hand, keeping it at about waist level, while stepping away from the band so it is taught. From there, while keeping the knees bent ever so slightly to provide good balance, you'll begin to bend in the sideways direction opposite that of where the band is tied. Focus on bending at the hips and not at the rib cage to ensure you actively engage the right muscles. You do not want to use momentum to complete the exercise either, so perform it slightly slower to make sure that it is only the muscles that are doing the work. This is absolutely critical if you are to get the results you are looking for. You can also do this same movement with a dumbbell, or will cable pulleys as well if you'd prefer. The important thing to keep in mind is that you are looking for a resistance level where it will be challenging, however, where you will still be able to maintain proper form. If your back starts moving out of proper alignment, then it is really going to defeat the entire purpose of the exercise altogether and could actually end up making your problem worse. You are to perform these side bends three times each week, for 2 sets of 12-15 reps each side, every session you do.
Balance 'T'
Finally, the last exercise, common to both other conditions as well, that you will perform is the balance 'T'. This is such a great exercise that it is really beneficial for anyone to do, regardless if you have spinal posture problems at all. Because of this fact, after your condition has cleared up, keep doing this one in particular on a regular basis because it has so many benefits to offer.
While performing this movement, be sure you are tensing the core muscles at all times because this will help to not only aid in balance, but also ensure that you are deriving full benefits from the exercise. Start by first focusing on a point that is a distance in front of you. It is essential that you maintain concentration on this point at all times if you wish to be successful at balancing in this hold. This point should be about three and a half feet in front of you and something that is obviously not moving. Then, while trying to stand as tall as possible, suck in your stomach and put your arms up straight over your head. The next should remain straight throughout the entire movement. Then begin to lift one of the back legs up off the ground until it becomes parallel with the torso. Note that while doing so, your back will start to lower and this is fine and natural; however, at no point should it take a hunched appearance. As the leg raises, the back should come up so they work in conjunction with each other. When you reach the holding position of the movement your body should basically look like a flat table top. Once there, lock your knees and elbows in place and focus on keeping the hips square. Squeeze the muscles in the abdominal region, as well as the bum to help maintain control of your balance. Hold this for as long as you can, working up to one minute in duration. Afterwards, switch sides, and repeat once again. Note that to make this slightly easier when just starting, you may want to place a chair out in front of you to rest your hands on when in the 'T' position so that you can learn how to maintain your balance.
Try and do this movement every day of the week, any time throughout the day or at the end of your workout when you are cooling down. You should be trying to hold it for thirty seconds on each leg.
Stretching Exercises
Next up you have the stretching exercises to perform for this condition. Stretching is equally as important as strengthening because it will provide the most help with relaxing the muscles so that tension is not the cause of poor postural alignment. Make sure you remember to breath as deeply as possible when performing these stretches because doing so will increase your range of motion and allow you to derive more benefits from them.
Gravity Inversion
The gravity inversion exercise is a good choice because it will allow you to lengthen your back muscles, along with helping to extend the spinal position. Often, after a great period of time in the sitting position, the vertebra in the spine will start to compress and this can create a large number of problems. By performing the gravity inversion stretch on a regular basis, you help to counteract this compression force, while seeing terrific results in terms of improvement with your posture. There are recently a number of new devises developed for the purposes of gravity inversion such as Gravity tables and inversion boards and chairs; however, perhaps the oldest and most versatile is the Gravity boot. Consequently it is also usually the most cost effective as well. These hit the scene in the early 1980s as a fad and made their way into more popular by movies like American Gigolo and Goonies, only to then faded
away. Unfortunately the true versatility and benefits they offered were never really explored until just recently. Gravity boots cuff around the shin, just above ankle, and have a hook designed to work like a body hanger. You will hang from a sturdy bar above head height and while doing so, all the compression forces that have been acting downwards on the spine will be reversed. Once you have the hook hanger, most of the time you can hang it around any type of pull-up bar to get the proper effect. To invert yourself, take a wider than shoulder width grip on an overhead bar, then as swiftly as possible, swing both legs up till the hooks clear the bar. You are then free to hang as you wish. The first time doing this you may be too timid to let go of the bar with your hands. If this is the case, first use a spotter to provide extra support by holding onto your feet so you can have a bit more confidence. After a few sets you'll likely then have more than enough confidence in the boots themselves, and it will no longer be an issue for you. Note, if you have difficulty getting your feet over the bar, it is usually due to weak abdominals and hip flexors. To remedy this, you can use a chair to step/kick yourself up to clear the bar. Perform this exercise 3-4 times per week and hang for 2-3 minutes per time if you can (watch to ensure there is not too much blood rushing to your head - and after you are finished be sure to relax by sitting in a chair a few minutes to allow the blood flow to return to normal afterwards).
