Creating a habit of maintaining good posture doesn’t happen in a day, but small steps can be taken to help you improve your posture day by day. Chiropractors encourage patients to work on their posture in order to help with back, neck, and leg pain. Stretches, posture ergonomics, and chiropractic treatment can help you stand taller and pain-free.
1- Exercise Regularly
The best way to work on your posture is to have consistent physical activity. Yoga and pilates can help you notice how you already hold your body and show you where you need to work on your balance or stamina. Exercise can help with muscle toning and improve your strength which will help you hold your weight properly.
2- Wear Comfortable Low-Heeled Shoes
Wearing the right shoes during work, exercise, or recreation, will help you maintain good posture and limit other pain points. Support for your legs and feet can prevent pinched nerves, and muscle strains, and will help you maintain good posture. The right shoes help to keep your center of gravity aligned and prevent slouching or unbalanced walking.
3- Talk Walks While At Work
Working at an office job can cause stress on your body and ruin your posture. Keeping a good sitting posture is important while working at a desk, but taking walks at work will help keep your spine in the correct position and prevent hunching over.
While walking, you can work on your walking and standing posture. Picture your head attached to a string and to the ceiling directly above you, keeping your head facing forward and not looking down at the ground. This simple visualization will help with maintaining good posture.
4- Carry Your Bag Correctly
If you constantly carry a backpack or purse, you can maintain good posture by limiting weight in the bag and carrying purses in a cross-body style. This will help distribute the weight evenly and prevent shoulder pain, back pain, or neck pain. It may be hard to avoid carrying a bag, so making sure to distribute the weight and avoid wearing the pack for too long will help maintain good posture.
5- Work On Text Neck
With the constant use of cell phones today, text neck is almost inevitable. The constant looking down causes hunching and affects your posture even after you have stopped looking at your device. Working to improve text neck can start with just moving your phone to more eye level while you are sitting or standing. This will keep your spine in the right position and prevent wear on your muscles.
6- Keep A Healthy Weight
The weight you carry can affect your posture if not balanced correctly. Those who are overweight may have a hard time holding their heads high or may experience pain in their legs and back because of the extra weight. More weight can weaken abdominal the muscles, pelvis, and spine. These weakened points in your body can make maintaining good posture difficult.
7- Be Aware Of Your Posture Throughout The Day
Working to improve your posture starts with being aware of how you are sitting and standing throughout the day. If you are more aware of when your posture starts to slip, you will be able to correct it. Over time, you will not have to think about perfecting your posture, and maintaining good posture will just come naturally.
Forming a habit takes time and practice. While you are working on better posture, it may seem like a lot of work to notice what position your body is in at all times, but once you start to do it, your muscle memory will make it less taxing.
Elevate Wellness Chiropractic
Our chiropractic office knows the importance of posture and spinal position. Elevate Wellness Chiropractic helps patients of all ages and issues to live a more pain-free life. Dr. Simmonds has learned about many functions of the human body and specializes in helping with sports injuries and athletic preparation. Chiropractic care is beneficial for those who are experiencing pain symptoms and those who are not. You may not even realize that your spine is misaligned until you go to your first chiropractic appointment.
During your first appointment, we will discuss your health history and work to meet your goals. We only perform what is necessary and use noninvasive techniques. Chiropractic care provides an alternate route to patients who are candidates for surgery or who want to avoid strong pain medication. Work with our team to improve your daily function with Dr. Simmonds today.