Good posture isn’t just about looking good while standing or walking. It’s necessary for your physical well-being and preventing long-term health concerns. Holding your body the correct way helps you avoid pain, injuries, and other posture-related maladies. If you suffer from back pain, it means the time has come to change the way you sit or stand. Posture improvement techniques also address other issues regarding your muscles and joints. These techniques might feel awkward in the beginning because you’re used to walking a certain way. But practice will help you overcome the discomfort and feel relaxed with the newly-adopted posture. So, let’s start with these suggestions, shall we?
Tips for Straightening Up
Posture refers to how you hold your body. There are two different types of body posture. The dynamic pose deals with a body in motion, for example, when a person runs or walks. The static posture deals with a body in rest, for example, when a person is sleeping or sitting. The position of your spine determines your posture. Your backbone has three natural curves you need to maintain. Make sure that your head is above your shoulders. Now, we’ll briefly consider some mild tips to straighten you up!
- Sit correctly and don’t slouch on the chair.
- Don’t hunch over your smartphone while texting.
- Try wearing high-waist jeans since they prevent slouching.
- Don’t forget to stretch even for 30 seconds after working for an hour.
- Try sitting on the edge of your seat while stepping on the ground beneath the chair.
- Holding your chest high helps you adjust your shoulders while keeping your back straight.
- Avoid the Donald Duck This happens when you stick your bottom out because your pelvis is forward-positioned.
- Don’t replace your hardwood chair with an exercise ball. These balls don’t work, nor do they help you improve your posture.
- Don’t keep your eyes always glued to the screen. Give your eyesight and smartphone a little rest. Adjust the level of your computer to your eyeballs.
- Leaning on one leg can be uncomfortable as you’re not using your butt to stand. Instead, you’re putting too much pressure on a single side of your lower back.
- A short-term solution for a good posture is a posture corrector. Wearing bracesy posture correctors helps prevent injuries, reduce headaches, and train your muscles to stay upright. Putting them on for a few hours every day supports your backbone and improves your posture. These correctors take just two weeks to show their orthopedic effects. Doctors recommend utilizing the lumbar-support maneuver for treating lower back pain and regaining proper posture.
- Keep your body aligned whenever you’re sitting in either your house or your office. Distribute your weight evenly to all sides of the body. Ensure that your ears, hips, and shoulders are vertically aligned when you’re sitting on a chair. Avoid wrong sitting postures such as leaning to one side or hunching the shoulders forward. But remember that sitting in a single position for a prolonged time can be tiresome and cause discomfort to your backbone.
- Make it a habit to move around a little. Get up after an hour and stroll, even if it is for a minute. Stretch and do some fat-burning exercises. You can also set the alarm on your phone to remind you to change your position and move your muscles. Motion allows you to use different muscles to the ones you were using before. Changing positions frequently lets you maintain a supported posture. So, don’t forget to take a short break from work to refresh your mind.
- Just like we recommend exercise balls and posture correctors, ergonomic desk chairs are also beneficial. They support your body by reducing stress and friction between your bones and muscles. But these chairs can be expensive and usually cost more than $100. If you can’t afford them, put a towel between your chair and your back. A small pillow can work too for maintaining a good posture. But don’t use a large towel or pillow as it’ll make your posture awkward.
- Exercises – such as the plank, bridges, and child pose – can help you improve an awkward posture and relieve back pain. These techniques ensure that you maintain your backbone’s natural curvature. Avoid standing with a flat back and try chest stretches to correct this wrong posture. If you’re sitting too low in front of your computer, it can cause you to adopt the poking posture. Similarly, having rounded shoulders (where your knuckles face forward when you stand upright) can have adverse effects on your posture too. Cradling your phone handset can put a lot of strain on the neck muscles. Don’t put any unnatural pressure on your body like that.
Conclusion
The casualties of the normalization of a sedentary lifestyle include our backbones. A person’s posture affects the human spine, which is the foundation of their body. You can hurt your backbone by sleeping wrong or sitting too long on a rigid seat. Take care of your spine if you wish to retain your physical well-being and prevent back pain. Know what the correct posture is while attempting to change your bad sitting and sleeping habits. A good posture improves balance and breathing and lowers fatigue and the risk of injury. It also puts less tension on your vertebra and saves you from headaches. When you stop slouching, your blood circulation revamps, making you more active and healthy. And who doesn’t want to be healthy?