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Hanging Traction
The hanging traction is an exercise that will also help to counteract any compression forces that have been acting on the vertebra and has been performed regularly by many professionals working in the healthcare field when dealing with patients suffering from back pain. To begin the movement, find a bar that is overhead somewhere that allows the feet to be off the ground when you are hanging from it. Once you are ready, reach up and grab a hold of the bar, allowing the body to hang naturally underneath you. It's important to continually try and keep the abdominal muscles tight, however, as this will keep the spine in properly alignment while gravity is acting in the downward direction. Try and do this hang three to four days each week, working up to hanging for 30 seconds at a time and performing two hangs each session you do. If you like, you can also add weights around your ankles to increase the force that will be acting downwards and help to lengthen the spine even more. While you are at it, if you wish you can easily perform abdominal strengthening exercises while in this position by raising the legs up, and then lowering them back again, creating a 'V' type of shape with the body. Complete the hangs 3-4 times each week after you have finished the rest of your exercises, doing them for 30 seconds at a time.
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Book Balance
The last exercise you'll do as part of this routine is the book balance. When doing the book balance, you always want to focus on keeping the core as tight as possible, like all the other exercises, because this is what will provide you with the most stabilization and help to prevent the book from falling off your head. Begin by first starting with only holding the book on the head while in the standing position. Once you are able to balance that for a good thirty seconds to one minute, then you can progress onwards, working you way to being able to walk across the room while it stays balanced atop your head. It will help if you think of continually looking forward as you move across the room because any shift in the head will be very likely to cause the book to fall immediately. Perform this walk each day if you can, working on getting better for 10 minutes at a time. Try and stick with these exercises and stretches on a consist basis and you should start seeing results shortly. If you do miss a day, don't worry too much, just try and get right back at it as soon as you can.
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Duck Feet
Finally, the last problem that some individuals have when it comes to posture is what is termed as 'duck feet'. You've likely seen this at some point before and may even have it yourself. Basically, it's a foot position that when walking or standing, the toes are pointed outwards creating a 'V' type of formation, similar to what a duck might do. The big issue with this type of foot pattern is that it can cause the individual to begin to lean more towards the outside of the foot, which means they are moving away from correct foot pronation. Pronation is a term that is used to describe how the body weight is transferred over the foot; when it is not evenly transferred over, going from the middle of the heel slightly through the inner arch and then off through the middle of the toes, problems can result such as knee pain, back pain, or improper posture. This is often demonstrated in runners or other athletes, and can become quite troublesome if measures are not taking to fix the issue. Usually a good way to correct the problem is to purchase a foot insert that will be placed in the arm, helping to align the foot balance properly and prevent too much rolling inwards or outwards, depending on what your particular case is. The other reason why the problem may be occurring is because of weak and tight hip rotator muscles, including the Tensor Fascia Latea, the Gluteus Minimus, and the
Gluteus Medius. You may also have poorly developed ankle supinators, which are the tibialis anterior and posterior muscles, as well as the peroneus longus muscle. These all work in conjunction with each other to help with transferring the body weight through the feet when you walk or run and if they are not functioning effectively, problems with posture can definitely result. So, to sum up this problem, those who have feet that tend to naturally turn outwards should first, concentrate on trying as much as possible to keep them pointed straight forwards; second, work on strengthening the hip and ankle muscles; third, perform stretching exercises on a regular basis in case this is one potential reason why the problem is occurring; and finally, consider using arch support inserts in their shoes to help solve the foot pattern problem. Here are the recommended stretching and strengthening exercises that you should be doing on a regular basis for this issue.
Recommended Stretching
Pigeon Foot Toe Touch
This is a really great exercise to perform because in one movement, you will be able to target the hamstrings, the gluteus, the spinal erectors, the lats, and finally the calves. Since it is so inclusive, it really cuts down on the amount of time you'll have to dedicate to doing your stretching exercises to help fix this issue. To start, stand so that feet are together, but turned in ever so slightly. The knees will likely take on a slight bent position in order to compensate for the feet being placed in this manner.
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Once you are comfortable there, then slowly bend down at the waist and reach the arms towards the feet. Note that you should also be thinking of getting your stomach to touch the shins also, rather than having a large hunched over type of position with the back. Once this becomes incredibly easy for you to do, then you can increase the difficulty by standing on a step or block so that you are not limited to only reach to the floor, but can now reach past the floor. Hold the stretch for a total of twenty seconds before relaxing and performing one more time. Do this three times a week at the very minimum; preferably every day if you can.
Side Hip Stretch

