Your 9-5 might find you slouched over a desk seven days a week and this certainly doesn’t fare well for your posture. A consistently curved spine doesn’t allow your height to extend fully and you can end up appearing shorter than you actually are.
If you suffer from back pain, you might have resorted to buying a posture corrector. A posture corrector is something that you can wear to strengthen your muscles and train the spine to sit taller and stronger. If you're thinking about getting one, our best posture corrector guide is the place to start. However, you might be underestimating the benefits of regular stretching.
TikTok user Cassy Ho, the CEO and founder of online fitness platform, Blogilates, recently posted a video sharing three stretches to try if you have poor posture. The certified pilates instructor claims these moves will ‘help make you taller’.
Watch the TikTok video below and try Cassey Ho's posture correcting exercises:
@blogilates Improve your posture + increase your height. Also these stretches feel really nice. ##howtobetaller ##posture ##posturecheck ##heightincrease ##pilates
♬ MONEY - 리사 (LISA)
All Ho uses is a wall and her body to practice the stretches.
First, she places her hands behind her head, her elbows touching the wall and the rest of her body angling away from the wall at a 90 degree angle, as she presses her chest to the wall.
The second move is a repeat of the first stretch but she moves her feet farther from the wall. In the final move she extends her hands up to touch the wall and does the same chess press to the wall. Her video says to do each stretch ten times.
Ho explains in her video that it is ‘normal’ everyday things like looking down at your phone or hunching over your laptop that can cause you to have a slouched posture and make you appear shorter. Trying her three wall based moves alongside our easy guide to stretching exercises will hopefully assist in straightening up your spine.
Harvard Health says that for your body to be able to hold itself fully erect it requires flexibility and strength - especially in the erector spinae which is the group of muscles and tendons running through the length of your spine. This area holds your spine in place and works in harmony with your core muscles and upper body muscles to hold your body up straight and tall.
They advise doing exercises that engage the upper body, arms, back and abdomen. So if you wish to strengthen the muscles that hold your body up nice and tall then including some light weights, such as one of our best adjustable dumbbells sets, into your training could also benefit your posture.
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