Posturecise - 21 Healthy Posture Habits for Life

Most of the exercises in this course are safe enough even for a healthy beginner, but do have a listen to my safety advice before starting the rehab section of this course. If you are anything like me, you might be tempted to jump straight in, and I don't want you to injure yourselves. If you are unsure if this program is suitable for you, talk to your healthcare provider before doing ANY of the exercises on this course.

This course teaches you a totally different approach to regaining good posture and improving your health. Moving your body every day with a committed program like Posturecise is the only way to maintain the maximum flexibility needed to improve posture!

Do not consider missing out the Posturecise quizzes as they provide the quickest way to remember the important points of each section. There is probably even a little fun mixed in!

By the time most of you begin to have pain, the chronic problems associated with poor posture will have set in. Even if you already have pain, it is still possible to improve and correct your posture but it is going to take longer and be more frustrating. Please don't wait for the pain. Start today - start now!

When you seek to achieve success in life and particularly, as we get older, with exercise of any kind, barriers will often stand in your way. What kinds of new habits can you create to replace the barriers that prevent you from reaching your health goals? Listen closely as I give you creative new ways to tackle four common barriers.

When you start Posturecising, you need to begin with the 1-minute warm-up and even better if you have a hot shower, so your body is really ready to go. This isn't a cardiovascular workout as such, so a really long warm-up isn't necessary; as the Posturecise movements are safe and gentle. Ready? This easy 60-second march should be all you'll need. Let's go!

Don't miss this one - make sure you read all of this! I really want you to get the most out of this course. Read it right through and get some of my tips about when is the best time to posturecise, how to posturecise and most importantly, how to get in touch with me when it all seems too much and you want to quit. Hey, and don't worry; that will happen and it's perfectly normal. In those moments, don't sweat it - contact me and ask for help. I really do love to help.

In people that sit at work for long periods of time, hip flexors can become short and tight, and this can affect gait, posture and movement. You need approximately 15 degrees of hip extension to walk normally. If hip flexors are tight then in order to walk, you compensate with your lower back and this can cause back pain and premature disc degeneration. These simple but effective hips circles will improve flexibility, gait and overall posture.

Muscles in the groin area can become tight due to long periods of sitting. Tight muscles in the groin can lead to injury and/or incorrect pelvic alignment and poor posture. The key to flexibility in the groin is elongating the targeted muscles passively and for an extended period of time. Try this passive floor posture, with an essential second position. This is not as easy as you may think.

There is a large group of back muscles that work together to support the spine in ideal alignment. They help to hold the body upright and allow you to stand, lift, bend, twist and maintain good postural alignment. Stress also causes back muscles to tighten (your fight or flight response) and this deprives lower back muscles of the energy needed to support your spine.This deep lumbar stretch is perfect if you need to know how to stretch your lower back muscles and ease a stiff, achy back and maintain a healthy lumbar curve. There is a basic and advanced version.

Short tight chest muscles and weak shoulder stabilizers cause unattractive round shoulders and slouchback posture. Arm circles performed with perfect spinal alignment, help to unlock stiff achy rounding shoulders and leave your chest feeling expanded and open. You should notice a change of breathing following this posture exercise.

The purpose of the cat camel spinal mobilization is to restore healthy joint movement. People with sensitive nervous systems benefit from the gentle spinal movements found in this exercise. If you have any spinal stiffness you will enjoy this version of the cat camel exercise. It literally has you focus on your spine, one vertebra at a time. It's wonderful!

Part 2 targets the muscles in your flanks. This stretch is tough to co-ordinate when you first begin, but it feels absolutely wonderful and really helps people who experience any one-sided low back pain. When you learn to do this posture exercise well, you will feel the stretch from top to bottom. So good!

Tight hamstrings limits pelvic mobility. Limited pelvic mobility transfers stress to the lower lumbar segments, which can lead to chronic low back pain and flat back posture. Most hamstring stretches are taught in a manner that causes lumbar flexion, which can lead to disc degeneration. This seated hamstring stretch specifically targets your hamstrings and pays attention to the posture in your lower back. This is a must!