The side hip stretch is a great exercise to perform after you have finished your workout, or it can also be done at any other time during the day when you are feeling tense.
It is a movement that is designed to loosen up the sides of the hip, which includes the gluteus medius and the tensor fascia. Both of these muscles, when tight, can really have an impact on the way the hip is position under the body, causing the legs to stand and
move into an awkward position. This then will directly impact your overall posture and over time, could lead to major problems. The key to performing this stretch correctly is with the positioning of the legs. You'll start by getting into a regular standing position, then taking one leg and crossing it over the other, so the feet are side-by-side. Make sure when doing this that the back leg is as straight as possible and placed as far back as you can comfortably. The farther you are able to place the leg, the greater resulting stretch you will feel. Next, you should start to lean away from the foot slightly, so you feel a good stretch occurring all along the hip and outer quad. Be sure to hold this for at least twenty seconds, before switching over and doing the other side. Taking deep breathes in an out while you do it will also help to loosen the muscles up, and allow you to stretch over a greater range of movement. Perform the stretch at least twice for each side, three times per week.
Ankle Roll
The next exercise you'll do is the ankle roll and this helps to increase the flexibility in all the muscles that surround the ankle and the shin bone. When these are quite tight, they can definitely contribute to the problem of duck feet, so it helps to always ensure you are taking time to relax them. First, begin to roll your feet in the clockwise direction, being sure to do as complete a range of motion as possible. Once you have done ten circles in that direction, then switch over and start rolling them in the counterclockwise direction. After that's finished, stand up on your toes and roll one at a time in each direction again. This method will add the body weight to the foot as well, helping further increase the stretch.
Finally, the last component to the ankle roll is to stand once again on your toes, and then gently shift the weight so they are on the outside edges of your feet. This will really focus on stretching the outer calf muscle, as well as all the muscles that run along the outside of the ankle. Hold this for twenty seconds and then repeat once more.
Recommended Strengthening
To help with this issue, there is just one main strengthening exercise that you should be performing, but it will really play a difference in how well you progress.
Dorsi-Flexion and Supination

