Question by alynnsee: What is the Best way to improve your posture?
My posture isn’t the greatest, and I have been trying to work on it, but nothing seems to really improve it. What are some tricks that you use to remind yourself to check your posture? Are there any books that are really helpful?
Any advice would be great.
Best answer:
Answer by Johnny
Every 30 minutes (or atleast 1 hour) when you are sitting you should stretch your arms to up, side and down. You could also do a couple of jumping jacks. Don’t worry, you’ll get your posture well in a few days.
Give your answer to this question below!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
When you are siting in a chair with a hard back, scootch your bum all the way back so that your back is aligned parallel to the back of the chair. Sit like this and your posture should improve a bit slowly!(:
do core workouts, as these muscles are the ones that hold you up in good posture. Roll your shoulders backwards and forwards several times a day to loosen up those muscles and remind yourself to use them.
Take a couple ballet classes!!
When I was obease I used to have bad posture. It changed when I lost weight.
My posture is also improved if I exercise using free weights. When I used to lift them (i’ve felt ill recently) I would always feel refreshed, and when I felt that all over warm feeling like I new i’d used my muscle, I’d have a very upright posture.
I’ve also read about it in dating advice for guys, regularly resistance exercise improves your posture. I guess it makes sense, the more strength you have the easier it is to hold yourself up, and the more you do it.
(1) The Balloon Method. My favorite technique and not very well known.
Try this: If you don’t have great posture, stand up right now. Now imagine that there is a balloon on a string extending from the crown of your head. Imagine that this balloon is pulling your head upwards towards the sky. You’ll automatically stand upright with your spine elongated. Doesn’t this little mind trick work great? If you keep doing this for a few weeks, the habit will stick and you’ll have corrected your posture.
(2) Move! If your job or school life involves a lot of sitting around, you’re more likely to slouch. As your muscles tire of being in the same position you’ll begin to slump down. You need more movement. For office jobs I suggest you make a habit of getting up and moving, even if just for a minute, once every 30 minutes.
(3) Keep the ears, shoulders and hips in alignment. Whether you’re standing or sitting keep these in a vertical line to improve your posture. Resist the temptation to push your head forward; start to notice if your ears are in line with your shoulders and correct if necessary.
(4) When Sitting – Get a chair with sufficient lumbar support! This means your chair’s backrest should have natural curve that fits into the hollow of your lower back. Basically when sitting down your spine should be in contact with the backrest from your tailbone right up to your upper back.
(5) When Sitting – Keep the soles of your feet flat on the floor.
(6) Avoid High-Heels – For the ladies. “Easy!” Say the men, “Not so easy!” say the women. When you don’t need to wear them, don’t. Heels alter the body’s center of gravity and throw it out of alignment. If heels are a must, consider the smaller types if you really want to improve your posture.
(7) Develop an awareness of your Posture – When people try to consciously improve their posture, they can often go for hours with poor posture before even remembering to correct it. This is the power of bad habits. To increase your awareness of the problem it’s a great idea to keep a visual reminder at the place where you spend most of your time. For example, if you sit at a desk a lot, make a sketch of a stick figure man on a post-it note. Then every time you see this sketch you’ll ask yourself, “How is my posture? Are my ears in-line with my shoulders? Are my feet flat on the floor?”
(8) Get confident! As stated previously, posture affects confidence but confidence also affects posture. The more confident you are, the better your posture will be. Confidence is nothing but a habit and can be learned. I may write an article on it in the near future.
(9) When bending over to pick something up don’t fold at the waist. Bend your knees, keep your spine straight and lift the object. Remember to keep a straight spine in ALL situations.
(10) Don’t over-do it! If you try to stay poker-straight, you’ll feel uncomfortable and eventually give-up on great posture. Allow flexibility in your neck and knees. Shift your body weight around often. A rigid body is not what you’re after! Your spine has a natural curve, you’re not aiming to be a robot. Simply remember the ear, shoulder and hip alignment – that’s sufficient for a healthy posture.
The natural way to improve posture without having to think about it is to strengthen your abdominal and lower back (erector spinae) muscles. Strong abdominals and lower back muscles will naturally improve posture. They are our main antigravity muscles that keep us standing or sitting upright. If these muscles are strong, they will naturally improve your posture. You will not have to remind yourself to check it.
Best of luck and good health.