Got headaches? Welcome to the 21st century. It’s the new thing. Luckily, 9/10 times, these headaches can be rid of by fixing your posture.
Thanks to computers, TV, video games, driving, and all the other cool technology, our posture is shot. Walk down the street and you’ll see what I mean. People will have their heads leaning forward, shoulders slouched, pelvis forward, shoulders shrugged, and sometimes even hunchbacks. This puts a lot of tension through your body in all the wrong spots, leading to headaches, back pain, and joint pain. The good news is this: you’re now aware of what causes most people to experience some kind of pain or discomfort in day-to-day life. Let’s move on.
Fixing What Technology Has Done
The first thing you can do is to constantly be aware of your posture. An easy way to fix it is to tuck your chin (think of the way a chicken brings their head back when they are walking), bring your shoulders back and as far away from your ears as possible (this should make your chest look bigger and stop you from shrugging).
(Tuck your chin like this chicken)
Another thing you can do is to try to sit as little as possible. During times when you are forced to sit, consciously be aware of your posture. Every 15 minutes, stand up and reach for the sky. It’ll do wonders.
I literally JUST did this.
Corrective Exercise and Self Myofascial Release (SMR)
Think of this as a time machine. Doing corrective exercise and SMR will bring your body back to the way it was when you were a toddler with perfect posture. There are tons of different things you can do, but I’ll teach you my favourite procedure.
The Procedure
Don’t skip anything in this procedure, and make sure that you do each step in the order provided.
Pec Minor SMR
Take a tennis ball, baseball, or lacrosse ball and get down on the floor and massage both of your pecs. Each pec takes about 30 seconds.
Pec Minor Stretch
Stretch each of your pecs (chest stretch) in a doorway. Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds on each side.
T-Spine Extension Mobilization
Doing this will make your upper back feel really nice (that’s the only way to describe it; you’ll see what I mean). Do 5-10 reps.
Supine No Money
If you don’t have a band or a foam roller, you can still do this movement. Keep your elbows close to your body and touching the floor (if you don’t have a foam roller). Do 8 to 12 reps.
Scapular Wall Slide
You want your head, upper back, and butt touching the wall. Do not lose these points of contact. Do 8 to 12 reps.
BONUS
Start deadlifting. In my opinion, deadlifting is an awesome way to improve your posture. It teaches you what it feels like to hold your shoulders back and down, how to keep your chest out, and how to pack your neck (tuck your chin like the chicken).
Courtesy of Bang Fitness. This gym does it right!
The End
If you practice everything in this article every day, then you will start to notice a huge difference in your posture, headaches, joint pain, and back pain within two to four weeks. It’s amazing how good you will start to feel once you make it a habit. As an added bonus, combine everything you just learned with my article Strength Work – Follow the 80/20 Rule. This is how you become super human.
The whole corrective exercise and SMR procedure will take you approximately 15 minutes per day, but practicing good posture will take you 24 hours a day. This is the way that life works. Accept it, or accept your pain. It’s your choice.
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