Here’s a one minute posture break exercise recommended by a posture expert from the USA Dr. Steven Weiniger. Focusing your attention on a single body part at a time can boost mind-body awareness and control, and with these 5 steps you can dial into your posture to start confidently standing taller.

A Mindful Posture Break:

The goal is to stand tall and align your head, torso and pelvis over your feet (the 4 PostureZones).  As your focus shifts from the ground up, breathe slowly and let your breath guide the motion.

1- Stand Tall and relaxed. Not stiff or rigid.  Relax, and pull your head to the ceiling.  Breathe in and out, and then…

2- Ground your Feet: Slowly come up onto your toes, then down.  Come up onto your heels and spread your toes apart, then back down.  Roll your feet out, and then in.  Now, press on all four ‘corners’ to ground your feet as you breathe in and out, and then…

3- Centre your Pelvis: Arch your low back and breathe in, then pull your belly in, tuck your pelvis in and breathe out.  Keep your spine long and head tall as you roll your pelvis back to centre, half way between these 2 extremes.  Repeat for another breath.

4- Open your Torso: Lift shoulders up and back as you breathe in, then keep them back as you lower them down and breathe out.  Repeat for another slow breath, and then…

5- Lift and level your Head.  Look straight ahead as you breathe in, then breathe out and lift the base of your head up (keep the head level and chin slightly tucked) to lengthen your spine.  Repeat for another slow, deep breath.

Repeat. Focus on standing taller, aligning each PostureZone as you breathe slowly for each step.  Do this 2 or 3 times a day to relieve stress, unfold your posture and brighten your mood.

It really is a priority to make time for daily posture breaks. 
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Whether you’re feeling down or optimistically looking up, posture affects (and is affected by) your outlook on life. Improving your posture can improve your mood, while reducing pain and muscle stress to let you breathe easier and feel better in both mind and body.

This is an excellent question. Think about how you sit during the day. Is your head forward or over your body? Are your shoulders and spine rounded forward, or back and straight? Are your feet flat on the floor under your knees or out in front of you? It can be hard to notice the positioning of your body throughout the day, so you'll need to think about it. Another question is, after sitting or standing for a while, do you start to have aches and pains in your back, neck, or shoulders? If yes, then it could be posture related, and be worth getting assessed professionally.

My back aches when I sit for a long time, does that mean I have bad posture?

Possibly. Back ache can be an indicator of bad posture, but not always. Back ache or back pain can be caused by many things and is unfortunately very common. Bad posture itself can be contributing factor to many issues, from headaches to back pain, and breathing problems in some cases. 

To determine what is causing your back ache, several factors would need to be considered. What type of chair are you sitting in and how supportive is it? How strong are your stabilizing muscles and are they properly supporting you? What position are you sitting in? Are there any other contributing factors to your back pain? As you can see, this can be a complex question to answer.

Can I improve my posture?

Absolutely! Posture can be improved with a combination of strengthening weakened muscles and stretching tight muscles. The trick is knowing which muscles to focus on. As a general tip for strengthening, exercises that generally have a pulling motion, like rows, can be very helpful in bringing the shoulders back to improve posture. Pulling exercises focus on back muscles which tend to be weak in people with bad posture.

Weak back muscles in combination with tight chest or front of the shoulder muscles tend towards a more rounded shoulder posture. If this is you, you can try to a back exercise every other day to maintain strong postural muscles, and stretch your chest/pectoral muscles daily. Of course, for a more specific exercise program for your particular posture, you would need to be properly assessed, preefrably by a posture specialist.

Do I have to keep my back straight all the time to have good posture?

In a word, no. Nobody has perfect posture all day. The trick is to practice sitting in a good, comfortable position throughout the day. Set an alarm on your phone or computer to remind you to practice good sitting posture every hour. For five minutes at a time, try to maintain that position. Also, there is nothing better for your posture than to get up and move, so get out of that desk chair every 30 minutes.
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It is natural for you to slowly go back into your default posture because that position is more familiar to your body and requires much less effort for you to stay there. But by practicing a good posture throughout the day, you are slowly creating a new default for your body. You become better at maintaining that new position for a longer period of time, particularly if you also exercise to strengthen those postural muscles.

We live in a sedentary society. We sit in slouched positions for hours and hours, day after day, year after year. Going to the gym and working out for 30 minutes is beneficial and should be a lifestyle habit, but it’s not enough to reverse sedentary behaviors.

If you really want to be more healthy this year and make your fitness a priority, then you need to think about how you can increase your fitness beyond the gym, your walk or your run. Being more active during your workday will help you achieve your fitness goals. Did you know that the difference between obese and non-obese workers is that non-obese workers stand up for 2 hours more per day? That’s it. That is the difference between obese and non-obese workers. Standing up helps you slim down.
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Keep going to the gym, but in addition to that, think of ways that you can have a more active lifestyle. Here are 4 strategies to turn your “Get Fit Resolution” into a lifestyle habit.

1. Focus on Your Posture– Good form is everything. When you have poor posture it can affect your balance, energy levels, and stress to the body. It is important to maintain good form while exercising, and proper posture throughout your workday.
2. Prevent Flexion and Focus on Extension – Gravity is an ever present force pulling down on your body. That is why it is difficult to sit in good posture for prolonged periods of time, because gravity pulls you down into flexion (slouching). Make sure you include extension exercises for your core at home or the gym, this will help you have better posture.
3. Be an Active Sitter – While seated, increase the amount of activity you do by being active while seated. The more movement you do throughout the day the better. Examples of active sitting are sitting on a Posture Cushion or exercise ball, moving your arms and legs in your chair, and getting up to move regularly.
4. Stand Up at Work – Having a Sit-Stand capable workspace is ideal. Standing up more often helps you prevent adverse health effects associated with prolonged sitting such as back pain, obesity, and chronic diseases. Perform the occupational tasks that you can while standing up, then sit down to take breaks. Sitting and standing throughout your workday is ideal.

​These tips will help keep your body healthy and move towards your fitness goals in the New Year. Celebrate the small wins along the way and remember, for best fitness results, do regular workouts AND be more active throughout your workday.

​For most of us, screen time and sitting go hand in hand and both are only increasing as our lives move more online. While short periods in any posture aren't harmful, a lack of movement combined with long periods spent in hunched positions can lead to spinal pain, headaches, shoulder pain and more. If you're needing to spend more time in front of a screen, here are a few tips that can help you to keep flexible and avoid pain.