This Upper Back Exercise Will Seriously Help You As You Age

Many people spend most of the day hunched over at their desks or looking at their computers or phones. While this can lead to temporary neck and back pain, it can also cause long-term harm to your posture. According to Livestrong, poor posture affects our lives more as we get older, which is why it's important to maintain good posture while we're young. Bad posture can make it harder to lift things from the ground, open doors, and other activities that naturally get more difficult as we age, regardless of our posture.

Fortunately, there are some simple ways to improve your posture that will be beneficial to you as you age. One exercise to try is called a band-pull apart. To perform this exercise, hold one end of a light exercise band in each hand. "If there's too much tension in the band, good chances are you won't be able to execute the exercise properly and in full range of motion," said Jessica Mazzucco, CPT, founder and head trainer of The Glute Recruit in Scarsdale, New York. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms out in front of you with your palms facing up. Slowly pull your hands outward as far as you can, focusing on using your back muscles to drive the movement. When you've opened your arms as wide as you can, slowly return to the starting position. When done regularly, this exercise can help you improve your posture.

Poor posture causes issues in the future, but it can put you in pain and discomfort now. "In good posture, the bones are lined up on top of each other like children's blocks, carrying the weight of the body," Karen Erickson, DC, a chiropractor in New York City and fellow of the American College of Chiropractic told Insider. "Good posture allows the bones to support weight, allowing the muscles to work the least. Poor posture causes the muscles to overwork."

One exercise that can improve posture is the backward bend. Stand as you normally would and place your hands on your lower back. Slowly bend backward as far as you can comfortably, allowing your head, shoulders, and back to all bend. Then return to start position. This exercise will help to keep your back flexible. Another exercise to try is the press-up. To perform this move, lie on your stomach with your palms on the ground underneath your shoulders. Push your body up, but allow your hips and legs to remain on the ground. Allow your spine to arch as you use your arms to hold the position. When you're done, lower yourself back to the ground.