How To Improve Your Posture
When you were a kid, you were always told to avoid slouching when sitting and to walk with a book on top of your heads to practice good posture. Sadly, very few people today maintain good and proper posture.
Yet standing tall and straight can spell all the difference especially when you are in the presence of other people. A person with good posture can appear to be taller, slimmer and more confident. If your posture is a wreck and you’d like to drastically improve it, just follow these simple steps when either sitting, standing or sleeping:
Sitting
You may not even notice it, but if you’re part of the corporate world, you typically spend nearly 10 hours a day at your desk infront of your PC. You spend nearly as much time in your desk chair as you do in your bed. Make sure you are using a comfortable chair with a high back and keep in mind the following:
Align your back properly and make sure that your hips are properly rested against the back of the chair.
Keep your shoulders straight and flex your arms at a 75 to 90 degree angle at the elbows.
Align your upper body properly. Make sure that your back, neck and heels are all aligned. Keep your knees at hip level and keep both your feet flat on the floor. Use a footrest if necessary.
If you are not getting enough back support, request for a new chair but if this is not possible, try placing a small pillow or any kind of support so that you can sit with proper posture while working.
Adjust the computer monitor if necessary to avoid slouching with your eyes glued to the screen.
Staying seated for prolonged periods of time can be disastrous to your body. Get up and walk around and remember to stretch those muscles. Visit the pantry or the restroom and while you’re at it, stretch your back and shoulders to get your blood flowing.
Sitting properly should also be practiced while driving. With your elbows slightly bent, you should be able to hold your steering wheel while your hips are pressed as far back against the driver’s seat.
Standing
If you want to get noticed in a bar or any other social gathering, you should stand up straight to look more confident and self-assured. Nobody wants to be labeled as Quasimodo. One key exercise that you can do on a daily basis is to stand with your back against the wall for 10 minutes. You can do this by aligning your body into a tall, straight line.
The real challenge comes in the daily grind of everyday life. To get all that confidence back, just practice the following:
Using a mirror while standing up straight, look at your body to see the problem areas: crouched shoulders, bowed head, or your bent back. Correct your posture and see all the difference.
Align your body parts properly. Your hips, knees, ears and even akles should make one straight line.
Don’t be too stiff. Just relax your shoulders and bend your knees a bit.
Make sure that your weight is evenly distributed on your feet when you are standing straight up. This is especially important if you are standing for long periods such as when waiting in line for a rollercoaster ride. Shift your weight accordingly.
When bending down to pick up something, use your knees and hips and don’t just depend on your waist.
Sleeping
Sleeping properly can work wonders on the improvement of your posture. A firm matress is also usually necessary for proper back support. To get a good night’s sleep and maintain that awesome body posture even while sleeping, take note of the following:
Do not underestimate the power of a fluffy pillow. Use a pillow to provide proper alignment and support for both your head and shoulders.
If you can, try to sleep on your side or back, rather than on your stomach.
You can also use a rolled-up towel under the neck and pillow under your knees to have more support.
A relatively flat pillow placed between the legs will help maintain good spine alignment.
When getting up in the morning, use your arms and legs and go on all fours to avoid straining your back.
Practice Makes Perfect
Discipline is necessary if you want to maintain proper posture. That includes reminding yourself to sit and stand straight. Ther are also many other activities you can try to improve your posture. Why not take ballet classes or yoga? Exercises such as these are effective not just in giving your posture the needed support but also contribute greatly in the enhancement of your health and social life.
Don’t worry. Your hard work will reap many physical rewards. Just practice these steps rigorously and you will be on your way to improving your posture.