Improving posture is important for overall health and well-being. Poor posture can lead to discomfort, pain, and long-term health issues. Having good posture is about more than looks. It helps you to develop strength, flexibility, and balance in your body. These can all lead to less muscle pain and more energy throughout the day. Proper posture can also reduce stress on your muscles and ligaments, which can reduce your risk of injury.
What is good posture?
Posture is how you sit or stand. Good posture positions the body correctly and ensures your weight is evenly balanced. This means the skeleton, muscles, and ligaments aren’t overstretched or strained.
Good posture makes sure your spine has three curves. It also keeps the muscles on each side of the spine strong and well-balanced. It will help prevent pain in your back and may make you more mobile and less tired. You can use good posture while you are sitting and standing. Make sure you relax and breathe normally.
Good standing posture doesn’t mean to be stiff or rigid. It would be best if you stood loosely and flexibly with your:
- Back straight
- Head up, chin in,
- And looking straight ahead
- Shoulders relaxed
- Tummy in
- Weight balanced evenly on your two feet
- Knees straight
When you are sitting, your back should be against the back of the chair. Your knees should make a right angle, with your feet on the floor. It’s important to avoid crossing your legs. Practicing good posture will help prevent discomfort such as muscle, back, and neck pain.
General tips to improve your posture
- Exercise regularly — even 30 minutes of low-impact exercise a day will keep your body supple and active. This will also help you improve your general health.
- Gentle exercises, such as those in yoga and Pilates, help to strengthen the support muscles in your back and stomach. These exercises can help with posture correction. Concentrate on strengthening the muscles in your core (torso and pelvis).
- Spend 10 minutes a day doing simple stretching exercises to improve your posture.
- Stand tall. This means straightening your spine, moving your shoulders to their natural resting position, and gently tightening your stomach muscles.
- Do simple head movements to help loosen tightened neck muscles that can interfere with good posture. Try gently moving your head in small circles, or from front to back and side to side.
- Lie flat on the ground for two to three minutes once a day. Do this exercise without using any cushions or support, and relax. This will allow your body to readjust to its natural resting position, and help correct your posture.
- Wear flat, well-fitting shoes to assist with even weight distribution.
- Make sure you lift using your hips, knees, and thighs, not your back.
How to improve your posture at home
Try not to cross your legs when seated as it can overstretch one side of your leg muscles. This can change the alignment of your spine over time, particularly if you always cross your legs the same way.
Don’t spend too long sitting on low-seated sofas or very soft chairs.
When sleeping, try to use a single firm support pillow. This can prevent neck pain from developing. It’s best to lie on your side with your knees bent. Make sure you also have a supportive mattress.
Take care when carrying heavy things, for example, bags of books, computer equipment, or shopping. Make sure that you distribute the weight of your bags evenly on either side of your body. A backpack distributes weight evenly over your shoulders.
If you are a carer and spend a lot of time lifting, pushing, or carrying the person you care for, ensure you look after your posture. Undertake such physical activities correctly.
How to improve your posture at work
When seated, keep your back straight and your feet flat on the ground. Try to keep your knees and your hips level. You may need a footrest to keep your hips and knees level. If you sit for long periods, you should support your lower back against the back of your chair. This can be done with a small rolled-up towel or commercial product.
Avoid sitting in a hunched position for long periods, such as when using a laptop or desktop computer. Make sure you get up and move around at regular intervals to alter your body position. If your job involves lots of repetitive tasks or lifting and bending, ask your employer about training in the correct way to lift and carry heavy, bulky, or awkward objects.
If you spend a lot of time on the telephone, you run the risk of phone strain. Resting a telephone on your shoulder can twist your neck while keep the phone in place. You may find a headset is more comfortable.
How to improve your posture when driving
Make sure your car seat and headrest are in the correct position to promote safe, comfortable driving.
The steering wheel should be adjusted so it’s level with your chest, not your face. Keep your arms bent and your thumbs on the rim of the steering wheel. Have the seat upright so your back and shoulders are supported. Sit deep in the seat, bracing your body with your left foot. Exercise this to improve your posture while traveling.
How do stooping and slouching affect posture?
