Helpful Strategies to Improve Your Posture and the Benefits of Doing So

It is often the case that the older we get, the more sedentary our lifestyle becomes. The perfect example is that of a working adult who spends most of their day, whether at home or the office, sitting on a chair in front of a computer, with minimal physical activity. Not only does this have negative health effects, but it’s one of the prime causes of poor posture, which can lead to pain in joints and muscles. In this article by Brad Krause, we’ll explore the best ways to maintain a healthy posture, whether at work or home.

Tips to Improve Posture While Standing

If you’ve ever seen a person slouch while speaking to someone, you’ve seen what poor standing posture looks like. When an individual slouches, their spinal cord is bent forward, away from its natural position, which can lead to back and neck pain.

However, one can fix their standing posture with relative ease through the following steps:

●     Place your feet shoulder-width apart and evenly distribute your weight on both feet.

●     Keep your shoulders wide; doing this will naturally make your chest come slightly forward. While this may feel unnatural at the start, with practice it’ll become second nature in no time.

●     Keep your neck upright as well, as tilting it forward will apply pressure on your neck muscles and spine.

Standing straight is one of the simplest ways to practice healthy posture. Additionally, standing upright when talking to colleagues or clients is known to communicate confidence and authority. This is a common method used by celebrities as well, about which you can learn more here!

Tips to Improve Posture While Working

As reported by Inverse, adults over the age of 20 spend at least 6 hours a day sitting. This number is bound to be higher for those working office jobs as most of their work is expected to be completed at a workstation, in front of a computer.

Given that we spend most of our waking hours sitting, maintaining good posture becomes vital for keeping our muscles and bones healthy. Here are a few ways to do just that:

●     Purchase an ergonomic chair that provides padded support for your arms, neck, and spine. Additionally, remember to purchase a model which provides the freedom to adjust the padding and chair height as per your needs, according to Branch Furniture.

●     Similarly, buy an office desk that can double as a standing desk. As a result, rather than spending most of your day sedentary, you’ll at least be able to work on your feet. (remember to follow the steps mentioned above for maintaining a healthy posture while standing).

●     Place your computer screen at eye level and at least 20 inches away from your eyes. If you have difficulty reading content from the screen, just use the zoom function to enlarge the text rather than slouching.

Tips to Alleviate Stress

Having poor posture while working can lead to neck and back pain which serves as a distraction from work, leading to delays. This inevitably leads to stress regarding your performance which can spill over to other parts of your life as well.

In addition to practicing good posture, here are a few other ways to keep stress in check and start living a healthier lifestyle:

●     Learn how to meditate, as it serves as a great way to disassociate from work-related stressors. Mediation can be as simple as taking deep breaths and focusing on the movement of your diaphragm. The goal is to gain control over your racing thoughts and prevent your mind from being overwhelmed.

●     Use a document management system at work to safely store documents and access them with ease when needed. This will greatly decrease the time you waste finding paper documents around the office which can now be utilized to complete projects on time.

Improving your posture is an easy way to reduce stress and overcome chronic pain associated with poor posture. From purchasing ergonomic furniture to using a document management system, there are various ways you can fix your posture and keep stress in check. The only thing left is for you to commit to developing a healthy lifestyle starting today.