Improving your posture not only benefits how you look on the outside, but it can greatly benefit your body overall. Poor posture just plain old looks bad, but even worse, it is not good for your body. But what causes poor posture in the first place? Poor posture can form from the daily activities we perform each day. Activities such as sitting at our office desks all day, driving in our cars and sitting on our sofa’s can place our bodies in positions that are not conducive to proper posture. These positions can cause us to slouch or slump in our seats which overtime can cause poor posture. The good news is there are simple and effective lifestyle changes that you can do for improving your posture.
Tips for Improving Your Posture
The first change that is extremely easy yet very useful is to just be aware of your posture. Being mentally aware of how you are standing and sitting is the first step for improving your posture.
The next tip and the most important one is to move around and stretch. If you are sitting all day at work, it’s important to get up and stretch throughout your day. Muscles can become tired throughout the day which can lead to slouching and slumping. This puts extra stress and pressure on your upper back, shoulders and neck muscles. We recommend getting up for a short 2-3 minute break every half hour.
Specific exercises for improving your posture should be performed a few days a week. Exercises such as yoga, Pilates, and swimming will help strengthen the core abdominal muscles and the muscles surrounding the back. They will help the body stay aerobically conditioned which will help promote better posture.
Inversion Therapy is an excellent tool to help improve poor posture. Inversion Therapy is performed on an inversion table and is easy and convenient. You lie on an inversion table, strap your ankles to the table and slowly lay back and let gravity go to work. As you are inverted, gravity removes the pressure off of your spine allowing extra space between vertebrae. You will feel your lower, middle and upper spine and neck relax and lengthen.
Jesse is the co-founder and visionary CEO of The Healthy Back Institute®, the world-leading source of natural back pain solutions. His mission as a former back pain sufferer is to help others live pain free without surgery and pharmaceuticals.
