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Tips to have a good posture
- You can re-educate your body in what good posture is in different ways. The first step to re-educate your body is to know what the proper posture is. Then it is time to have some lifestyle changes that improve your posture while sitting, standing, or walking. (You can find proper postures’ descriptions in different positions below).
- It is also useful to use some braces like posture correctors to help your body in the re-train process.
General tips:
- First, evaluate your daily routine. It is good to know which position you are in mostly during the day. For example, if you work at an office sitting using a computer for a long time it is exactly the point to start the change.
- Be mindful of your posture during everyday activities, like watching television, washing dishes, or walking.
- Be active. Generally, any kind of exercise may help improve your posture, but certain types of exercises can be especially helpful. i.e., yoga, tai chi, and other classes that focus on body awareness. It is also a good idea to do exercises that strengthen your core muscles.
- Lose extra weight. If you are carrying around excess weight, now is the time to shed those pounds for good. Extra weight can weaken abdominal muscles, cause problems for the pelvis and spine, and contribute to low back pain.
- Practice Good Posture every day. When you sit, stand or walk make sure you are practicing good posture. If you notice that you are slouching or returning to previous habits of bad posture, correct your alignment right away.
- It does take work and dedication, but you will feel a huge difference inside and out as you work to make the proper posture a natural state of being.
Sitting:
On average, people spend 8 hours a day sitting. From working at a desk, driving to and from work, having dinner, and watching TV in the evenings, we do a lot of sitting. The followings are some useful hints to take to protect our bodies.
General tips:
- The ears should be aligned with the shoulders and the shoulders aligned with the hips every time you are seated. (Right on the top of each other).
- The shoulders should be relaxed, and elbows are close to the sides of the body.
- The angle of the elbows, hips, and knees is approximately 90 degrees.
- The feet should be flat on the floor. Do not cross your legs while seated.
- The forearms are parallel to the floor with wrists straight.
- The feet should rest comfortably on a surface.
- Keep lower back supported. You can use a lumbar support or a rolled towel.
At work:
workstation set up is important especially for people who work full time with the computer. The followings are some useful tips to help you understand better:
- Sit up straight, with feet flat on the floor. If your feet do not touch the floor, use a footrest. Do not cross your legs.
- Remember to keep your head on the top of your hip all the time. Make sure that your shoulders are not rounded. Using a posture corrector brace would help you a lot by not letting you slouch.
- Keep lower back supported. You can use a lumbar support or a rolled towel.
- Set up your workstation so that the top of your monitor is at your eye level.
- You should not have to flex your neck to see your work.
- Keep your knees at or slightly below the level of your hips.
- Do not sit for long periods in a stretch. Take breaks often.
It is beneficial to do some stretching exercises while you are on break. Ask your physiotherapist for suitable stretching exercises.
Note: You can put a small sticky note on your monitor reminding yourself to “sit nice and tall”
Remember: “Ears over shoulders over hips”
While driving:
Seat height:
- Adjust the seat height up until your hips are at least as high as your knees. Make sure you can still see the road and the instruments. Make sure you are not high to the point where you have to bend your head down or to the side to see.
- If you are still too low after adjusting to the maximum height, try adding a cushion or wedge to the seat. Cushions also decrease vibrations from the road which have been shown to contribute to injuries.
Seat position
- Make sure there is a two-finger gap between the back of your knee and the front of the car seat.
The tilt of the seat:
- Next, adjust the seat forwards so you can reach and completely push the foot pedals without your back moving away from the back of the seat. Also, make sure that you can reach the steering wheel easily without rounding your shoulder or slouching.
- Remember to keep your head on the top of your hip all the time. Make sure that your shoulders are not rounded. Using a posture corrector brace would help you a lot by not letting you slouch.
Note: you can use a lumbar cushion to keep your lower back arched.
Adjusting car Mirrors
- Sit up straight in your car seat. Then adjust the mirrors to give optimal rear visibility. This is vital for both your driving performance and your posture. if you look in a mirror that you have already adjusted and no longer have optimal rear visibility, your posture has probably moved. If this occurs, correct your posture and sit up straight again.
- Using a posture corrector brace would help you a lot by not letting you slouch.
Remember: It does take work and dedication, but you will feel a huge difference inside and out as you work to make the proper posture a natural state of being.
Standing and walking:
- Stand tall.
- Keep feet shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your ears and shoulders in a line while standing or walking.
- Balance your weight equally on both legs.
- Avoid leaning to one side.
- Rest your arms relaxed at your side.
- Relax your shoulders down, not close to your ears.
- Keep your chin tucked in.
- To lower yourself, bend at the knees with a straight back. Do this instead of looking down and reaching for objects.
- Carry objects close to your body.
- Walking. Stand tall and walk with your head up. Let your arms swing while you walk. This helps relax muscles. Wear shoes that fit and support your feet. If you will be standing or walking for a long time, do not wear high heels.
Note: do not stand still for a long time.
Note: Rest one foot on a stool or low box to ease pressure on your lower back especially if you must stand for a long time, switch feet often.