We are all guilty of it at one point or another. Sitting in front of the computer, texting on our phones, hunching over a book—we’re usually hunched forward doing something! We tend to hunch our shoulders and bend our necks down. This isn’t too helpful for your back or neck muscles, leading to chronic problems, including headaches, muscle spasms, joint disorders, and even nerve damage.
So let’s put an end to slouching around. Here are some tips to improve your posture so you can stand tall, look confident, and feel healthy!
Improve Your Posture
People often think that they have good posture until someone points out their flaws or takes a selfie (don’t judge) and realizes they don’t look as great as they thought.
- Stand up and relax your shoulders (don’t roll them forward like you’re trying to touch your ears).
- Now take a picture of yourself and find the flaws.
The first step is realizing what needs improvement; the next step is working on fixing it!
Have Good Posture by Sitting Correctly
We spend so much time sitting, but do we know how to sit correctly?
- Stand up and make sure your feet are touching the floor with your heels.
- Keep one hand on your belly button and one hand on your hip bone (it may feel weird at first).
- Sit in front of a mirror and have a friend take a picture of you.
If your hips are higher than your knees, your back is not touching the chair, and your shoulders are slouching forward, you’re probably sitting incorrectly.
If this sounds like you, sit on a pillow or try to keep your thighs parallel with the ground when sitting—it will help keep that natural curve in your lower back.
Look Up
Forcing yourself to look up can be difficult—we’ve gotten into the habit of looking down! So how do we change this?
Well, for one thing, it can make us feel better about ourselves because it stretches out our neck (and who doesn’t want that?). Plus, it helps activate muscles in our upper back, which is essential for good posture.
So the next time you’re at your desk or staring at your phone, look up! You can do it—you’re looking great already!
Check Your Posture While Standing
Let’s work on our head position since that is something we all need to work on!
- Try standing in front of a mirror and placing your finger under your chin.
- Take a picture and check out where your finger is placed.
If it looks like you are giving yourself a double chin, try tucking back your chin before taking the picture (You will still see it in the pictures). But if your finger is resting under the tip of your chin, then you are doing perfect!
Sit Up Straight
Sitting up straight can be tough because it is a habit for us to do the opposite (i.e., slouching). But we all know that correct posture looks better and helps our body function better and feel more confident! So here is how you can sit up:
1. Place your feet firmly on the floor and place your arms at a comfortable distance from each other with your elbows slightly bent. If this feels too uncomfortable, then try placing a pillow under your lower back.
This makes it easier for you to sit up tall without straining yourself, utilizing your back support as needed during the day by rotating around with its various locking positions and folding over backward to access our inflatable backrest.
2. Now that you’re sitting up straight and your arms and legs are at a comfortable distance, sit up straight by sticking out your chest/shoulders and keeping your lower back close to the chair (we want to make sure we support our lower back).
The key is not to arch or curve your lower back outward while also keeping it in line with the rest of your spine. Once you master this, try stacking your shoulders over each other and bringing them down one by one. This will help strengthen your upper back muscles, which work wonders for good posture!
Perform The Posture Exercise
Another simple way to improve posture is doing exercises like yoga (my personal favorite) or Pilates, where we focus on strengthening and strengthening our muscles.
These exercises increase flexibility in our bodies which helps with good posture! Yoga has helped improve my posture, so I recommend trying some yoga classes or videos to help you get started.
Maintain Good Posture While Sleeping
The final tip is that we need to maintain good posture while we sleep because it can cause long-term damage if we’re not careful about what position we sleep in. If your neck is bent for a long time, this can lead to conditions like migraines, arthritis, and even paralysis!
So try to keep your neck straight when you are sleeping by placing a pillow under your knees or up against the wall.
Conclusion
Posture is something that we need to work on every day, but with these simple tips, you will be surprised at how much better your posture feels after just one week!