A straight posture is not just good for looking sharp and healthy in public, but it is literally how you position yourself at all times to maintain better health. A straight back has been proven to reduce muscle spasm, fatigue, and relieve pressure on the spinal ligaments. This is why it is essential to remind yourself to keep a straight back at all times and not just when you take a look at yourself in the mirror or catch yourself hunched in front of a computer or TV screen. Reading the following tips will help you stay aware to straighten your back and keep a healthy posture at all times during your daily routines.
- Practice Sitting the Right Way
To practice sitting correctly, you need to adjust your working space and alter the way you carry out tasks that require sitting for long periods. For example, you need to make sure your working chair is not too high for you to reach the ground with your feet and keep them flat, with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Set your desk to be close enough for you to keep a straight back and remind yourself to keep your shoulders pushed back and your neck aligned with your back instead of bent forward towards your computer screen.
- Induce Muscle Mobility
The problem with sitting for too long aside from weakening our muscles and leading to weight gain is that it also affects the condition of our backs. To aid with that try not to cross your legs as this might lead to bad spine alignment and posture, and use an exercise ball to practice straightening your core muscles for better sitting posture. Other tips would be to break your sitting pattern with a break every couple of hours and walking or standing to stretch your back muscles.
- Practice Keeping a Straight Back While Standing
We tend to slouch while standing due to fatigue or due to gravity, which leads us to bend our backs. What you need to do is to place your weight at the ball of your feet and avoid bending your back when you are tired, keeping a shoulder-width spacing between your feet and bending your knees slightly to achieve the best posture. Make sure your work routine does not force you to sit all the time and that you are standing enough within every few hours of working to give your back a break from slouching towards your computer screen.
- Know How to Stand at Work
A good idea would be to utilize a standing desk that adjusts to standing and working at the same time to let you take a standing break whenever hunched for too long. The idea is followed by contemporary workers who keep an eye on their health even while working through long daily routines. The standing desk specialists suggest that working with a standing desk allows for better joint movement and reduced back pain and spine health problems. Working on a computer and keeping the correct posture might not seem easy at first, but the more you adapt to the idea and benefit from its health advantages, the more you will find yourself attracted to the practice.
- Practice Lying Down the Right Way
Sitting back or laying in bed watching TV is everyone’s favorite hobby. However, research suggests it is better to avoid such a position as it puts so much stress on the neck muscles. It also aggravates lower back pain due to the strain put on your lower back when you lay in bed in this position. Use specialized pillows to place behind your back while sitting in bed to provide more support. Avoid lying down and bending your neck forward while watching TV in bed. It’s better to find a position where your neck is aligned with your back, and your back is supported with enough pillows to keep it straight.
- Apply These Strategies to Other Life Activities
Now the final most important tip is to add these practices to your other routines as well to have your posture in check as much as possible. For example, avoid bending over while lifting objects and start adapting to bending your knees while keeping your back straight instead. This reduces the strain on your spine that comes with the tendency to lean forward to the weight of the object. Another strategy for driving is to keep a lumbar pillow behind your lower back to fit just within the curve of your spine. Daily activities like driving make it almost impossible for people trying to achieve a good posture to stay dedicated all the time, but just like adding a pillow, you can adjust such activities to make the most out of each.
Following the mentioned practices should help you stay alert at all times and remember to take care of your back and neck muscles, even while performing daily tasks. The most important thing is to always remind yourself that this works for the benefit of your health and not just for looking good and maintaining the best posture.