Good posture is essential in helping you develop and maintain physical strength and flexibility and reduce or prevent aches and pains. Poor posture can put a strain on your muscles, joints, and ligaments, which has many adverse long-term effects from aches and pains to cardiovascular disease.
Unfortunately, an increasing percentage of people have incorrect posture, due to modern life becoming increasingly sedentary in many professions. Working for many hours a day sitting at a desk is a common factor, as the most “natural” feeling seating positions that our bodies often revert to by default are often actually examples of bad posture!
Thankfully, there are various methods that you can use to improve your posture so that you can avoid aches and pains!
Products That Improve Posture
As well as exercises and techniques, which can be hard to remember and incorporate into your daily routine, thankfully, there are products available on the market designed to help you! From shoes that provide cushioning and support to ergonomic desk chairs and computer keyboards to specially-designed ropes and pulleys, there is a vast number of physical therapy products that can not only help improve your posture but also reverse some of the existing effects of bad posture!
Correct Seating Posture
Many of us have desk jobs, which means that sitting still for long periods of the day is unavoidable. While sitting for most of the day is never ideal for our physical health, sitting with the correct posture can mitigate a lot of the long-term effects.
When sitting on a chair, you should sit with your back straight rather than hunched over or slouched. Your back should have the correct support – if your workplace does not provide chairs with sufficient support, you can use a small pillow or rolled-up towel placed behind your lower back.
You should sit with your legs parallel to the ground, your feet flat on the floor, and your computer screen at eye level.
Correct Walking Posture
When walking, you should stand up straight rather than arching your back – a good way to do this is to imagine that a string is attached to the top of your head and firmly pulling upwards. Your shoulders should be back and relaxed to avoid strain on the back and neck muscles, your chin should be parallel to the ground, and you should keep your eyes focused around twenty feet in front of you to avoid your head being tilted too far forwards or backwards.
Other common things to avoid are over-striding (taking strides that are too long) and walking on your toes (your heel should touch the ground first when you take a step, followed by your toes.
Exercises to Improve Posture
There are various exercises that you can do to help improve your posture. These range from planks and side planks to yoga poses (such as pigeon pose and downward-facing dog pose) to more simple back stretching exercises that can be done from your desk! Incorporating exercises into your daily routine can really help improve your posture and balance.