1) PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR POSTURE EVERY DAY.
You don't need a gym to work on your posture and mobility - be mindful of your posture throughout the day. Practising postural checkpoints such as standing tall against a wall, engaging the shoulder blades down and back while brushing your teeth or carrying shopping bags evenly makes correct posture a habit, not a workout.
4) TRY PLANKING AND THE 'SUPERMAN' MOVE FOR A STRONG CORE
Good posture also requires core strength. A strong core and mobile hips stop the pelvis from tilting forward , which otherwise drags the upper spine into a hunch. For a plank, start by lying on your front with your palms on the floor and aligned with your shoulders. Then, push yourself up onto either your knees and elbows, or feet and elbows, or hands and feet.
Prone lying 'Superman', is a exercise which builds strength in back muscles, shoulders and gluts as well as the core. For this your start lying on your front, but instead of pushing your body up, you engage your back muscles to lift both arms and legs off the ground. You can also perform this alternating sides, by lifting right arm with left leg, as vice versa.
3) GET STRONG SHOULDERS WITH PULLDOWNS
Use a resistance band hooked over the top of an open door while you face the bolt/latch. Extend the arms up straight, take hold of the band as high as you can, then lock the shoulders down, keeping tension in the shoulder blades - then focus on driving the elbows down, rather than just pulling, and try to squeeze your shoulder blades down the back as far as possible. Your hands should only reach the top of your chest.
To do a reverse fly, compress your shoulder blades down while standing, with the resistance band looped around your hands with your arms stretched out in front of you.
2) STRENGTHEN 'ANTI-HUNCH' MUSCLES IN YOUR SHOULDERS AND BACK
The muscles across the upper back and rear shoulders often weaken with age. These 'anti-hunch' muscles include the trapeze muscle (a large diamond shaped muscle in the upper back and neck), the rhomboids (connecting the shoulder blade to the spine) and the rear deltoid.
There are several simple exercises you can do to help restore balance against the forward pull of gravity, screens and daily habits.
a) Stand with your back against a wall and slide your arms up and down like you're making a snow angel, keeping your back and arms pressed against the wall.
b) Rows, either seated or bent over, are also great to add if you have access to either resistance bands or dumbbells.
To perform a row, stand with your feet directly below your hips, knees slightly bent. Bend forward, keeping your back straight and your core active. With weights or a taut resistance band in your hand, row your arm and elbow back, keeping your back straight.
Stop the slump! How to fix a shoulder slouch
Modern living is wreaking havoc on our posture - increasing numbers suffer "tech neck" from staring at phones and devices.
Slouching, leaning back in chairs, and carrying heavy loads can, over time, result in the muscles in the back stretching while the muscles in the front tighten, curving your spine forwards. Along with our sedentary lifestyles, this means that many of us start to slouch by middle age.
But the good news is you can both prevent it and reduce it.
5) COMBAT A TIGHT 'TECH NECK' BY STRETCHING
You must also stretch out the muscles that have been tightened over time to avoid a hunched back. One of the main issues is a tight chest, this is from leaning forwards. The pectoral muscles can get shortened through constantly slouching forward so the starting point is trying to loosen them up .
Doorway stretch - place your forearms against the frame of a door and take small steps forward until you feel a gently pull.