9 ways to improve your posture - wikihow

8/11/2019 9 Ways to Improve Your Posture - WikiHow

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upper back and shoulders will help you to maintain good posture. -ou don t need to

develop a body builder physi%ue' it s more important to build 3muscle memory3

so that you unconsciously and naturally maintain correct posture without fatigue. When

you lift weights, you should e ercise the agonist and antagonist muscles evenly. This

means that you should e ercise your hamstrings as much as your %uadriceps, chest as

much as your back, and so on. This will help with correct posture. Try the following, with

or without hand weights

,-er"ise #ne

%uare your posture, head upright, so that your ears are aligned over

your shoulders.

4aise both arms straight out, alongside your ears, palms up.

Bend forearms in and back, toward shoulders, in an effort to touch your

shoulder blades with your fingertips.

#o ten repetitions with both arms, then alternate ten reps for each arm

singularly.

,-er"ise !wo

"lign ears with shoulders as in 2 ercise $ne.

4aise both arms out to sides at shoulder height, and hold for a slow

count of ten.

lowly lower arms to sides, counting ten as you lower.

lowly raise arms back to shoulder height, counting to ten as you raisearms.

#o ten reps, constantly checking your alignment with each rep. &f ten

reps are too many to start, do as many as you can. -ou should at least

feel a slight fatigue in the shoulder muscles.

.e a penguin& While you wait for a web page to load or the bread to toast, place

your elbows at your side, and touch your shoulders with your hands.

5eeping your hands on your shoulders and your ears aligned, raise both elbows

(count one, two) and lower them back down (count one, two). #o as many repsas your wait allows. -ou ll be surprised how much e ercise fits into 61 seconds.

Do stret"hes& This can greatly help if you find that you have a sore back or neck.

&t s also good to do during the day, if your !ob re%uires you to sit for long periods.

Tilt or stretch your head in all four directions over your shoulders (forward, back,

left, right), and gently massage your neck. "void rolling in a circle, as it may

cause further strain.

$n your hands and knees, curl your back upwards, like a cat, and then do the

opposite. Think about being able to place a bowl in the hollow of your back.

4epeat the e ercises a few times each day. #oing them in the morning helps

your body stretch out the muscle lethargy of sleep. #one periodically throughout

the day, it will help to raise your energy level without a heavy workout.

Pra"ti"e oga& -oga is e cellent for posture, and for your health in general. &t can

also improve your balance. -oga works your core muscles, making them stronger

and helping you to keep a proper body alignment.

-oga will also help by teaching you on how to hold an erect posture while sitting,

s to Improve Your Posture - wikiHow http://www.wikihow.com/index.php?tit e!Improve-Your-Posture"printa...

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standing, and walking. 7ook for classes in your area, or scout -ouTube for

instructional videos.

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/ind our "enter& +roper standing posture is about alignment and balance. &t also

lends an air of confidence. 8ere are some tips for achieving the correct upright

posture

+lace your feet about shoulder width apart, the same stance you would use for

working out or many other physical activities.

tand up straight. This is, of course, the key to good standing posture, and

bears repeating. "s you develop good posture habits, this will become second

nature.

5eep your weight on the balls of your feet. When you rest on your heels, your

natural tendency will be to slouch. &nstead, stand up, and make an effort to

stand on the balls of your feet. 9otice how the rest of your body follows. 9ow

rock back so that your weight is on your heels. 9otice the way your entire body

shifts into a 3slouchy3 posture with this single motion.

5eep your shoulders s%uared. &t may feel unnatural at first, if you have not

developed good posture habits. 7ike standing up straight, however, this will

become second nature.

+ull your head back and up. +icture yourself reaching for the ceiling with the top

of your head. 5eep your head s%uare on top of the neck and spine as you do

this. 9ot only will this improve your posture, you will look taller and leaner, too.

Try it:

!ea"h our 0od what it $eels like& tand with your back against a door or wall,

with the back of your head, your shoulders, and your butt !ust touching it. &f it feels

awkward and uncomfortable, don t worry' as you develop good posture habits and

train your body, it will feel uncomfortable to not stand this way.

