Proper Posture Tips – Practice Makes Perfect

Proper Posture Tips

Posture is very simply the position that you hold your body in when you stand, sit and lay down. There’s a proper way to hold your body and a lot of improper ways to hold it, with a big difference in what each way can mean for your body.

Good posture stops your muscles wearing abnormally, keeps your ligaments free of stress and makes your muscles work efficiently, so your energy goes a lot further. Poor posture comes with none of these benefits; it puts strain on your ligaments and muscles and can cause a host of medical complications, ranging from high blood pressure to spinal dysfunction.

The good news?

Poor posture can be the result of injuries and disease but very often it’s a habit, which means that with a little hard work and plenty of practice, you can improve it!

Here are our top seven tips proper posture tips that’ll help you to make positive changes to your posture straight away:

Tip One: Reduce Factors that Cause Poor Posture

You can’t eliminate every cause of poor posture, but you may be surprised to discover what kind of simple actions and small habits contribute to its development.

Here are some of the most common things that cause poor posture:

• Obesity

• Stress

• High-heeled shoes

• Tight clothing

• Keeping your wallet in your back pocket (and sitting on it)

• Carrying heavy bags

• Wearing worn shoes

• Bad eating habits

• Wearing an ill-fitting bra

Many of these contributory factors are easy to eliminate from your life, making them a great place to start when improving your posture.

Tip Two: Learn How to Stand Correctly

Investing in more supportive shoes and switching your wallet to your front pocket may help to improve your posture, but you also need to make bigger changes if you want to see great results. One of the best tips to improve your posture is to relearn how to stand.

To stand correctly, your knees should be slightly bent, stomach tucked in, and earlobes aligned with your shoulders. Your back should be straight, and your shoulders pushed back, with your feet separated by roughly the width of your shoulders. Finally, your arms should hang loosely at your side and your weight should be mostly on the balls of your feet.

Changing how you stand is no easy task; you’ll have to consciously switch your standing position to something entirely new, but it’ll all be worth it in the end when the health of your bones, joints, muscles and ligaments improve.

Tip Three: Improve Your Sleeping Habits

Next is your sleeping position and sleeping environment, two things that can have a big impact on your posture and overall health. One of the most important things here is comfort: you should be as comfortable as possible while you sleep.

You should try to sleep on your side or back and always with a pillow. Specialist posture pillows are a great investment, but you can also improve your posture by sleeping with a pillow placed below your knees (when sleeping on your back) or placed between your legs (when sleeping on your side). For an even more beneficial night’s sleep, invest in a firm, comfortable mattress.

Tip Four: Get Your Sitting Position Right

Once you’ve nailed the right position for sleeping and walking, you’ll need to relearn how to sit. Sitting in the proper position is essential if you spend hours working at a desk every day, regularly slump, or are prone to slouching – something you should definitely try to avoid if you want your lungs and intestines to work properly!

To start:

•  Your feet should be placed on a solid surface, your legs uncrossed, and a slight gap left between your knees & seat.
• Make sure your knees aren’t above your hips and your shoulders are relaxed with your arms positioned parallel with the floor.
• Ensure that your chair is providing ample support for your lower and middle back.

When driving, you can continue the healthy posture changes by moving your seat closer to the wheel, slightly bending your knees and supporting your back with a cushion for extra comfort and support.

If you find yourself sitting for long periods of time during the day, try to get up and move around every now and again.

See Here 3 amazing reasons to book regular appointments with a chiropractor if you spend most of your working day sitting down.

Tip Five: Change How You Hold Your Phone

Do you often stare down at your phone when sending texts, browsing the internet or playing games? If so, you could be suffering from a problem known as ‘text neck’. Tilting your head down to look at your phone is terrible for your spine, but thankfully, easy to resolve.

You can correct this poor posture problem simply by lifting your phone up to your face or moving your eyes instead of your neck. If you lean forward while using a computer, then the results can be similar, so it’s worth spending a bit of time rearranging your desk!

Tip Six: Correct Posture Mistakes Quickly

You shouldn’t feel bad if you can’t master these new positions overnight, it’ll take time. To give you the best chance of success, try to stay conscious of what you should be doing, so you can correct yourself when you fall back into old habits.

If you find yourself putting most of your weight on one leg, slouching in your chair, hunching over your phone, sticking your chin out, resting your phone between your ear and shoulder or in any position that’s not healthy for your muscles and ligaments, correct your posture as quickly as possible.

The more you practice, the easier it’ll be!

Tip Seven: Visit Advanced Spine & Sports Care in Chicago

Our final tip is essential if you’re struggling to find a starting point to correct your posture or you aren’t having much luck going it alone. A chiropractor is one of the best medical professionals to visit for support and guidance as you improve your posture.

A chiropractor can give you tips and tricks for improving your posture, help you to strengthen key muscles with special exercises – building muscle flexibility is vital for maintaining good posture! – and customize a treatment plan to give you the best start to your posture improvement. Chiropractic care is also highly beneficial for reversing years of wear, tear and injuries that can occur due to poor posture!

If you’re tired of poor posture affecting your health, then there’s no time like the present to turn things around. Enlist some expert help from Advanced Spine & Sports Care and start making posture improvements that’ll benefit you for the rest of your life.

Last Updated on 15 January, 2020 by Chiropractic Sports Care