Just like with the stretching exercises for the ankles, the dorsi-flexion exercise is also going to target in on the muscles that oppose to soleus, along with the gastroc muscle. Usually most individuals are not ever really targeting these muscles in the more classic strength training exercises that are performed in common fitness routines, so this is an important one to consider. To start the exercise, get a VR rubber band and tie it to something so that it is firmly anchored. This is very important because if it moves around at all while your doing the exercise, it will not work. Next, sit on the floor with both legs straight out in front of you, and then loop one end of the band around your foot so that it is taught and will provide enough tension for the exercise. To perform the movement, simply start pulling strictly upwards on the band, flexing the foot towards you. You'll feel this right in the front of the shin, as the Tibialis Anterior muscle will be working.
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After you are finished with this, then change the direction that you are pulling the foot, and now, rather than pulling straight towards you, you are to move to one side. After that, perform it moving to the other side. By doing it all directions you are really covering your basis and providing a very well-rounded strengthening program for these tiny muscles that can be neglected. So, that sums up how to address the issue of duck feet. This is a condition where it really helps if you are just simply knowledgeable you are doing it, and then take steps to properly align your feet. Look down every once in a while and see what your foot placement looks like. If you notice that the toes are facing the outwards direction, correct this right away. If you do it often enough, the correct foot placement will start to become more of a habit - which is exactly what you want.
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~Chapter 6: General Posture Building Solutions ~

