Having a good healthy posture is good for keeping your joints and back healthy. Unfortunately, it's much easier to gain and maintain a bad posture with very basic habits.
Before I go on, If you think that you have to do a lot of physical exercise and have to make the gym your second home - you don't.
In fact gaining a good posture isn't that hard, it's just maintaining it and getting your bad habits to cease that's the hard part.
I've put together some basic principles on how you can improve your posture, and hopefully (with a little self-discipline) maintain it.
1. Sit-up Straight
A simple one that I'm sure a lot of you have heard, but yet at the same time quite difficult. The difficulty being sitting up straight for long periods.
You'll soon start to find that your body wants to slouch and as time goes on, it will become increasingly hard to uphold your posture, but just push through that mental barrier and keep it up.
A simple one that I'm sure a lot of you have heard, but yet at the same time quite difficult. The difficulty being sitting up straight for long periods.
You'll soon start to find that your body wants to slouch and as time goes on, it will become increasingly hard to uphold your posture, but just push through that mental barrier and keep it up.
2. Take Breaks
This tip is to go with the previous point. If we stay in the same position for extended periods of time (e.g. sitting in a chair), our muscles become tired and so slowly begin to slouch down.
Try to take a quick break every 30 - 40 minutes, just for a minute or so, so that your joints can get a bit of movement and so they're not in the same position for too long.
This tip is to go with the previous point. If we stay in the same position for extended periods of time (e.g. sitting in a chair), our muscles become tired and so slowly begin to slouch down.
Try to take a quick break every 30 - 40 minutes, just for a minute or so, so that your joints can get a bit of movement and so they're not in the same position for too long.
3. Know what Good Posture is
It's okay to use these tips to gain good posture, but if you don't know what good posture is then you could be doing things all wrong.
It's okay to use these tips to gain good posture, but if you don't know what good posture is then you could be doing things all wrong.
When making your back straight, don't shove your chest 'up and out' and pull your head right back. This isn't good for your posture and adds some strain to your back.
There are two natural curves to the spine: the C curve and S curve. These are the curves found from the base of your head to your shoulders and the curve from the upper back to the base of the spine.
Stand straight (naturally straight and not forced-straight) and keep your weight evenly distributed.
4. Feet Flat on the Floor
Keep your feet flat on the floor so as to maintain nice weight distribution across your body and to keep your centre of gravity nearer your centre.
Keep your feet flat on the floor so as to maintain nice weight distribution across your body and to keep your centre of gravity nearer your centre.
It's amazing how little things can make a big difference.
5. Ears, shoulders and Hips aligned
This is a bit of a challenge, but when you're sitting or standing try to keep your ears, shoulders and hips aligned together.
This is a bit of a challenge, but when you're sitting or standing try to keep your ears, shoulders and hips aligned together.
If you need to use a mirror to help meet that imaginary guideline.
6. Keep Back Straight when Picking Things up
Another common tip. Keeping your back straight when picking things up helps to create minimum strain on your back.
Bending over to pick things up doesn't do this and can result in back injuries.
Another common tip. Keeping your back straight when picking things up helps to create minimum strain on your back.
Bending over to pick things up doesn't do this and can result in back injuries.
Don't lift more than you're capable of either, stay with what's comfortable to you and not others.
7. Little Stretches
I did say at the beginning that you wont have to do a lot of physical exercise....and I maintain that. What I mean by little stretches is movement. Rotate your head around, rotate your shoulders, stand up and move your whole body around, even in the workplace - it may seem strange, but it only takes a minute or two (not even that long).
You can also try to become more flexible to improve your posture (although this is optional and you don't have to do this to gain good posture).
I did say at the beginning that you wont have to do a lot of physical exercise....and I maintain that. What I mean by little stretches is movement. Rotate your head around, rotate your shoulders, stand up and move your whole body around, even in the workplace - it may seem strange, but it only takes a minute or two (not even that long).
You can also try to become more flexible to improve your posture (although this is optional and you don't have to do this to gain good posture).
8. Don't Overdo it
Although perfect posture is what you're after, if you always force yourself to sit as straight as you can, over time you will end up forfeiting your posture.
Although perfect posture is what you're after, if you always force yourself to sit as straight as you can, over time you will end up forfeiting your posture.
Allow flexibility (points 2 and 7), you don't want your body to become robotic, you are human after all.
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