Tips To Help Improve Your Posture

Simple adjustments in the way you stand, sit, hold your phone, use your computer, or even sleep, can alleviate a multitude of problems just by improving your posture.

So before you panic, check in with your posture first! Consistently adjust your posture!

Keep Regular Checks On Your Posture

STOP – FREEZE right where you are. Remember the game freeze tag when we were kids? Even if you're running - STOP. Right now - whatever you are doing just stay that way. Now check into your body. Take a mental note  Head to TOE of where every ‘body part” is.

• Is your head hanging forward?
• Tilted to one side?
• Is your body balanced or is more weight shifted on one side vs the other?
• Are you sitting on both butt cheeks equally or more on one side?
• Are your legs crossed?
• Now check into your spine, is it straight or rotated?

These simple posture deviations can produce anything from headaches to swollen feet!
As well as:

• Back pain
• Shoulder pain
• Neck pain
• Blurry vision
• TMJ problems
• Numbness and tingling in your extremities - just to name a few.

4 Ways To Improve Your Posture While Standing

When your back and abdominal muscles are supporting your spinal column, you are doing the right thing. It may even be uncomfortable because you are using muscles that are not used as often as they should be.

• Engage your abdominals - good posture starts here!
• Elongate your spine. The top of your head should direct your body upward.
• Pull your shoulder blades down and back towards your spine.
• Gently tuck your chin back towards your spine.

5 Ways Improve Your Posture While Sitting

There are a number of gentle exercises that can be done daily which will help improve your posture. Make it a daily task to elongate your body and increase the space between all your joints. While putting every bone in the proper place to allow muscles to work the way they are supposed to work.

This is hard! It’s not a one time, “I’m done” project. It is a constant and it’s not easy. But it works and it is worth it! You can also do these as an exercise in the car.

• 1. So, periodically during the day, while you are on your computer or watching TV or using your phone…
  Stop – freeze- observe your own posture.
• 2. Uncross your legs (if sitting) make sure you have equal weightbearing on both butt cheeks
  Engage those stomach muscles
• 3. Elongate the torso
• 4. Roll your shoulders back and down (slightly pinching the shoulder blades together
• 5. Tuck your chin in a little and make sure the crown of your head is reaching up to the ceiling.

You will be glad you started doing this NOW. Take a deep breath and feel how much more oxygen your body can accommodate! That’s just the beginning. Looking thinner and more alert is just an added benefit!

Contact BTH

Darlene Wooldridge is a qualified physical therapist that has been treating patients for almost 40 years. As the proprietor of Back to Health, Darlene has extensive experience treating patients with back pain and was also a consultant for SI-Bone surgical company.

Her knowledge of physical therapy treatments have helped thousand of people across the US. To find out how Back To Health PT can help you to improve your posture. Call +(1) 954-565-0075 or send us a message via our contact form and one of our team members will contact you shortly.