In addition to the programs we have discussed above, there are some other aspects that you should strongly consider as they can play a vital role in helping to develop allaround, better posture. When assessing your current posture and why you might be having issues obtaining better posture, it's really important to take a well-rounded focus, as there could be factors that you are completely overlooking that, if not taken care of, could keep you from progression onwards, developing better posture. Here are some things to consider.
Weight Loss
If you are currently overweight, this could be having a tremendous affect on your current posture, and your ability to change. Being overweight not only places a great deal of stress on the organs and major systems in the body, it also throws off how well the body is able to regulate its stance and maintain proper alignment. If you have a large, protruding stomach for example, this will place extra stress on the lower back, and you are much more likely to develop a swayback because of the condition. Therefore, taking measures to reduce your overall body weight is one of the best things you can do when you are looking to improve your posture. When you are you looking to lose weight, try and avoid searching for the 'perfect' diet program. Losing weight basically boils down to one basic principle - take in fewer calories than you burn. It's really that simple. Obviously the types of foods you eat will
impact how you feel and how hungry you get, but at the end of the day, if you have not burned off more calories than you've eaten, you aren't losing weight. Some people find they do really well on a low-carbohydrate approach to dieting, while others want to kill themselves. The big trick is finding what's going to work the best for you and then sticking with it. Don't necessarily think that you have to avoid all the foods you enjoy, just remember that moderation is key here. You can have them at times, but you must not eat extremely large amounts because that will increase your calorie totals for the day and cause you to gain weight. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Consume More Vegetables

Yes, you've likely heard it before, but that's because it's TRUE! The primary reason why you should be eating more vegetables while trying to diet is because they are high volume, but low in calories. This means you can eat a great deal of them without gaining weight. Since, while on a diet, you will be needing to eat fewer calories which usually means less food, having the vegetables in there to 'fill up your plate' will decrease the chance that you wind up feeling extremely deprived. No one enjoys feeling deprived and when you do, you'll probably wind up cheating on your diet and really causing some damage.
Drink More Water and Limit Other Beverages

This is another key tip for someone who is trying to lose weight. Often we will mistake hunger for thirst and thus, consume food when all we really needed was a beverage. Now, the important thing here is that most beverages have calories too. That's why
water is going to be a much better choice - plus it helps to clean the system and staying hydrated really helps with energy levels. You should be trying to avoid consuming other beverages because of the fact they contain calories and also because often we do not 'make up' for these calories, with a reduced food intake. So, someone who chucks back a glass of orange juice, which contains roughly 150 calories, will not therefore consume 150 calories fewer from food that day. Do this over a three week period and you've just gained a pound. Likewise, more often than not, the calories that are found in beverages are rather 'empty' so-to-speak, meaning they do not have much nutritional value. Pop, 'fruit flavored beverages', iced tea, alcoholic drinks (these are particularly bad because they act as a toxin to the body as well) are all examples of ones you want to avoid. Milk and real fruit juice aren't as bad, but still, it would be better to 'eat' those calories because chances are you will get more feelings of satiety while doing so.
Eat More Frequently

Eating more frequently helps the dieting individual because it helps to prevent feelings of hunger from kicking in and also helps to keep the blood sugar levels more stable. When you experience a great drop in blood sugar levels, it's then that you are more likely to turn to overeating because you become extremely ravenous and cannot control this. By eating more often, you'll find that you don't get as hungry between your meals and thus, are much better able to control how much food you do take in. Just be sure, when switching to eating more frequently, that you do of course reduce back on the size of the meals you are eating. This will be critical in order to ensure that you don't gain weight.
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Consider Warm Beverages

When dieting, drinking more warm beverages, such as coffee and tea, sweetened with artificial sugar substitutes, can also help to take the edge of hunger. The caffeine found in the beverages (assuming a caffeinated variety) can also slightly speed the metabolism and increase energy levels, thus, further the weight loss benefits you experience.
Become More Active

