Back in my desk jockey days, my chiropractor sent me to physical therapy because as he so eloquently put it “my posture was a train wreck”. He was right. If I didn’t do something about it soon, my body was going to turn into a permanent question mark. It’s nearly impossible to maintain perfect posture all day long, never mind doing it seated. Our bodies just aren’t designed to sit all day. That’s why at the end of the day our necks, lower back, hips, etc. hurt.
I’m always posting stretches and exercises on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/KatGomez.LCMT/) to help combat this so check that out weekly, but my favorite exercise the PT game me was Wall Angels. Truthfully, I hate it (because frankly, it hurts) but it works great at strengthening those mid-back and shoulder muscles plus it opens up those tight pecs.
To begin, stand against a nice, roomy wall space. Elbows start at a 90 degree bend, with elbows parallel to the ground.
Ideally, your heels would be as close to the wall as possible, while making sure (REALLY make sure) that your hips, entire spine and shoulder blades are pressed into the wall. If you’re tight, walk the heels further away from the wall and even bend the knees (like a wall sit).
To get to the stretch and strengthen part – though you might already feel some tension while holding the arms at 90 degrees – begin to straighten the arms directly overhead, trying to at least keep the elbows sliding up against the wall. As you get stronger and looser, maybe the forearms and back of the hands will be able to stay in contact with the wall as well. The idea is to get your arms as straight over your head as possible. (Clearly I’m pretty tight so can only get mine up so far.) Do the best you can. It gets easier the more often you do them.
Also, keep your abs tight. That will help ensure that your spine stays against the wall.
By incorporating these wall angel exercises into our weekly routine of strength training and stretching, we can help keep poor posture at bay.