Do you want to look 10 pounds lighter without shedding a drop of sweat or condemning yourself to drinking carrot juice all day? Then hold your head up high and keep your shoulders back, because nothing accentuates an unwanted paunch like saggy posture.
You can probably hear your mother’s admonitions right now, “Stand up straight and don’t slouch!” These tidbits of motherly guidance are likely filed away alongside other gems like, “Touching yourself will make you go blind.”
The truth is that standing up straight is more than just the backbone (pun intended) of your childhood naggings. When practiced correctly, good posture reduces the risk of arthritis, prevents muscular pain and keeps your joints in their correct alignment, while making you look and feel more confident.
When you let your posture sag, you’re giving in to gravity while, at the same time, putting unnecessary strain on your body. That discomfort you feel after sitting at the office all day? That could escalate into chronic back pain. In fact, you could even develop persistent headaches and breathing problems.
If you have normal joint motion, average flexibility and muscles that can hold you up, you have all the right things needed to maintain excellent posture. Read on to discover easy ways to incorporate important posture-saving techniques into your daily life.
Standing
When you’re standing, there should be an imaginary straight line that connects your ears to your shoulders, all the way down to your ankles.
Try standing up and taking note of your posture using a mirror. Are your shoulders slouched? Does your head hang down? To rectify poor posture, start by raising your chin, then pull your shoulders back so that they line up with your earlobes. Gently tuck in your belly to keep it from exerting force on your spine, and straighten your knees, being careful not to lock them.
When you’re standing, keep your weight off your heels. The balls of your feet are made to cope with keeping you upright, so use them. If you need to stand for an extended length of time, periodically shift your weight from one foot to the other.
Also, avoid reaching too far for objects (read: beer). And when lifting, try not to bend at the waist, use your knees and hips instead. And for goodness’ sake, lift with your legs not your back.
Sitting
Office jobs are notorious posture-killers. If you’re sitting at a desk all day it’s easy to slouch into a subpar position, which can cause pain that you may not notice right away.
While sitting, your back should be positioned in the familiar S-shaped spinal curve. If you have one of those fancy, ergonomic chairs, your lower back should rest comfortably against the back of the chair. Don’t have that luxury? It’s easy to fake the extravagance when it comes to lumbar support: Just roll up a small towel and place it between your lower back and the chair.nstead of leaning over your desk, sit back and get your butt muscles right up against the back of the chair. If you need to be closer to your desk, move the chair forward.
Your feet should be flat on the floor with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. If you’re working at a computer, your arms should rest comfortably at a near 90-degree angle as well. Right angles turning out all wrong? Play with the height of your chair until the numbers add up.
Sleeping
Does your back hurt when you wake up each morning? Well, the your mattress might be too soft. As a general rule, firm surfaces usually provide better back support. If you don’t want to invest the funds in a brand new mattress, consider buying a foam pad. Also, try to avoid sleeping on your stomach. Sleeping on either your side or your back is a much better idea if you want to enhance your posture while in bed.
Next, check your pillow. Does it help you maintain the imaginary straight line from ear to shoulder you learned from standing properly? If not, you may need to go pillow shopping. You could also try the rolled up towel trick, but this time place it under your neck. A pillow under the knees isn’t a bad idea if you’re sleeping on your back or between your legs if you’re sleeping on your side.
Back it up
Though these techniques are solid posture-builders, all the posture-enhancing tricks in the word won’t help if your muscles are overly tense. Other than the obvious hint of trying to relax, make a point of doing simple stretches each day to help loosen your muscles. Your back is designed to support you, but only if you hold up your end of the bargain.
+copy.jpg)
