Fixing Bad Posture Exercises For Seniors And The Elderly

When trying to fix bad posture habits in seniors and the elderly there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, poor posture habits affect your mobility and function during your daily activities.

With time, these postural problems add up to chronic back pain, joint pain in your hips and knees, and decreased endurance with walking and chores.
To fix bad posture we must know what good posture is.

When we see someone with good posture, they stand out as a healthy and confident person.

They are standing tall, ribs are lifted, shoulders are back and down and spine is in neutral. The look light on their feet and likely are not overweight.

Take a posture check and see how you are doing. First, sit with your hands under your buttock.

Are you balanced on both sides? Elongate your spine by imagining a line pulling up from your head. Lift your ribs and bring your shoulders back and down.

Take your index finger and place it on your chin pointing in the direction of the crown on your head. Begin to push your chin back with your finger.

This will bring your cervical spine into a more neutral position and help raise your chest and center your shoulders.

Below is a great standing exercise for fixing bad posture. Wall tilts will help with positioning your lumbar spine in correct alignment.

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Wall Tilts

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Purpose of this exercise

Helps bring your lower back into correct posture.
Strengthens your pelvis and buttock muscles.

How to do it

Step 1

Stand with your back against a wall.
Your feet shoulder width apart, knees are unlocked.

Step 2

Place one hand behind your back.
Try to flatten your low back so your hand feel increased pressure.
Relax and repeat 10 times.

Breathing

Exhale during the flattening movement phase.
Inhale during the relaxing movement phase.

Tips

If this is too difficult to do standing up, try this exercise sitting down.
Maintain your upper body in correct posture throughout this exercise by keeping your ribs lifted and shoulders back and down.
If you have pain in one shoulder, try the other arm. If both shoulders are painful and you are not able to place your hands behind your back, simply flatten your back against the wall or chair.

Take it up a notch

Stand sideways in front of a full length mirror. Looking at the mirror, try flattening your back and notice your pelvis rotating backward.

Try these other posture exercises

Watch These Exercise Videos

1. Arm Ups

Improve the flexibility of your ribs to assist in breathing.
Increase your ability to lift the ribs and bring the shoulders back into proper position.

2. Spine Extensions

Helps correct faulty posture by bringing the spine into neutral, shoulders and chin back.
Assists in the flexibility of the chest, improving respiration and lung functioning.

3. Chin Tuck And Jut

Provides good feedback on correcting faulty posture habits.
Strengthens the cervical retracting muscles for better support of good posture.

4.Shoulder Circles

Improve the flexibility of your shoulders and rib cage.
Helps bring your spine into a better erect posture.
This is a great exercise to do to "set" your spine and shoulders during the day.

5. Shoulder Blade Squeeze