Is your ab workout hurting your back? Traditional sit-ups are a great way to cause disc bulging, herniations and 'pinched nerves'. The lower back can only take so many repetitions of crunching before the discs begin to degenerate and wear. It's entirely possible to have 6-pack abs and a ruined lower back! Curl downs are the best way to target your core and protect your back, and yet many 6-packers can't do them. Try all 3 levels!

Incorrect sitting and standing posture, poor nutrition, injuries, athleticism and manual laboring can all lead to worn spinal discs. Degenerating discs can result in the loss to the natural lumbar curve. The lumbar flex is a very good lumbar extension exercise that will mobilize stiff spinal joints and restore lost flexibility. This exercise is also used as a treatment for slipped discs and leg pain.

Take the floor posture's review quiz and find out all the bonus tips for really getting the most out of your floor routine.

There are 8 floor postures in total. Download this simple cheat sheet so you can take your floor postures with you anywhere, and never forget the correct order. Pin them up somewhere you will see them regularly for a handy reminder.

Here are all 8 Floor Postures together with background music. Now you can Posturecise with me! You can even use the 8 standing postures as a 10-minute mini workout if you don't have time for the full Posturecise routine. 

The head and neck are often the most neglected part in most exercise and fitness programs but it's an important part of this Posturecise program. When you are hunched over (slouchback posture) you limit the motion in your neck. When you try to turn your head, you can't do it without moving your body. Poor head and neck posture is often the cause of headaches and jaw pain. Before you can rehabilitate your slouch back and forward head posture, your neck joints have to be flexible. The neck mobilizer helps to improve the range of movement in your neck. Try this exercise right from your office chair!

Mobilizations are gentle rhythmical movements that “massage” your muscles and joints. Neck Rolling is a mobilization that involves moving your neck joints through their entire range of movement, without any resistance — an enjoyable exercise. Neck Rolling will warm you up gradually and relieve tension and even remove some muscle knots. Rolling your neck in this particular way will help you to break up sticky adhesions and restore flexibility and full range of movement, so you can begin to correct any forward head posture.

When neck muscles are weak, from years of poor posture habits, the head becomes unstable on your neck. This instability can lead to irritated discs, joints, nerves and muscles. This then leads to the feeling of a heavy head and sometimes chronic headaches. Use the Neck Pump to strengthen weak neck muscles associated with poor work posture and long-term use of ipads and other mobile devices.

You can actually realign your entire body just by moving your head. Forward head posture can add up to thirty pounds of forward pull on your neck and that is enough to pull your entire body out of its ideal alignment and reduce your vital lung capacity by up to 30%! One of the most effective postural exercises is the chin tuck. You can reverse the effects of gravity and early aging by retraining your body to stand long with the simple chin tuck. Try it when driving but just at the stop signs!

31% of chronic lumbar pain and 55% of persistent neck pain arises from the spinal joints (facets). If you regularly experience a stiff back, chances are good that you have sticky adhesions (think scar tissue) that restrict the movement of your spinal joints and make good posture difficult to maintain. Most of us have forgotten how to translate our bodies. Spine Shifting will teach you how to move your back as you did when you were a child. Watch your spinal stiffness melt away.

Your ribs are connected to your spine and breastbone, and they form a cage to protect major organs. Regular slouching and poor posture cause the spine in your mid back (the thoracic spine) to curve too much. The rib cage then becomes stiff and less mobile, resulting in a hunch back appearance. Eventually, this immobility can lead to a permanent hump in the midback, called a hyper-kyphosis. When you Spine Wind, you will notice it feels so good to unwind your stiff tense back, that you may find this simple exercise becomes your favorite!

