Painful Posture Problems?
Poor Posture & Back Pain
Could your favorite hobby be the culprit?
Painting, gardening, pickleball, reading, knitting, horseback riding—what do they all have in common?
Your hands are usually working in front of you (and often slightly downward).
Over time, this can cause your body to round forward into a “C” shape.
If you’re dealing with low back or hip pain, your posture might be to blame.
Good posture means your spine is stacked properly, one vertebra on top of the other. But simply “sitting up straight” won’t fix it if your chest and shoulders are tight or your upper back muscles are weak.
Without addressing those, your body will just slide back into that poor position—and it only gets worse if left unchecked.
Not on my watch! 💪
Why This Matters
Poor posture and misaligned joints can leave you feeling stiff, achy, and MUCH older than you are.
Research shows that posture—especially pelvic alignment—is closely linked to low back pain and can lead to unhealthy movement patterns and injuries.
FITNESS SIMPLIFIED
Improving your posture requires a multi-pronged approach.
Fitness Tip To Improve Your Postural Health
Stretch, Strengthen & Mobilize Your Upper Trunk
Spending hours with your hands and arms in front of you causes the muscles and fascia in your chest to tighten, cementing your body into a rounded, hunched-forward posture.
When you’re hunched forward, your shoulder blades shift forward too, making the supporting muscles on the backside long, loose, and weak.
Improving your posture means stretching your chest and shoulders, strengthening your upper back and shoulder blades, and mobilizing your thoracic spine.
Today, I’ve got the perfect moves to open up your chest, strengthen those supporting muscles and help reverse poor posture!
3 Effective Ways to Improve Posture
- Diagonal Arm Swings: Dynamically stretches your chest/shoulder muscles - Do 5-6 reps per side
- Staggered Stance W’s: Strengthens your upper back muscles with a resistance band - Do 8-12 reps
- Thoracic Extensions: Mobilizes your thoracic spine (mid/upper back) - Hold for 5-6 deep breaths
Extra tip: Posture movements like these are light intensity and an excellent addition to your warm-up or cool down. Add these to the beginning of your next workout session and you’ll feel your torso moving better throughout the workout!
Did You Know...
- Posture or “alignment” is important for every joint on your body. For example, if your ankle joint doesn’t have good posture, you could experience foot pain, ankle pain, knee pain, hip pain, and, yes, even back pain. 😳
- When you round forward, your thoracic spine (mid/upper back) starts to curve forward more, too. It’s not just your shoulders!!
- Save your money and avoid expensive posture gimmicks & gadgets! Improving your posture for the long haul requires a multi-pronged approach, which is why all those gadgets just don’t work.
NUTRITION SIMPLIFIED
Being "physically" out of alignment can make your body ache—but so can being "chemically" out of alignment.
One major culprit? Consuming too much added sugar.
This disrupts the chemical balance in your tissues and joints, leading to inflammation and pain.
Nutrition Tip To Improve Your Postural Health
Be More Mindful of Added Sugars
In midlife, women already more prone to inflammation.
When estrogen—your natural inflammation fighter—declines during menopause, inflammation can wreak havoc on your joints and cardiovascular system.
Excess sugar fuels this process, so limiting it is key.
But listen up! This does NOT mean cutting out all sugars.
Instead, it’s about being mindful of how much sugar and where it’s coming from.
Your goal? Keep added sugars under 25g per day.
Added sugars are not the naturally occurring sugars in fruit or dairy. (Don’t count those, ok? Eat that fruit!! 🍓)
They’re the extras—like high fructose corn syrup, honey, coconut sugar, and dextrose—that are added to sweeten foods. Even artificial or “natural” sweeteners count as added sugars.
Here’s one of my favorite ways to satisfy your sweet tooth without going overboard on added sugar!
Almond Coconut Date Bites
More low/no added sugar sweets swaps:
- Instead of soft drinks - drink sparkling water
- Instead of flavored yogurt - try plain Greek yogurt sweetened with fresh berries
- Instead of milk chocolate - opt for dark chocolate, the darker the better!
MINDSET SIMPLIFIED
Like all aspects of caring for your body, improving and maintaining good posture starts with self-awareness.
Pay attention to your body’s position during key moments of the day—while sitting, standing, or working at the computer.
Notice when your pelvis tilts, your rib cage flares, or you’re slouched.
Then, make small corrections as needed.
The same goes for sugar consumption. Becoming more aware of how much sugar you’re eating each day can make a big difference.
Even small increases in self-awareness can have a huge impact on how you feel!
Mindset Tip To Improve Your Postural Health
Be More Self-Aware
THE TAKEAWAY
Want to stay active, enjoy your hobbies, and live pain-free well into your 80s and 90s?
Start now by focusing on your body alignment and daily nutrition habits - these simple things really do work!
- Stretch, Strengthen & Mobilize Your Upper Trunk
- Be More Mindful of Added Sugars
- Be More Self-Aware
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Self Care Simplified podcast
Ep 364: Reverse Poor Posture & Prevent Hunching As You Age
EP 376: Is Sugar Really That Bad?
Ep 232: The Hidden Dangers of Bad Posture and How to Avoid Them
SPECIAL RESOURCE
Is bad posture creating pain and chronic aching through your shoulders, neck and upper back? This quick routine is packed with all of my favorite posture fixing movements. You can do this one every day and you’ll feel amazing. Also, these movements will help fix your rounded shoulders as well.
PERFECT 10 Minute Daily Posture Routine.
Until next week... Be strong
