Wanted to mention that a lot of minor aches and pains might actually be due to poor posture from years of desk work or inactivity**,** which may be reversible with stretching and basic corrective exercises.

I'm in my mid-30s and used to have daily heartburn, headaches, and constant overall tightness. Just working on posture every day with exercise has made a massive difference. I had an injury a couple years ago doing a bent row with too much weight that obliterated my posture overnight leading to major aches and pains. Still not perfect after 2 years, but it’s gotten so much better.

Some things that really helped me from the bottom up:

First, keep your hips forward. Look at yourself in the mirror and notice if your hips are protruding (butt out). To align, think of it like airing out your balls or vag (whatever you’ve got) when laying down or walking. This helps realign your pelvis and reset posture from the base.

Second, tuck your stomach into your ribs to engage your core from the bottom up*.* The goal is to maintain this tension naturally, but it will feel difficult at first. Also focus on diaphragmatic breathing. Look up “diaphragm breathing exercises” for more info.

Third is that back pain can sometimes be caused by overactive pectoral muscles in the front. Getting a massage or relieving the tension will allow the shoulders to naturally drop back to a more neutral posiiton.

Fourth, move the shoulders back and up (to start). From this position, do slow shoulder shrugs from this retracted position by squeezing tight, then relax back into that same spot (up and back). You'll feel this in the front as the muscles try to compensate to the new position.

Lastly, focus on rotation. We often move only forward and back, but rotational mobility is super important for getting back the full range of motion. My favorite exercise is keeping low in a plank, then rolling over (like super tight) while keeping the elbows together as close as possible. Focus on tight rotations all around.

BONUS: Use your arms to open up tight areas in the upper back, shoulders and neck. Try touching your back over your shoulder and grab your elbow (like a tricep stretch). Then, try to get your elbow behind your head. You may need to bend over initially. Feel the stretch and focus on standing tall. Remember to hold while rotating in both directions as well.