When the normal lumbar curvature becomes exaggerated and the pelvis tips forward, this is called hyperlordosis or swayback posture. Weak gluteal muscles (comprised of three muscles which make up the buttocks) can lead to swayback posture. One sure sign of weak gluts is a flat bottom. The chair squat posture exercise is the bum-toning exercise you need to improve your sway back appearance. Beware the burn!

The bottom muscles (glutes) are essentially the largest, most powerful muscles in the body. These muscles become tight due to incorrect pelvic postures and slouch sitting; when you sit behind your sit bones, instead of directly over them.

Tight bottom muscles are frequently the source of leg pain, numbness and tingling, when tight muscle knots in the buttocks clamp down over the sciatic nerve and send pain into the leg. This muscular problem is often misdiagnosed as a slipped disc or sciatica.

That in fact is a quote directly from my father. He always said the top students review and much as I hate to admit it, he was right. Darn it, I said that would never happen! Take this fun little quiz - I believe that it will help you achieve greater success.

There are 8 seated postures in total. Download this simple cheat sheet so you can take your floor postures with you anywhere, and never forget the correct order. Pin them up somewhere you will see them for a handy reminder.

Here are all 8 Seated Postures together with background music. Now you can Posturecise with me! You can even use the 8 seated postures as a 10-minute mini workout if you don't have time for the full Posturecise routine. 

Over many years in private practice, I've seen people with foot pain, heel pain, achilles pain, shin pain, calf pain, knee pain, hip and back pain. The thing that they all had in common was tight calf muscles. Flexibility in the calf muscles is crucial to maintaining good posture, as they help to keep you balanced and upright. Why does everyone have such tight calf muscles? It’s because we all do the same thing every day, for many hours each day: WE SIT! We sit to work, eat, drive, watch TV and work on computers. This Calf Stretch is done standing, with special attention given to your spinal posture. Over time, this deep stretch will improve your posture literally from head to toe!

The way we hold ourselves is a reflection of the way we feel about ourselves; so good posture improves confidence. If you want to avoid shrinking due to the worn spinal discs from rounding posture, you must learn to open and expand your chest. Do these Shoulder Rolls several times a day to reduce round shoulders and improve your appearance.

This total body stretch offers a fast easy way to lengthen and build flexibility in your chest, shoulders, back, arms and legs. Try this exercise at work, at your desk, while waiting in line or anytime throughout the day for flexibility and relaxation. Hip hiking has to be one of the best ways to increase mid back flexibility. I love watching Etian's beautiful body moving through this postural movement.

While the prospect of exercising your back may seem challenging, gentle specific movements can help loosen the tight muscles that lock your back in place. Most repetitive spinal movements reinforce two movements: flexion and extension and as a result, we often lose the ability to move our joints through their full range. Professional dancers typically have incredible spinal flexibility and as a result, often very good posture. In this video, Morgana (professional belly dancer) helps me to demonstrate how to unlock your stiff lower backs, using Pelvic Circles. It's a bit sexy!

Benefit from the feelings of weightlessness; helps to increase spinal flexibility, one vertebra at a time.

* keep knees bent

* not suitable for anyone with a history of lumbar disc related issues - sciatica; prolapsed (slipped) disc

Almost there - not the time to throw in the towel. Please take 1 quick minute to complete the quiz and I promise you will find something out that may just SHOCK you!

There are 5 standing postures in total. Download this simple cheat sheet so you can take your floor postures with you anywhere, and never forget the correct order. Pin them up somewhere you will see them for a handy reminder.

Here are all 8 Standing Postures together with background music. Now you can Posturecise with me! You can even use the 8 seated postures as a 10-minute mini workout if you don't have time for the full Posturecise routine. 

Finish your daily Posturecise routine with a 60 second shake out. I go a bit nuts when I do this - here is a calmer version of what I really do!

Everyone knows that good posture and exercise are important for adult health and aging well. Developing a daily Posturecise habit will reward you with a lifetime of good health and inspire posture confidence. We can't avoid aging but we can delay and even reverse the effects of aging, with daily movements that are gentle and safe. Go for it!

Contact Dr Paula with your questions ...