Are you worried about experiencing back pain, rounded shoulders, or a protruding abdomen? If you want to stop slouching and alleviate your back pain, it’s crucial to focus on improving your body posture. You may be wondering how to fix your posture or if it’s even possible to correct a slouched posture. Then Let me tell you that standing taller is not as difficult as you think. You may enhance your posture with the execution of muscle-strengthening exercises and make minor modifications to your daily routine.
Maintaining good body posture involves holding your body in the proper alignment, whether you’re sitting at your computer, standing, or on the move. Improving your posture requires patience and dedication. It can help lower pain and discomfort while enhancing your overall appearance and boosting your confidence over time. So, let’s not waste any more time and explore some easy strategies and exercises that can strengthen your muscles and correct your body posture.
Why it is so important to have a good body posture?
A good body posture not only elevates your looks but also improves your confidence. But what does this good posture mean? And why it is considered so important for a healthy body? Well, a good posture is nothing but the position of your spine. A perfect body posture maintains the three curves of your spine at the neck, mid-back, and lower back without increasing them. Body posture corrector strengthens your body and enhances flexibility and balance, and it also offers lots of health benefits.
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- It reduces ligaments and muscle stress and leads to less muscle pain and more energy.
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- It reduces back, shoulder, and neck pain and proper alignment improve blood circulation, respiration, and flexibility keeping your nerves and blood vessels healthy.
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- It also prevents abnormal positioning of your spine and muscle fatigue and reduces abnormal wear and tear on joint surfaces.
What are the reasons for posture problems?
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- Poor posture problems that you might be facing are because of the work and activities we do or modern-day habits like overusing mobile, slouching on a couch and working on a computer for a long time. Often in old age, people face muscle fatigue and tension due to slouching and inactivity which ultimately lead to poor posture. It can also be because of carrying heavy stuff for a long period.
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- Such habits or activities make your shoulders bend forward by overstretching and making your shoulders weak.
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- Your core muscles of the back and abdomen are crucial to keep you upright and stand taller. If they grow weak due to inactivity or any broken bones in your back or brittle bone condition such as osteoporosis or any injuries from sports or other activities will also make you lean forward causing poor body posture.
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- Some genetic conditions also affect the shape of your spine and hips resulting in a posture change since birth.
How to improve your body posture?
Take care of your posture while sitting for a long time
Most of you must be spending your time sitting while working at the office, at school, and even at home. But are you sitting properly? Proper sitting is one of the crucial points of improving your body posture.
If you are sitting for a longer time then you must keep switching your sitting position and take frequent breaks. While sitting use a back pillow or any kind of support for your back and lower back curve and avoid rounded or backward-pulled shoulders. Make sure you use a footrest or keep your feet on the floor and avoid cross legs. Prefer gentle muscle stretch to relieve muscle tension.
While working at a desk rest your forearms on the table and keep your shoulders back. While using a laptop or desktop computer avoid sitting in a hunched position for a long time. Don’t forget to take a long walk after sitting so long.
Also Read: 11 Bad Life Habits that one should avoid
Take care of your posture while standing
Always stand up straight and tall with your feet flat on the floor. Keep your shoulders back and your stomach gently pulled towards your spine. All your body weight mostly on the ball of your feet and feet should be shoulder-width apart.
Take care of your posture while relaxing at home
Avoid sitting cross-leg as it can change the alignment of your spine over time and be a big NO to low-seated sofas or very soft chairs for a long time. Even while carrying any heavy object try to distribute the weight evenly on either side of your body, Carrying a backpack is always a good choice as it evenly distributes weight on your shoulders.
While sleeping try to lie down on your back or side. Try to sleep with an aligned spine and no twisted waist. Use a single firm support pillow to prevent neck pain and placing a pillow between or underneath your legs helps with back pain. Never sleep on your stomach for a long time as it puts stress on your neck, shoulders, and back. And sleep peacefully with a perfect supportive mattress and avoid soft, saggy mattresses to hold your spine’s natural shape.
Big ‘NO’ to Slouching
Slouching while walking, relaxing, standing, or working at your desk might be comfortable, but it is not good for your body posture. It challenges the spine, bones, muscles, and joints. Make sure you hold your backbone in place.
A poor posture is not just bad for your back but over time it also affects your digestion and breathing process. Continuous slouching affects your internal organs and also the working of your lungs and intestines.
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Always on the Phone?
When you use your phone all day long continuously looking downward, it starts straining your neck which ultimately causes ‘Text Neck’.
It is a condition that causes neck, neck muscle, and shoulder pain and may lead to severe cervical spine damage. So while using the phone take a break, stretch your neck, or lift your phone for a better view.
Maintain a proper body posture while driving
Make sure you maintain a proper body posture during a long drive. Sit upright, don’t lock your legs, and never drive with your hips lower than your knees they should be at hip level, and put a pillow or any support behind you. To avoid getting headaches, neck pain, backaches, numbness, and swelling of the legs and feet, always think about your body posture while driving.
Go for comfortable footwear
Wearing heels might be a fashion but wearing them such as pumps, stilettos puts more pressure on your forefoot than on heels. Continuous use of high-heel footwear increases your lower back arch which significantly causes muscle tension and lower back pain. And you end up troubling your body posture and spine, hips, knees, ankles, and feet alignment. Prefer wearing comfortable, low-heeled footwear for daily use.
Exercise and Stay toned and active
Exercise helps to improve your body posture and build strong muscles to support your spine. When you have too many pounds around your belly it puts stress on your back. Daily exercising can be a posture corrector for you as it might help you obtain a strong and well-shaped spine. Any physical activity, like yoga or tai chi, will help you strengthen your core and your back, abdomen, and pelvis muscles.
Also, some gentle and simple head movements will be helpful to relieve tightened neck muscles and will help.
Healthy weight for a better posture
Weight gain can affect your body posture. Excess belly fat can strain abdominal muscles, impacting your pelvis and spine. Strengthen your core for a healthier body. It will also contribute to lower back pain and end up hurting your body posture.
Body posture represents your body’s position while standing, sitting, or even lying down. Slouching and hunching forward leads to poor body posture and also causes joint and muscle pain. For longevity of good body posture, you should concentrate on it every other day and avoid daily habits that can lead to poor posture. You can improve and maintain your body posture with the help of the above tips and regular practice to look and feel better.