Learn how to improve your posture for better movement and longevity.
Your desk job isn’t doing your posture any favors.
"When we spend most of the day seated, we’re asking the hips, pelvis, spine, and shoulders to organize themselves in a very limited range over and over again," says Karla Beltchenko, Equinox’s senior manager of group fitness and EQX+ programming. Sitting hunched over a computer for eight-plus hours a day also encourages slumped shoulders, a rounded upper back, and a forward head position (aka tech neck).
These misalignments can cause problems that extend far beyond aesthetics.
Over time, poor posture can contribute to neck, shoulder, or back pain, make it more difficult to breathe comfortably, and reduce mobility and flexibility, influencing longevity. To combat current aches and stay mobile down the line, you need to learn how to improve your posture today.
What Is ‘Good’ Posture, Anyway?
When you think of “better posture,” you might be envisioning standing or sitting completely straight at all times, like a rod is stuck in your back. In reality, “good” posture doesn’t have a singular, or rigid, look. “There also isn’t one perfect posture that everyone should hold all day,” says Beltchenko.
"The spine is not meant to be perfectly straight; it has natural curves that help distribute load and absorb force," she adds. "Ideally, the spine and pelvis can settle into a relatively neutral position without excessive tension."
Posture is also influenced by your entire musculoskeletal system, not just your bones and joints. "The deep stabilizing muscles of the trunk and pelvis help support alignment, but that doesn’t mean constantly bracing or holding the body rigidly," says Beltchenko. "Good posture should still allow for natural breathing, ease, and movement.”
The Connection Between Posture and Longevity
Practicing healthy posture can improve your breathing. Research has shown that poor posture decreases lung capacity and expiratory flow (the speed of your exhale), and kyphosis (manifested as a “hunched” upper back) can limit pulmonary function in older adults. Even sitting and looking at your phone for an hour could affect respiratory function, a small study suggests.
There’s long-term value, too. Good posture helps you retain mobility, flexibility, and balance. "As we age, maintaining strength, mobility, balance, and body awareness becomes increasingly important for everyday activities like walking, climbing stairs, reaching, getting up from the floor, carrying groceries, or recovering our balance if we stumble," says Beltchenko.
Bottom line: Better posture is essential to living independently as you get older. "For me, that is really the long-term value of posture," says Beltchenko. "Not achieving a perfect shape, but maintaining the strength, mobility, awareness, and confidence to keep participating fully in life."
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2 Keys to Better Posture
1. Practice Yoga and Pilates
If you’re wondering how to improve posture, skip the posture correctors; they’re just a Band-Aid solution. Instead, try yoga or Pilates. Both of these methods improve posture by using movement and breathwork to build core strength and postural control.
"In Pilates, we often focus on developing strength and control through the trunk and pelvis, including muscles like the transverse abdominis, multifidus, spinal extensors, and the muscles that support the shoulder blades and hips," Beltchenko explains. "This creates a stronger foundation for the spine and pelvis without relying on rigidity or constant bracing.” The practice has been shown to enhance postural control and reduce lumbar lordosis (exaggerated curve in the lumbar spine) and thoracic kyphosis.
“Yoga complements [Pilates] by helping restore and maintain mobility through areas like the thoracic spine, hips, shoulders, and chest,” says Beltchenko. “For someone who spends much of the day sitting or working at a computer, movements that encourage spinal extension, rotation, chest opening, and scapular movement can be especially helpful." Research backs this up: The practice has been found to improve postural control and boost balance and mobility in older adults.
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2. Treat Your Body to a Variety of Movement
"For me, one of the most important things we can do for posture is simply create more variety,” says Beltchenko. “Stand up, change positions, walk, rotate the spine, move the hips, breathe deeply, and give the body opportunities to move more." Take workout snacks during the workday. Practice posture exercises that build strength and use your full range of motion, like rows, dynamic planks, and reverse flys, at the Club. Sign up for a one-on-one Pilates session or a yoga class.
Remember, better posture isn't about standing perfectly straight; it's about moving well.
Explore how Pilates, yoga, and strength-focused training at Equinox Clubs can help support mobility, movement quality, and long-term health.