8 simple ways to improve your posture
We all know having good posture is important, but it’s incredibly hard to police yourself 24/7 and ensure your body is in perfect alignment. So how can we make it easier? Well, lucky for you, we’ve rounded up eight easy tips.
1. Visualise a thread – Imagine there’s a thread connecting the back of your head to your tailbone in a perfectly vertical line. Keeping this image in your mind will give you a good idea of what adjustments you need to make to your posture.
2. Get balanced – There’s no point trying to improve your posture unless you have a solid base, and that means ensuring your body weight is evenly distributed on both legs. Good quality, supportive shoes are also essential.
3. Balance your bags – The above rule goes for everyday tasks, too. If you usually carry your handbag on one shoulder, make sure you switch it regularly. And when you’re doing the groceries, try to distribute the bags so each hand is carrying the same weight.
4. Keep your back straight no matter what – A straight spine isn’t just for when you’re sitting or standing. No matter if you’re bending down to pick something up, chopping veg, ironing or doing exercise, keeping your spine straight will protect your back.
5. But take time to stretch – It can be difficult to adjust to the feeling of having a straight back all the time, so make sure you stretch every day. Yoga is great for this, especially the cat-to-cow pose. To do this, stand on all fours and arch your back, tucking your chin to your chest. Then, bend your back the other way and pull your shoulder blades together, raising your chin. Repeat 10 times until you feel relief.
6. Avoid craning your neck – When we’re reading a book or using our smartphones or tablets, it’s common for slump over. To prevent this happening, bring your book, smartphone or tablet up to your eye level instead of bringing your eye level to it.
7. Set an alarm – If you keep forgetting to check your posture, set yourself an alarm on your watch or smartphone at intervals of half an hour, an hour or whatever suits you, just to remind yourself to readjust your body.
8. Sleep on your back – If you can, sleep flat on your back with your arms by your side and legs out straight, and use a fairly low-profile pillow. In addition, you can place another pillow under your knees to put the legs more in line with the spine, flattening out the lower back and giving it more support.
Tell us in the comments below, what do you do to ensure you maintain good posture?