% Start with good standing posture& Walking with good posture is simply ane tension of standing with good posture. 5eep your head up, shoulders back,chest out, and eyes looking straight ahead.

"void pushing your head forward.

Method ( o$ ': Standing Posture

Method ) o$ ': Walking Posture


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Start with good sitting posture& 9ot only is good posture recommended simply

for good posture s sake, it s also important for more practical safety concerns. -our

car s seating and protective systems were designed for people sitting in the seat

properly, and can actually have an impact on safety in the event of a collision.

5eep your back against the seat and head rest.

"d!ust your seat to maintain a proper distance from the pedals and steering

wheel. &f you re leaning forward, pointing your toes, or reaching for the wheel,

you re too far away. &f you are bunched up with your chin on top of the steering

wheel, you re too close.

2d3ust the head rest& The head rest should be ad!usted so that the middle of your

head rests against it. Tilt the head rest as needed, to maintain a distance of no

more than four inches ( 1cm) between the back of your head and the head rest.

% 2void unintentional 0a"k in3ur & 7ifting and carrying presents e tra loads andbalance problems that are not part of your normal, everyday physical structure.7ifting or carrying ob!ects without regard to your physiology can cause discomfort, pain,

or in some cases, real in!ury. 8ere are some guidelines for proper load?bearing posture

When you re lifting something off the ground any heavier than your cat, always

bend at the knees, not the waist. -our back muscles are not designed for taking

the weight, but your large leg and stomach muscles are. *se them well.

&f you do a lot of heavy lifting, either as part of weight training or as part of your

!ob, consider wearing a supportive belt. This can help you maintain good

posture while lifting.

5eep it tight. The closer you keep large or heavy ob!ects to your chest, the less

you use your lower back when carrying them. &nstead, the work is done with

your arms, chest, and upper back.

Try holding a five pound (D.DEkg) sack of flour, and hold it far out in

front of you. 9ow, slowly pull it closer and closer to your chest and feel

the different muscle groups come into play as you do this.

Balance your load to prevent stress and fatigue. &f you re carrying a heavy

suitcase, for e ample, change arms fre%uently. -ou ll know when.

% Sleep soundl & While you will not be able to consciously maintain a particular posture while sleeping, how you sleep can have an effect on your waking posture.*sing a firmer mattress will help by maintaining proper back support.

Method + o$ ': Driving Posture

Method 4 o$ ': Carr !hat Weight

Method 5 o$ ': Sleeping


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leeping on your back will help keep your shoulders straight, and it is usually

more comfortable for the back than sleeping on the stomach.

&f you prefer sleeping on your side, try slipping a small, flat pillow between your

knees to help keep your spine aligned and straight.

*se a pillow to provide proper support and alignment for the head and

shoulders. #on t overdo the pillows' too many, and your head can be bent in

an unnatural positionF this will hurt your posture and you ll wake up feeling stiff,

sore, and groggy.

% Sta in shape& To keep your entire musculoskeletal system in tune to support your posture, it s important to keep yourself in shape. Try these tips7ie on your back, with your legs bent to about @1 degrees at the knee, and your

feet on the floor.

+ull your belly?button towards your spine and holding it at the end. This is a

different type of contraction than crunches (crunches feel like they are more at

the front of your stomach, while this feels like it is more inwards and towards

your back).

8old for ten seconds, repeat eight times. 4epeat it daily.

=aintain the proper posture even if you are getting tired and are not using other

muscles like your back or butt muscles.

Breathe normally during this e ercise, as you are training your core to be able to

maintain this position during normal activities in daily life.

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!hink string& "lways imagine that a string coming from the top of your head is

pulling you gently up towards the ceiling. isualiHation techni%ues like this one can

guide your sense of proper position and height effectively.

Have someone tape a giant 6 on our 0a"k $rom one shoulder to the

opposite hip& Then put a straight line of tape across your shoulders closing the top

of the I. Wear this during the day, to help retrain your back. This works really well if you

hold shoulders back before taping, use wide non stretch tape and ideally change tape

each day.

2void the slou"h when walking& Be sure to try to walk as if you had a book

balancing on your head.

