Straighten up your act: 7 simple ways to improve your posture

If you suffer from neck or back pain, headaches or find yourself lacking energy it could be down to poor posture. So if you’re looking for tips and tricks on improving your posture read on as we run through 7 simple techniques for developing and maintaining correct posture.

Exercise

Any form of exercise which allows you to focus on individual muscle groups and your range of motion are essential to improving your posture. Classes such as yoga and pilates are great as the low impact movements strengthen muscles without the risk of causing too much stress or damage to them. When trying to improve or maintain correct posture be sure to strengthen core areas such as the abdomen, lower back and pelvic area as these are the areas crucial to posture.

Be Aware

Being aware of your posture throughout the day is key to correcting it. Practising good alignment can feel quite unnatural to begin with and it can be easy to slip back into your usual habits but it is important to be strict with yourself. A good way of reminding yourself about your posture is to think of a certain word, colour or an object of some kind. Every time you see, hear or think of this word or object correct your posture.

Invest in the correct mattress

Whilst asleep there is no way of consciously practising correct alignment and posture. Therefore, it is vital that we sleep on a mattress designed to support our bodies in all the right places. More innovative products like the ones available from Koala Mattress are designed to distribute your body weight evenly giving your skeleton the support it requires for good posture.

Use a good chair

For those who work in an office environment, this point is especially important. If you spend a large portion of your day sitting in a chair be sure to pick a desk or office chair that is ergonomically designed to aid with your posture and stop you hunching over or slouching whilst seated. If you are unable to choose the chair yourself there are products available such as backrests and pillows that can aid with lumbar support.

Raise your devices

Another key part of practising correct posture whilst at home or work is to ensure your devices are in the correct position. If you find that your laptop or computer is too low making you hunch over this can have a detrimental effect on your alignment. Set up your workstation so that your screen is at eye level allowing you to keep your neck straight and your shoulders relaxed.

Stretching

Being flexible can really open up your back and make it easier to maintain correct posture. Start each day with ten or fifteen minutes of gentle stretching focusing your attention on the back, shoulders and neck. For those of us who are slightly more flexible, you can use a foam roller on the spine during such stretches which will further open up and stretch these areas of the body. Stretching like this can also relieve stress or tension in the muscles which may be affecting your posture.

The String Method

One of the simplest and easiest ways of checking your posture is to use the string method. Imagine that there is a length of string attached to your head which is gently pulling you up towards the ceiling. Alternatively, imagine that there is a book or object balancing on your head.

For many of us practising correct posture may feel slightly unnatural at first however good body alignment is vital for our health, well-being and confidence. Good posture can also help us to look and feel younger. Whichever way you choose to correct or maintain your posture remember to be patient, correcting your alignment can take time and you may not see improvements overnight. Just stick with it, you will soon see noticeable improvements with continued work!