Many jobs involve sitting for much of the day, which isn’t healthy. “We’re designed to be hunter-gatherers, running around and catching our prey, not sat at a desk for eight hours a day,” explains Martine Cooper, Chartered Physiotherapist and Clinical Director of London City Physiotherapy.
If you have to spend a lot of time at a desk because of your job, it’s important to be aware of how you sit. Cooper advises to sit with your shoulders back, without leaning forward, and make sure your knees are below or level with your hips. The top of your monitor should be positioned at eye level or below.
Top 10 Exercises to Improve Posture and Relieve Lower Back Pain
Posture is one of the top underlying causes of lower back pain. Whether you sit at a desk all day or are a professional athlete, poor posture could be the cause of that never-ending ache in your back. Try implementing the following exercises and stretches recommended by sports medicine doctors to reduce tension, build strength, and improve posture.
Strengthening Exercises
One way to both treat lower back pain and improve your posture is by strengthening the muscles in your lower back and core. The following 5 exercises can be performed with no equipment either at home, the gym, or even sitting at your desk.
Partial Crunches for Lower Back Pain
Partial crunches are simple exercises that strengthen your core and back muscles to help with posture and back pain. Lie on your back, crossing your arms in front of your chest, and slowly raise your shoulders from the floor while engaging your core muscles. Hold for one second then slowly lower your shoulders back down to the floor.
Bird Dog
This low-impact exercise eases back pain by stabilizing the muscles in the core and lower back during movements of the arms and legs. Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Then, while tightening your abdominal muscles, lift and extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then repeat with your left leg and right arm.
Reverse High Five
If you have been sitting at your desk all day, take a break from working to stand up and complete a few rounds of this exercise in order to prevent slouching and neck pain. Standing tall, turn your palms to face away from you and then press your hands back as if you were giving someone a double high five behind you.
Wall Sits
This simple exercise is a great break from sitting on the couch or crouching over a desk. Start by standing with your back against a wall and slowly slide down the wall as if you were sitting down in a chair, keeping your knees bent no farther than a 90-degree angle. Pressing your lower back into the wall, hold this position for 30 seconds.
High Plank
This pose is ideal for relieving back pain and building strength throughout the entire body. Keeping your hands lined up with your shoulders, straighten your legs out behind you, lift your heels, and raise your hips. Engage your core, keep your chest open and shoulders back, and hold the position for one minute at a time.
Don’t Forget to Stretch
Stretching your muscles helps you develop strength, flexibility, and balance, which leads to less muscle pain and better posture. These gentle yoga stretches will help improve your posture and lead to less pain in your back and neck.
Child’s Pose
This restful stretch lengthens your spine and relieves tension in both the lower back and neck. Starting in a tabletop position, sink your hips back towards your feet and gently place your forehead on the floor, keeping your arms extended out in front of you.
Cat-Cow
This stretch massages the spine to relieve tension in the upper body and increase blood flow. Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position, then inhale to look up, dropping your abdomen towards the ground for a cow pose. Next, exhale and arch your spine up towards the ceiling like a cat, keeping your chin tucked into your chest.
Cobra Pose
Cobra pose strengthens your upper back and relieves spinal tension. Start by lying down on your stomach and placing your hands underneath your shoulders. Using the strength of your back, lift your shoulders away from the floor and press into your hands.
Thoracic Spine Rotation
This stretch is great for alleviating any tightness or pain in the lower back. Lie down flat on your back and pull one knee close to your chest. Cross your knee over your body and let it rest on the floor, rotating your spine. Rest here for as long as you would like then repeat on the other side.
Isometric Seated Rows
This stretch is perfect for improving poor posture and working out stiffness in the neck caused by sitting in one place for too long. If you have an office job, take a break from hunching over your computer and start by sitting tall in your chair with your shoulders back. Exhale as you draw your elbows back into the hair and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
To learn more about spinal conditions, back pain, and treatment options, make an appointment with one of our sports medicine experts at The Woodlands Sports Medicine Centre today.
Best Benefit Of Posture
1. Reduced low back pain
Sitting or standing in a slouched position for prolonged periods stresses your lower back. More specifically, it puts pressure on the posterior structures of the spine, including the intervertebral discs, facet joints, ligaments, and muscles, explains Strang.