7se "olor& &f you need help remembering to keep your posture, think of a uni%ue ob!ect

Method 8 o$ ': !rain Your Core Mus"les

Method ' o$ ': #ther Help$ul Wa s to Improve Posture


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or color. 2very time you think of that ob!ect, check your posture.

/o"us on our "alves& 7et your posture and balance rely more on your calves.

Try to feel an at ease attitude, and put a bounce in your step. -ou ll find that it will

free up the rest of your upper body to rela and assume a more upright posture that

takes pressure from your back, shoulders and neck, and works on your ab muscles. This

is awesome, since strong calves and abs rock:

Try to put your shoulders back, chin up, and back straight for fiveminutes. &t may feel strange at first but if you try to do this regularly,your posture can get a lot better over time.

Be patient with yourself. /orrecting poor posture can take a long time,especially if you ve had bad posture for years.

" great side benefit of keeping your head straight, and your earsJshouldersJhips aligned is an improvement in your self?esteem andattitude. &f you walk with your head up, you appear more confident, andfeel more confident, which improves your attitude and mood, making iteasier to walk with your head up.

#on t tighten up your muscles when you are assuming a straightposture. &t will only stress the !oints and muscles themselves and thisaffects the skeleton, therefore your posture and even the way youmove and breathe. Try to rela into it, but if you e perience back pains,stop it: -ou are probably causing unnecessary muscle tension. &t is

important to differentiate between back pains, and muscle e haustion.ince the correct posture is foreign, the muscles needed to maintain

that posture might not be strong enough yet. " guideline for this is thatif it strains you to breath, realign your posture. 7et the breath guide you,it needs to feel good: &t can take weeks to strengthen the muscleimbalances and this is very tough work, but worth it in the end.

&f your head is hanging, you can t be properly aligned. 5eep your headat the level that allows you to look directly ahead without having to turnyour eyes up. &f you cannot do this without feeling tension in your neck,this means you are causing unnecessary muscle tension.

Try these steps to get in alignment push your shoulders forward, then

bring them straight up, then bring them straight back, then bring themstraight down.


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/onsider wearing a special shirt designed to aid postureF such a shirt isa training aid that strengthens your back muscles and makes your shoulders work to maintain proper posture throughout the day.

"lso playing sports greatly affects your posture. 2specially ice hockeyor something else, where you are constantly moving.

#o not keep doing e ercises if you feel pain, clicking !oints, pulledmuscles or more than a slight fatigue. This will not get you there faster.&nstead it will frustrate you and make you less likely to continue thee ercises, as well as risking serious in!ury. &f you can only do threereps, do three reps when you get up, and three after breakfast, andthree !ust before you leave the house. Tomorrow or the ne t day, you llbe able to do four. Then seven, then ten.

&t is important to note that whenever a person begins trying to correcttheir posture that they will most likely e perience soreness and painafter e ercising and being self?conscious of their posture. The reasonfor this is because their body has been like this for some time and isnow trying to ad!ust to something new.

"nyone with current or previous back, neck, knee or pelvic in!uriesshould not attempt to correct their posture themselves. This couldfurther damage the body. /ontact your doctor or other movementeducation professional before trying to tamper with your alignment.

4ecommended by doctors and covered by insurance in some !urisdictions are the fields of physical therapy and osteopathy. $ther

established fields which may be covered by insurance though areunverified by scientific trials include chiropractic, acupuncture and the

"le ander Techni%ue (which specialiHes in posture improvement). &naddition, there are many alternative fields designed with the intention of improving posture and fitness that are unverified by scientific trials andnot yet recogniHed by insurance companies.

There are many points concerning the proprioceptive sense that aredifficult to describe in words and even more difficult to understand andtranslate into motion. &f e ercises on this page do not have the result of easier movement, including an increased range of motion that you canimmediately sense, stop and seek professional help from properly

trained practitioners and teachers to improve your posture rather thanindefinitely repeating the directions here.

When committing to a course of posture improvement, checkingreferences of the advice you are following is advised. The peers of aparticular field will recommend a practitioner who has been properlytrained and licensed. Gaining a personal reference of effectiveness isalso recommended, even when referred to a certain area of treatmentor study by your doctor.

Warnings


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9 ways to improve your posture - wikihow

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