The Posture Test" - for a better life - try it yourself

It sounds complicated - but is very straightforward.

Place on hand behind your shoulder, reaching down your back, palm against your skin and extend your fingers. With your other hand, reach round behind your back, and also extend those fingers. If you can, try and touch the fingers on each hand together, and if possible overlap a little. Ask a friend to measure the distance your fingers are short if they cannot touch (a 'minus' score), or how much they overlap if this occurs (a 'plus' score).

Good posture:                 Your fingers touch or overlap
Average:                         A minus score of 1cm between fingers
Needs Improvement:      Moire than 1cm between fingers

What does this prove?
This text measures your upper body flexibility, as well as any postural decline.
Physiotherapists have found our sedentary lifestyles - where we sit down more than we stand, and we bend over phones and laptops (which incidentally is what I am doing at this very second) - is wreaking havoc on our posture, and the health of our shoulders and back.
If you did not manage a good score, you could be putting yourself at a higher risk of future neck and shoulder problems.
Failure to correct bad upper body flexibility can lead to chronic pain later in life, and even symptoms such as hunchback, limiting movement in general.

How can i improve?
Try some mobility exercise for your upper body. This can be fun, learning about new stretches and hold. Do look at your weight, and diet. Take a good hard look at just how much you move in the day. If you are sitting down a lot, look to shake that up with regular breaks, where you move and stand tall.  Think about how you walk, and if you have a straight back, or walk with a hunch. It is possible to change the way you walk.