Back, shoulder and neck pain is becoming increasingly common in our modern society. A lot of it is down to our posture. We spend a lot of time sitting at desks and staring down at our phones as we walk or watch television, and we have poor posture while doing it.
As well as muscle and joint pain, bad posture can lead to lots of other negative effects, like frequent headaches, a misaligned spine, pinched nerves, and poor circulation. If you want to improve your posture, and your health as a result, then read on for our tips.
Correcting your posture
To improve your posture, it helps to first know what proper posture looks like. Once you know how you should be sitting or standing, you can make corrections to your own posture. At first, this will take some effort to remember your correct posture. But, after a while, you’ll do it without even thinking about it.
Take a look at these guidelines for how your posture should be while sitting at a desk and while standing or walking.
Here are a few simple corrections for common posture mistakes:
- Tuck your backside in – many people stick their bottom out while standing, causing their lower back to curve. Tuck your tail in for a proper alignment.
- Keep your chin up – We spend a lot of time looking down at our phones, which creates a rounding of our shoulders and neck. Look ahead and keep your chin parallel to the ground for good posture.
- Relax your shoulders – When we’re stressed, we tend to carry a lot of tension in our bodies. Relax your shoulders to prevent back and shoulder pain.
Stretches and exercises for good posture
Sometimes, poor posture results from a lack of strength or flexibility, so performing certain stretches and exercises can make it easier to maintain good posture. Here are a few simple ones to try…
Plank
Having a strong core helps you maintain good posture. A plank is a simple exercise you can do every day to help strengthen your core. Try to build up the time you hold it for each day.
Cat/cow poses
A lot of yoga poses can help you stretch and strengthen your body for good posture. These two poses stretch out your spine in both directions.
Chest opener
Chest openers help to stretch out your chest, helping you maintain a balanced posture between your chest and back.
As well as being aware of your posture and performing exercises like these, getting regular massages will help to keep your muscles and tendons nice and supple. This helps you maintain good posture more easily. Get in touch with Moonstone Massage to find out the best types of massage to improve your posture, or book a massage with us online.