One stretch can help you fix your posture ASAP

November 1, 2017 8:42 PM

While there's a variety of stretches you can do to improve your posture—Dr. Stork himself shows us a quick cervical spine stretch.

We work on our biceps, chest, legs, and abs quite a bit, but we almost never pay attention to our spines.

That's a shame, because maintaining a healthy spine may be the key to maintaining a healthy body in the long term. If you have an office job (or even a smartphone), chances are you're hunched over way more often than you should be—and that can have some serious consequences down the road.

That's what Dr. Travis Stork, one of the hosts of The Doctors, tells us in the above video. “Believe it or not, about seven weeks ago I had surgery on my cervical spine,” he says. “And I caused the problem on my own with poor posture, and probably too much time on the bike.”

Stork was 45 years old before he really starting paying attention to his spine health, and he says he paid the price for it.

“Every 15 or 30 minutes, stand up and check your posture,” he says. “Make sure that nice 'S' curve of your spine is intact. Think about it day and night.”

While there's a variety of stretches you can do to improve your posture—Dr. Stork himself shows us a quick cervical spine stretch—you should start simply by being more mindful of how you stand and sit. “What you don’t want to do it end up under the knife like I did," says Dr. Stork.