One of the best ways to increase the results you see on any weight loss program is becoming more active. Not only does physical activity burn more calories while you do it, help to burn more calories after you do it (due to increased metabolic rate), and help to retain more lean muscle mass, physical activity also greatly tends to blunt hunger levels, which also will help the dieting process along. Just be sure you don't over do it on the activity, since, while at a lowered calorie intake you are more likely to experience overtraining if your program is not well planned out and does not allow for enough rest in between sessions. Don't forget to look for all the little times when you can become more active as well. Such examples would be taking the stairs rather than the elevator, getting up to change the channel rather than using the remote, parking further away from the store you are going to, and so on. While it may seem like a tedious process, all these things really do add up at the end of the day and can make a significant impact on the results you see.
Try And Have Some Fat With Each Meal

Far too many dieters get into the mindset that they must avoid fat at all costs if they are to actually lose weight. This, however, is not the case at all. Dietary fat is actually great for dieters because, true, it is more calorie dense, but it will help prevent hunger for
longer periods of time than both protein and fat will. Since, you must start reducing your calorie intake if you are to see results, this is extremely important. Try incorporating a small amount of fat with each meal you eat to get this benefit. About 7-10 grams per meal should work nicely.
Take Fatty Acids

In addition to the point above, a great idea is to start supplementing your diet with essential fatty acids - or consuming salmon or other fatty fish at least three times a week. EFA's are extremely beneficial for a whole host of reasons, one major one as far as dieter's are concerned is because it helps with insulin sensitivity. This means that your body will respond better when you eat carbohydrate-rich foods and will not have as much of a tendency to store them as body fat. You should be taking between 3-6 grams per day (usually one capsule of the supplemental form is equal to one gram).
Count Those Calories

Finally, this last point should pretty much go without saying. While you can lose weight without having to track all the calories you are consuming, chances are, you will have much greater success if you do. This is simply because without tracking, you won't be able to ensure you are in fact consuming fewer calories than you've burned off in the day and thus, will not know if you are going to lose weight. Taking a shotgun approach won't work well for many, and in fact, if you over do it, you could end up consuming too few calories and that will only cause a metabolic slow-down and prevent further fat loss from taking place to begin with.
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It is a bit of a pain to track your calories but if you come up with a few different menu choices for each meal and then just alternate between those, it makes the process a whole lot easier and less stressful. So, keep these diet tips in mind if you feel that losing some excess body weight would be beneficial in your goal of solving your posture issues. It really can make a difference in how able your body is to support itself, and how you carry yourself. Add to this that often, when you start to lose excess body weight, you're whole confidence level will also improve, and that can translate, for some people, to a better overall posture since they feel better about themselves as a person. Remember that fad diets do not work, however. Don't try and rush weight loss too much because all you will do is end up losing a great amount of muscle tissue, which is the exact tissue that serves to help your body burn more calories! If you lose all your precious muscle mass, you'll have a metabolism that hums along at turtle speed and you'll barely be able to eat any food while trying to maintain your weight. A much better plan is too simply lose weight slower, but ensure that you are actually losing fat mass, not muscle. Sure, it will take you longer to reach your goal, but when you do, you will be much healthier because of it - and look a heck of a lot better as well.
Giving Yoga Some Consideration

The next factor you might want to consider with your posture pursuit that can make a big difference for some people is taking up yoga. Yoga is a form of exercise that is traditionally meant for relaxation purposes; however, depending on the form of it you choose, you can also gain a great deal of strengthening benefits, as well as improved posture levels.
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In order to get the best benefit from the yoga class you choose to participate in, ensure that first, you are doing one that will provide some exercise movements, not just plain stretching and breathing. Usually a 'power yoga' will be a good choice because these will have you holding a variety of positions, working against your body weight for resistance. It is through these holding positions that you will derive the benefit because the muscles will be forced to contract. By becoming comfortable with continuous contraction, you'll become more capable of holding a low level of contraction with your muscles that is needed to help maintain proper posture in the body. Furthermore, when focusing on your breathing, make sure you are breathing deeply, while thinking of lifting the chest and rib cage upwards rather than just out. This will help to lengthen the spine, pull up the hips, push back the shoulder blades, and get you into a position that is much more conducive to better posture. If you're going to give yoga a try, aim to complete two to three classes each week, at the very minimum, in order to derive all the benefits from it.
Pilates
Another popular exercise choice for those who are looking to improve their posture is pilates. Pilates is similar to yoga in that it is a form of resistance exercise that is completed without any type of weight, and is also very focused on proper breathing and lengthening of the muscles. Pilates, therefore, is very effective for those with these postural disorders because often one of the key reasons for the posture problem in the first place is a very high degree of muscle tightness.
When you are doing any pilates exercise, in order to promote a better posture position and ensure that you do not create any further damage on the spine, try and keep the back pressed flat into the floor at all times. This is especially important because if you allow it to come off the ground, thus creating an 'arch' underneath you, you can really get yourself into problems as this is what breeds bad posture in the first place. Ask your instructor to be particularly mindful of this while she is keeping an eye out on you, letting you know if you're lower back is lifting off the floor at any time. Very often you will not even know it's occurring unless someone points it out to you.
The Alexander Technique

