How To Improve Bad Posture
Bad Posture & Back Pain
How To Improve Bad Posture
The word ‘posture’ refers to your body’s position when you are standing, sitting, or lying down. It’s easy to underestimate the importance of good posture, which has been credited with helping to prevent back pain as well as stress on the muscles and joints.
However, it isn’t always clear exactly what constitutes ‘good’ posture and what you should do to achieve it. Fortunately, it can be a case of just making a few small changes that, in adding up, make a big impact — as the following tips illustrate.
Straighten Up When Standing
“Straight up, now tell me, do you really want bad posture forever?”, Paula Abdul never quite sang — but ‘straight up’ is one good phrase to keep in mind when standing.
That’s because, when you are standing, you can do your posture a lot of favours by holding your head and knees straight, tucking in your chin and belly, and keeping your shoulders back. Basically, try standing like you are doing so flat against a wall.
Do Exercises That Target Your Abs
Get Your Abs in Shape!
If you have long resolved to adopt a workout regime that would eventually leave you with enviable six-pack abs, it turns out you now have another reason to shift excess belly fat: it places avoidable stress on your back, threatening your posture in the process.
As stronger core muscles would help your body to support your spine, you could make a habit of engaging in such ab exercises as bridges and planks.
Be Careful How You Look at Your Smartphone
When checking messages on this handheld device, you probably tilt your head down towards it, right? Unfortunately, doing so puts your spine under a lot of strain — and the adverse implications of this can build up over time.
This is why, when you do get a notification on your smartphone, you should remember to hold it up to your eyes so that your head doesn’t have to be at an awkward angle.
Tick These Boxes When Sitting at a Desk or Table
As you sit down at your office desk, make sure your back is straight and your shoulders are back. Meanwhile, you should rest your feet flat on the floor without crossing your legs or ankles.
While keeping your shoulders in position, extend your forearms above the table and rest them on the top of it. Another sign that you are getting your sitting position right is if your chin is parallel to the floor and your ears are aligned with your collarbone.
Ergohuman Elite Mesh Office Chair
Invest in Ergonomic Seating
When certain chairs are labelled as ‘ergonomic’, this basically means that they have been designed to make using them more comfortable and efficient than standard chairs.
As ergonomic — or ‘ergo’ — chairs are sold in a range of styles, sizes and colour finishes, this makes it easier for you to source ergo seating that would aesthetically fit in with where you would like to use it. For an office, for example, you could buy an attractive ergo mesh chair from the Andrews Office Furniture online store.
