How To Improve My Posture?

Can my posture be changed?

The short answer is yes!

In a previous article we spoke about what your posture really is. Take a look at that before this.

Now postural change is not going to be easy. It takes consistency, regular exercise, and awareness. Small daily changes add up to a real change in the future.

Consistency is understanding that posture is something you have all the time, which means changing it requires effort… all the time! I get it, it can put you off thinking – “oh man I don’t know if I can maintain my posture constantly throughout the day, I get distracted or even don’t notice I’ve stopped”. Well here’s the good news, as much as a constant immediate change is fantastic, small changes sprinkled through the day is already a big first step.

Regular exercise works by having certain large postural muscles be retrained and learning a better, more neutral position. Take note of some of these below:

1. Planks — Here’s how you do it: get on your forearms, stretch your body into one long line, and brace your core so your hips don’t dip. Hold it for 20–60 seconds and keep breathing the whole time. This one’s great for building the core and back support that helps you stand taller.
2. Wall Angels — Stand with your back against a wall and move your arms up and down in a slow W-to-Y shape. Keep your ribs down and don’t let your lower back arch away from the wall. Do 10–15 reps to wake up the upper back and shoulder muscles that help pull you out of a slump.
3. Rows (resistance band or weights) — Pull the band or weight toward your body and squeeze your shoulder blades together like you’re trying to tuck them into your back pockets. Keep your shoulders relaxed so you’re not shrugging through the movement. Do 10–15 reps — this one’s perfect for balancing out all that forward-shoulder time.
4. Glute Bridges — Lie on your back with your knees bent, push through your heels, and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line. Squeeze your glutes at the top and keep your lower back from doing all the work. Go for 15–20 reps to give your glutes and lower back some much-needed support.

Now I don’t want to overwhelm you with exercises, so let’s start with these 4 exercises. We’ve got our strengthening exercises learnt, so let’s move to our stretches.

1. Chest Doorway Stretch — Stand in a doorway, place your arms on the frame, and lean forward until you feel a nice stretch across your chest. Hold it for about 30 seconds and try to keep your shoulders relaxed. This one’s great for loosening up tight chest muscles that keep pulling you forward.
2. Neck Stretches — Gently tip your head from side to side and add slow, easy rotations. Don’t force anything — just ease into it and hold each side for 15–20 seconds. If your neck gets cranky from screens or slouching, this can help it feel a lot better.
3. Hip Flexor Stretch — Step into a kneeling lunge and slowly shift your hips forward until you feel the front of your hip open up. Hold for 30 seconds on each side and keep your upper body tall. It’s a solid way to undo the tightness that builds up from sitting too much.
4. Thoracic Spine Extension — Put a foam roller or rolled towel under your upper back, support your head, and gently lean back over it with your arms overhead. Hold for 30–60 seconds and take slow breaths. This is a nice one for opening up a rounded upper back and making room for your chest to move.
5. Cat-Cow Stretch — Get on your hands and knees, then slowly round and arch your back in a smooth rhythm. Keep it flowing with your breath for 10–12 reps. This stretch feels good when you’ve been in one position too long and your spine needs a reset.
6. Shoulder Rolls — Roll your shoulders forward and back in slow circles, like you’re shaking off tension. Do 10 reps each way and keep everything loose. It’s a small move, but it can help your upper body feel less stiff and more aware.

I know, it seems like a whole lot to stretch. Try splitting the exercises and stretches into alternate days. This means doing your exercises on one day and your stretches on the next and repeat. You’ll spend maybe 10-15 minutes a day on these. That’s the length of time most people spend scrolling on their phones in one sitting. You can do it!

Now, on to awareness!

Awareness is arguably the hardest thing of the three to learn. It’s a conscious effort to think about posture all the time. So let’s make that easier. Change up your environment so it frees your mind from having to manually think about your posture and instead, automatically get into it. This means setting up your surroundings and certain rules to compel your daily living into the right posture automatically!

• Set up your workspace so your screen’s at eye level, your keyboard sits around elbow height, and your feet can stay flat on the floor. A few small tweaks here can make slouching way less tempting.
• Take movement breaks every 30 minutes by standing up, stretching, or taking a quick walk. Those little resets keep your body from getting glued into one slouched position.
• Practice lifting with your knees and keeping the load close to your body. That way you’re not asking your back to do all the heavy lifting.
• Sleep on your back or side with pillows that actually support you. Better sleep positioning can help you wake up feeling less stiff.
• Hold your phone a little higher so you’re not always looking down at it. It’s a simple way to cut down on text neck.
• Perform strengthening exercises a few times a week so the muscles that support good posture stay active. Steady effort beats doing a ton once in a while.
• Set hourly reminders to check in with yourself and straighten up if needed. Sometimes a quick nudge is all it takes.
• Wear supportive shoes, especially if you’re on your feet a lot, and skip the high heels when you can. Better shoes can help the rest of your body feel more balanced too.
• Carry your bag on both shoulders when possible, or switch sides instead of loading up one side all the time. That can help keep your body from getting lopsided.
• Stay hydrated so your body feels a little more comfortable moving around. It won’t magically fix posture, but it does help your tissues do their job.
• Maintain a healthy weight if that’s something you’re working on, since less extra load can make standing and moving feel easier.
• Practice slow, relaxed breathing with your shoulders down and chest open. It can help you feel less tense and naturally more upright.

Again, it feels like a lot. So start small, take a handful of these and add it into your lifestyle. Once they feel like second nature, add another and another until you’ve got them all. By then you’ll already feel a massive difference.

A big part in change is to have guidance and a push. At Advanced Pain Centres, we help patients have a better understanding of where their posture needs changing to better align their body. Not everything needs changing in your particular situation, so an full-body assessment is critical if solving it more effectively is your goal.

Always remember that it took years to have the posture you do now, so don’t be cheeky and expect your posture to change overnight. Be patient with yourself, your body deserves it. We are building habits and that takes effort and time, but it is worth it.

Sources and Further Reading

• American Chiropractic Association – Posture and Health (acatoday.org)
• Harvard Health Publishing – Why Good Posture Matters (health.harvard.edu)
• Journal of Physical Therapy Science – Effects of Posture on Health (jpts.or.jp)
• Cleveland Clinic – Posture and Ergonomics (clevelandclinic.org)
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke – Back Pain Information (ninds.nih.gov)