Ensure that you have proper posture. Learn how to check yourself for bad posture habits and how to improve your posture when sitting and when standing.
Are you a well-balanced person? No, this question does not refer to how you carry your life but how you carry yourself. How is your stance and your posture? With a proper posture, you can avoid future back pains and injuries.
Here is a little test you can take to see exactly where you stand in how you stand.
• Stand facing a full length mirror.
• Close your eyes, shake out your limbs and body, relax, and stand as you normally would.
• Open your eyes. What do you see?
• Head – have a friend check your head to see that it is stacked directly over your body as it should be and that your chin is parallel to the floor.
• Shoulders – are your shoulders level as they should be? Or is one higher than the other? Have a friend standing at your side ensure that your shoulders are in line with your ears.
• Knuckles – if you are standing correctly, your hands should be at your side, in line with your hips, and you should therefore not be able to see your knuckles. Can you see yours? Can you see more knuckles on one hand than on the other?
• Back – your back does not have to be as straight and stiff as a board. In fact, your back has a natural S curve to it. Have someone at your side ensure that your lower back is curved forward just a little bit
• Feet – Your toes should be pointed out straight; they should not be turned out (or in). Is one foot turned more than the other?
Are you surprised at your own posture? Do not worry, you can fix these things. First of all, take a moment at the beginning of each day, standing in front of the mirror, and correct how you are standing. Get a feel for how you should be standing. Then, throughout the day, remain conscious of how you position yourself. If you remain vividly aware of your posture and stance for a while, it will soon become more of a second nature, and you will not have to make such a marked effort to improve it.
Enroll in yoga and/or pilates classes. These classes will both help you get into shape and improve and strengthen your “stance” in life.
Of course, more likely than not, you do not only have posture problems when you are standing, but when you are sitting, as well. Here are some tips to help you improve your posture during those long days at work, sitting at your desk:
• Support your feet – do not leave them dangling. Adjust the chair so that you can have your knees bent at about a right degree angle, ankles slightly in front of the knees, and feet flat on the floor or on a footrest.
• Support the lower back – as mentioned above, a back has a natural curve to it. Make sure that you keep that curve when you are sitting – the support should be at the base of the ribcage. Use a chair that has good lumbar support (and know that it is only good if it fits you correctly). If it has no support, sometimes a small pillow can be used.
• Support the upper back – Lean back enough that the middle of your shoulders are parallel with or even slightly behind the middle of your hip. Keep your back against the back of the chair – do not lean forward!
