ONE
Start simple. We tend to spend many hours sitting in front of a computer, which distorts our posture and the natural curvature of the spine. When you’re next in the office, or in front of the computer at home, try to make sure you keep your ears in line with your shoulders; this is to prevent your neck straining forward.
TWO
Another repercussion of long keyboard-centred hours is that our shoulders hunch forwards and the muscles in our chest become tight. Correct this with a simple exercise: Hold your arms out to your sides, parallel to the floor, palms facing upwards and bend your elbows so that you tap yourself on the shoulders with your fingertips. Next, bring your elbows as close together as possible in front of you. With an inhale point your elbows towards the ceiling and as you exhale roll your shoulders back, pointing your elbows away from each other, before bringing them down to your sides with an exhale and meeting up again in front of you. Do three rotations like this. You can do this while you wait for a page to load or for an e-mail!
THREE
Envisage the invisible string! When you are standing, perhaps in a queue, or taking a walk, become aware of your posture. This is always the first step to correcting it! To help with this, imagine a string gently pulling you up from the crown of your head towards the sky and feel your spine naturally lengthen upwards.
FOUR
Strengthen your core muscles. Whether or not you have an exercise routine, try to take 5 minutes to do some sit-ups and push-ups and work on building muscle in the middle! This makes up the foundations for a solid, strong posture.
FIVE
Keep your bones healthy. Make you get enough vitamin D, essential for bone health. In winter, it is wise to take supplements.
5 Steps towards Better Posture by Marianna Riddle Licensed under CC 4.0
