I apologise that I've been slacking a little bit on my blog posts. But I have a good reason I promise. Today we'll continue on the topic of 'Old Lady Posture', also known as kyphosis or upper-crossed syndrome, and talk about how to prevent it and correct it.
First lets look at the muscle imbalances that cause the problem. In the diagram below we can see that we have weaknesses in the front of the neck, and in the shoulders while we have tight muscles in the back of the neck and upper back and in the chest (or 'pecs'). So what we need to do to correct this 'old lady posture' is to loosen the tight muscles and strengthen the weak ones.
Neck Strengtheners
To strengthen the muscles in the front of your neck start by lying on your back. Now lift your head and try to touch your chin to your collar bone. Do this for 10 repetitions 3 times. It sounds easy but its surprising just how much this burns! Strengthening these muscles helps pull the head back in to alignment so your ears are straight over your shoulders.
Shoulder Strengtheners
The next exercise is for strengthening those weak shoulders to help open up the chest and get your shoulders sitting back where they belong - right over top of your hips. To do this stand up tall, elbows at 90* and elbows pulled in tightly to the side of the body (like the picture). Now keeping your elbows in tight and shoulders relaxed push your hands as far back as you can with out breaking your form. The relax and repeat. If your doing this right it will BURN in your shoulders, and that's a good thing! Do this for 10 repetitions 3 times.
Upper Back & Neck Stretches
Now lets stretch out those upper traps and levators that pull your shoulders up towards your ears. sit tall in a chair and drop your right ear towards your right shoulder then gentle place your hand on your head to add a bit of pressure to the stretch. Hold this for 30 seconds and then switch to the left side. I would recommend doing this at least twice per day, more if your at a desk all day.
Chest Stretches
And finally lets stretch out the chest to allow the shoulders to sit back where they belong. Follow the diagram below for a fantastic stretch. I would do each one for 30 seconds at least twice a day.
Abdominal Strengthener
Last but not least lets strengthen out abs so they can support us as we stand up tall with perfect posture! And the best way to strengthen our abs is with a good old fashion plank. Do this from your toes or knees whatever level you are at and try to build up to holding it for 1 minute. I would do this 4-7 times per week.
And there you have it! How to prevent and correct old lady posture! I hope this has been helpful and if you have any questions or comments feel free to drop me a line!
Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)
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