Tips For Improving Your Posture

Since millions of us are sitting at computers or staring down at our mobile phones, more of us struggle with neck and backache. Bad posture doesn’t just impact our back and neck either. So it is essential to know what you can do to help fix your posture and improve your overall health.

Why does posture matter?

When you hold yourself in an incorrect posture, your joints and muscles try to compensate for it. When your joints and muscles aren’t functioning correctly, you are more likely to sustain injuries and aches.

When you attempt to take a deep breath while slouched over, you may notice that you can’t fill your lungs up without adjusting your back to be straighter. When you slouch, you aren’t giving your lungs enough to room to expand properly. And while this is only a single issue with slumping in your chair, it will leave you exhausted and lacking oxygen.

There are, however, some simple tips for getting your posture back into the best possible condition.

Immediate improvement

You can make an immediate improvement simply by sitting up straight right now. Position your ears to be in line with your shoulders, which can help correct your posture right now.

You should also push your chest forward; you will do this by drawing your shoulder blades back and down.

Long term improvement

This first port of call is to go to Robichaud Chiropractic & Orthotics. By getting an overview of your back health and adjustments that can be made to help you improve your health overall.

Tips For Improving Your Posture

Sit Properly

The chances are you are slouching as you read this, which is one of the biggest issues. You might even have your legs crossed too! Sitting correctly takes practice but is one of the most important aspects of getting your posture in the best place.

Sit with both feet on the floor, although some people like to use a footrest for extra comfort. Your knees should be facing forward and should also be at or below hip height.

While you ideally will have relaxed shoulders, your forearms will be parallel to the ground. Your backrest or lumbar support will help you position your back properly.

Investing in a high-quality ergonomic office chair will help keep your posture correct during those long working hours. Most chairs don’t provide us with the right support and shouldn’t be used for long periods of time.

Standing

Slouching when you sit and slouching when you stand will compound the issue. Using your mobile phone when walking will have your neck stretched into an unnatural walking position too.

Start to pay attention to how you are standing. So you lean to the side? Are you compensating for the backache by leaning your pelvis forward? You are misaligning your spine and putting yourself out of balance. Your muscles will get tight, and you will feel fatigued and achy. As part of your learning how to stand to support yourself, it helps to think of your feet as anchor points. Your little toe, big toe, and heel should all connect with the floor.

Tension

Your joints and muscles will hold tension. You may begin to distribute your weight unevenly to compensate and cause more damage. One of the best ways to release tension is to get a regular massage from Refresh Health & Wellness. This will help release the tension you are holding, and they can also provide a comprehensive plan to improve your spine’s health.

Stretching

Tight muscles and joints give you no range of movement. Building your core muscles using a mixture of yoga and spine curls can help keep those muscles active and healthy. Spine curls are a pilates exercise.

Here is a great YouTube tutorial on getting an excellent spine curl.

Although simple, this movement can help you refocus on how you move your spine and give it a good stretch.

Yoga and pilates are both great options to help you improve your posture, strengthen your core, and they don’t have to be high intensity. They can be both relaxing and effective.

Improving your posture can contribute to lifelong joint, bone, and muscle health. Improving your posture improves your overall health, and it only takes some simple changes to improve.