Posture Exercises After 60: 6 Moves at Home

Avoid back and neck discomfort by adding these morning moves to your routine.

Posture is often one of the first things someone notices about you. But beyond aesthetics, strong posture helps keep your joints and bones aligned; it also prevents neck and back discomfort. If you are looking for improve your conditionYour exercise routine is a solid place to start. To help you get started, we’ve explored six at-home exercises that will build postural strength faster than Pilates after age 60.

“You don’t correct posture by trying too hard to stand up straight. You correct it by training the muscles and movements that make good posture automatic. Ten minutes a day, done consistently, will do more than any class or expensive product. And the sooner you start, the less recovery you’ll have later,” he explains. Dr. Andrew Gorecki, PT, DPT, FAFSOwner of Superior Physical Therapy in Traverse City, MI and co-founder/CEO of MovementRx, a remote therapy monitoring platform used by PT clinics nationwide.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Below are six morning moves to add to your routine.

Rocks

“The chain of posture starts with the feet. Stiff ankles force the whole system to compensate upwards. This is the part that no one thinks about,” says Dr. Gorecki.

1. Stand in front of a counter with your feet apart for support.
2. Slowly roll forward onto the balls of your feet and hold for 2 seconds.
3. Then, return to your heels and hold for 2 seconds.
4. Fill in 10 to 15 stones.
5. Then, add a change in weight for 10 repetitions.

Standing hip circles

“Hip mobility is one of the most overlooked pieces of the posture puzzle in older adults. Tight hips force the back into an arch that goes up the entire spine,” says Dr. Gorecki. “(This exercise) hits the hips in three planes. (It) frees up the hips so the pelvis sits properly instead of moving forward and pulling the back with it.”

1. Begin standing tall with your hands on your feet.
2. Start making slow circles with your hips, as if you were stirring with your pelvis.
3. Do 5 rounds in each direction.
4. Then, switch your hips back and forth for 5 reps and side to side for another 5 reps.

Cat-Cow

“The cat-cow wakes up the entire spine and trains the deep core to control the position of the spine. It’s one of the best exercises for posture at any age,” says Dr. Gorecki.

1. Assume a table position on your hands and knees.
2. Inhale for cow pose, drop your stomach to the floor, arch your back and look up and hold for 2 seconds.
3. To pose in cat pose, inhale, round your back, tuck your chin toward your chest, and hold your tailbone for 2 seconds.
4. Do 8 to 10 rounds.

Chest rotation

“The lumbar spine (middle back) is where posture is gained or lost after age 60. When the mid back tightens, the shoulders roll forward and the neck tries to compensate. Retraining the mid back is the single most effective thing you can do for upper body posture.”

1. Begin by sitting in a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Cross your arms over your chest.
3. Slowly bend your upper body to the right side as far as is comfortable for you, hold for 2 seconds.
4. Return to center.
5. Then turn left.
6. Do 8 rounds in each direction.

Wall angel

Dr. Gorecki says, “Wall squats work the muscles that hold the shoulders back and down, which are postural muscles that have been weakened by decades of sitting and using the phone. It’s amazing how simple it sounds.”

1. Stand tall with your back against a wall and your feet 6 inches apart.
2. Press your lower back against the wall.
3. Raise your arms to a goalpost position so that the backs of your hands, elbows, and shoulders all touch the wall.
4. Then, raise your arms up the wall while keeping your hands and elbows on the wall.
5. Use control when you bring them back down.
6. Do 10 slow repetitions.

China Tax

Dr. Gorecki says, “Forward head posture is one of the most obvious signs of poor posture in adults and one of the most correctable. Chinese lunges train the deep neck flexors that keep the head above the shoulders.”

1. Start by sitting or standing tall.
2. Think of creating a double chin by rolling your head straight back onto your shoulders.
3. Hold for 2 seconds.
4. Return to the starting position.
5. Do 10 repetitions.

Alexa Mellardo