Apr

Posture Month Press Release

May is Posture Month: How to Improve Your Upper Body Posture

As we spend more time using technology, it is crucial to check in with our upper body posture. Hours a day peering at screens and tapping keyboards causes a shift in how we use the inner deep muscles supporting our bodies. Over time, the consequence of unconscious changes to how we hold our body can include forward head posture, rounded shoulders and altered patterns of breathing.

May is Posture Month, and it’s the perfect time to become more aware of how the world sees you. In addition to enhancing your appearance, improving your posture can help reduce neck pain and upper body stress, boosting your energy level and overall well-being.

According to posture expert Dr. Steven Weiniger, “Posture awareness is about getting in touch with your brain’s perception of where your body is in space, and is part of our interoceptive senses. Research show interoception is vital to health and pain management because that’s how we sense changes to our inner body, including muscle strain and joint stress, as well as our perception of heartbeat, hunger and even balance.”

Strengthening interoception is a crucial first step towards improving your posture, and StrongPosture® Wall Lean is a simple exercise to improve your upper body posture awareness and breathing.

Try the StrongPosture Wall Lean:

Stand one foot-length away from a wall
Reach back and rest your buttocks on the wall. Keep your feet straight and knees locked.
Lean back and bring your shoulders to the wall. Keep your chest open and palms facing forward.
Keep your head level, and eyes looking straight ahead.

Improving interoception is about paying attention to one thing at a time. So, take five slow breaths, focusing on a different area of your body with each breath.

Now let’s focus while you breathe:

1st Breath: Keep your head level and press it towards the wall as you exhale.
2nd Breath: Keep your head level and press your shoulders down as you exhale.
3rd Breath: Check that your feet and knees are straight, and your head is still level.
4th Breath: Make sure your shoulders are still pressed down and press your head towards the wall.
5th Breath: Lift your head a little higher as you exhale, imagining a balloon lifting it up.

PostureMonth.org advocates for the cultivation of stronger posture as an effortless habit that leads to reduced body stress and improved overall health. In addition, Dr. Weiniger suggests regular posture mini-breaks and mindful movement and breathing during posture exercises, he stresses the importance of staying within one’s pain-free range of motion and developing interoceptive awareness as the most effective method of minimizing the impact of tech-neck, forward head posture, back pain, and other biomechanical body stressors.

Accurate body awareness is the first step towards better posture, so get Posture Aware this May. For even more posture improvement, join the free 31 days to Stronger Posture Challenge on PostureMonth.org.