Do bridges to strengthen your lower back
Bridges strengthen and engage your gluteal and abdominal muscles, so your body relies on them instead of stressing your lower back.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, instructs Strang. Tighten your core without changing your back position. “Lift your hips and lower torso off of the ground by contracting your gluteus maximus muscles.” Slowly lower your hips back down.
Posture tip: Move around frequently every 20 to 30 minutes is recommended Source. “No one can sit with perfect posture all of the time; it takes a lot of strength to do so. When you feel your muscles tiring, or yourself slowly slouching, get up and move around,” encourages Strang.
By stretching your chest, and strengthening your core and upper back muscles, you’ll see gradual but noticeable pain reduction.
2. Fewer headaches
“Poor posture can contribute to tension headaches, due to increased muscle tension in the back of the neck. Often if we correct our posture, we can reduce muscle tension and improve our headaches,” says Strang.
Stretch your neck muscles with a head retraction exercise. This exercise strengthens the neck muscles that are often weak and stretched out.
Posture tip: Check in with your body often. “Awareness is essential to good posture. We get busy working at our computers or eating a good meal, and we compress into poor posture,” says Griffith. Post a note on your computer screen to remind you to get yourself in proper alignment.
What to look for: Headache prevention will differ from person to person. If you’re not experiencing the progress you want, incorporate more core exercises and pectoral stretches into your routine.
3. Increased energy levels
When your bones and joints are in correct alignment, it allows the muscles to be used as they’re intended, so you’ll have less fatigue and more energy, explains Griffith. In other words, “the muscles don’t have to work so hard to do what they’re supposed to do.” Strengthen your obliques so the right muscles are activated when you’re sitting or standing.
Start by sitting on the floor with your knees bent. Lift your feet off of the floor about 6 inches. Tighten your core as you rotate your upper body and elbows from side to side.
Posture tip: To keep your energy levels high, remember it’s okay to relax from time to time. “Give your postural muscles a break once in a while. They can get overworked and cause pain as well,” explains Strang.
What to look for: Noticing a spike in your energy levels is variable. It depends on how poor your posture is, how strong you are, and how aware you remain of your posture.
4. Less tension in your shoulders and neck
A forward head posture puts strain on the upper back, shoulder, and neck areas. With proper alignment, the joints and ligaments are less stressed and less subject to chronic overuse, explains Griffith.
Look in the mirror and perform this neck stretch
Stretch out your neck to relieve pressure and correct tension.
Stand with a straight spine and neck. Slightly tuck your chin backward. You should feel a slight tensioning of your clavicle muscles and a lengthening of the posterior part of your neck. Hold for 3 seconds and complete 15 repetitions.
Posture tip: Set reminders on your calendar to check in with yourself several times throughout the day. Ensure your ears are above your shoulders and that you’re using your front neck muscles — not just your posterior muscles — to hold your head up.
What to look for: You’ll likely notice reduced tension in your shoulders and neck within the first week or two. Applying heat or ice may provide additional relief.
5. Decreased risk of abnormal wearing of the joint surfaces
Crooked sitting and standing, such as resting on one leg or side of your body, leads to a hip strain. “Your joints wear down naturally over time. If your posture is even, not many problems arise. But if you’re uneven, more pain and issues tend to occur,” states Griffith.
6. Improving circulation and digestion
Griffith explains: “If you’re compressing vital organs, your circulation is poor, and those organs aren’t going to work as well.” Healthy blood flow requires proper alignment and avoiding positions that cramp circulation, like crossing your legs.
FAQ:
What exercise is the best at improving your posture?
The best exercise is one that you’re comfortable doing regularly. This may mean trying a variety of different yoga postures, stretches, and other exercises designed to stretch and lengthen the spine.
Can you fix your posture in 30 days?
Many people see improvements within a couple of weeks, but it requires commitment and consistency. Ready to see how this all fits into an exercise plan? Check out our guide to better posture in 30 days.
What exercises fix slouching?
Paying attention to how you sit and how you stand is the best way to notice and correct slouching. Allowing your shoulders to relax and pull back slightly can help with rounding or a hunched-over stance. You might find it helpful to imagine an invisible piece of string gently pulling your head toward the ceiling. Your head should be level with your ears over your shoulders.
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