One popular type of training that you may have heard of before that some individuals choose to pursue when dealing with bad posture or bodily limitations is the Alexander Technique. The Alexander Technique is one that teaches you how to intentionally become aware of your habits and how they can affect your physical coordination and learning capacity. It is mostly used to enhance your degree of proprioception, which is knowledge about where the various body parts are located in space. This is highly beneficial for those who have postural problems because often times they are not aware of their current body positioning and that there is a problem. Those who go through the process are able to design habitual responses that will be used when their body moves certain ways to ensure that it stays within alignment and awareness continues. This is very critical because for many, it can be a hard process to break old habits. If you have a very strong natural tendency to remain in your current posture, even if you do manage to strengthen the muscles to carry out the correct posture, if you are in a habit of maintaining your old posture, changes might still not happen.
Learning the Alexander Technique will help you put all your hard work during the strengthening and stretching programs described above into action. This technique has also been used for a variety of different individuals, including various performing schools such as music, circus, dance, as well as being utilized by Olympic level training coaches. Even those who are struggling with various psychological conditions such as depression, low-self esteem, or social phobia can benefit from it will really improve their overall selfconfidence once they are able to regain control over their body and project themselves in an attractive way. When you first begin using the Alexandra technique, you might notice a few unusual sensations such as a lightness, feelings of fluidity, as well as feeling as those some of your actions are effortless. Those who do choose to begin learning the Alexandra technique must be willing to accept and experiment with the unfamiliar because at first, it will feel different as you are not used to this type of awareness. One of the primary mechanisms at work when you learn this technique is control over the neck and head. Your head plays a critical role in relationship to the rest of your spine and your body; therefore, when it's in the proper position, there is a much greater chance that the rest of your body will follow suit. The head should be moved in a way so that it is slightly forwards and tilted upwards. This will then help to open up the whole ribcage and improve posture greatly. Once the head is in alignment, the rest of the body will then begin to follow suit and better overall body positioning will occur. Another key component of the Alexander technique is the saying of the word 'inhibition'. When students are going through the instructional process and this phrase is heard, they are to take note and recognize any habitual limitations they are currently placing on their body. By doing so, they are opening their mind to new opportunities to choosing
other ways to move. Simply sensing this, recognizing the processes at play, and then constructively making changes about it allows one to enhance their current bodily movements. Alexander technique is taught by having a teacher guide the pupil with hands-on modeling, showing them exactly how they should be positioning themselves. This is meant to give direction to the student and once the direction is learned, then they can begin to implement it on their own. In some cases, the student will be moved to sit on a table so that they also do not need to focus on maintaining balance while going about the movement positions they are trying to achieve. It is important to note, however, that teachers instructing this technique do not lecture per say, rather, they guide the students to come to developments themselves so they can learn from experience rather than passively. Various studies have shown that learning from experience can be highly more beneficial than learning from direct instruction, so this is yet another benefit that's seen from the Alexander technique. The one drawback to this technique, however, is that it can be quite the time commitment on behalf of the student. Most instructors will recommend that an individual participates in twenty to forty private lessons or classes, so not only is a lot of time, but likely a lot of money as well. The primary reason for this being that while you might get a decent grasp of the concept while you are in class, it's quite a common occurrence for those who do learn it, not to transfer it over into their real lives. It takes many training sessions for them to start implementing the technique into the other areas of their life, so it's important to continue going regularly until this occurs.
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There are individual factors that affect how quickly it's picked up, however, and these include factors such as motivation to lose their 'old way's, the frequency that lessons are done initially, the availability of support they have from others, and their dedication to really think about the processes and not just 'going through the movements'. So, if you are really dedicated towards improving your current posture and are willing to spend a decent amount of time doing so, consider using the Alexander technique. For some, it will just take too long to see benefits from and for others, their main problem may just be muscle strength and tension and when that clears up, their posture improves. A good idea is to first focus on strengthening and stretching the muscles associated with bad posture, as described by the exercise plans above. Then, if you are not seeing improvement, look into taking up some classes on the Alexander technique. Keep in mind too that there are other additional benefits you'll learn from this technique, so you may want to consider it anyway, but for some, it will not be necessary in order to see improvements.
Posture Braces
Another option that some individuals may choose to go with is posture braces. These can be good; however, they are not really going to get to the heart of the problem. The brace will definitely help to keep your back in alignment, but if anything, they are only going to serve to weaken the back muscles that support good posture further - rather than strengthening them so the condition improves. If you think about this rationally, when your back is in a brace, why would the muscles even have to work? The brace will be fully supporting the back; therefore, the muscles can relax and just take it easy.
Over time, they will grow weaker and weaker due to not being used at all and as such, you will become reliant on that back brace for support. Unless you are at a point where your muscles are so deteriorated already and you don't mind using a back brace for the remainder of your life, then it's probably best to avoid wearing a back brace all the time. What you can do though, is use the back brace for short intervals during the day to help your body 'relearn' what proper posture feels like. When you wear it, take good note on how your body feels and the position you are in. Then, try and recreate this position when you remove the brace and start supporting yourself with your own muscles. By doing so, you will become more mindful of your own posture and should help to increase the body's awareness of it's positioning in space (proprioception). If you are current seeing a physiotherapist or some other type of professional to help regain strength in your back and work on developing better posture, they may recommend you use a special kind of back brace as well - so obviously listen to their advice as they should be able to guide you through the process they'd like you to take.
Supplements
Finally, the last option that you can look into if posture is a concern for you is supplementation. This would include taking supplements that will increase the bone density in order to promote strong and healthy bones. The reason this can be beneficial, particularly for those who already have weakened bones, is that it can help to prevent further stress fractures from taking place that would increase the likelihood that your postural problems continue into the future.
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Calcium supplementation would be the best place to start here, followed by also ensuring you are getting enough vitamin D since the body needs this vitamin in order to effectively use the calcium it gets through the diet. You may also wish to speak to your doctor about any other types of medications you may be taking as sometimes these can also have an effect on your bone density.
Conclusion
So, to sum up, there are a wide variety of factors that play a contributing role to proper posture and the develop of postural problems in the first place. By making yourself more aware of these issues, you can start taking pro-active steps to correct this issue and get yourself in better body alignment. The sooner you are able to do this, the sooner you will start to see improvements in your body and the less chances that poor posture will affect you into the future. Let this bad habit go on too long, however, and you could definitely be looking for problems because as you already likely know, ingrained habits can be incredibly hard to break. Keep in mind again that once you have indeed corrected your posture, it is of absolute importance that you continue to perform exercises to then help maintain this new posture. If you find yourself slipping, right away make adjustments so that you do not revert back to old habits. Prevention is always the best method.
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Perfect Posture Program

A Guide to athletic & life enhancement

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this report may be reproduced or

DISCLAIMER: The information in the Perfect Posture Program website,

~ Chapter 1: Posture And Appearance ~

~ Chapter 2: Posture And Health ~

~ Chapter 3: Posture And Exercise ~

~ Chapter 4: Causes Of Bad Posture ~

~ Chapter 5: Common Postural Problems & Solutions~

Posterior Deltoid Stretch

Single Leg Hamstring Stretch

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Good Morning Lift

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Recommended Stretching Exercises

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Anterior Deltoid Stretch

Refer To Video Library For Step-By Step Video Demonstration

Book Balance Walk

Recommended Strengthening Exercises

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Side Hip Stretch

Refer To Video Library For Step-By Step Video Demonstration

Dorsi-Flexion and Supination

~Chapter 6: General Posture Building Solutions ~

Consume More Vegetables

Drink More Water and Limit Other Beverages

Eat More Frequently

Consider Warm Beverages

Become More Active

Try And Have Some Fat With Each Meal

Take Fatty Acids

Count Those Calories

Giving Yoga Some Consideration

The Alexander Technique

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