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Posture Perfect – How You Carry Yourself Can Dictate a Healthy Back
The way you hold yourself greatly affects the health of your body, especially your back. How many times have you stood for a long time and felt the ache flood through your shoulders? Or sat at your office or school desk for too long and had trouble straightening up when you were done for the day? These back problems are often a reflection of not just how long you sit or stand but your posture.
It is far easier to identify bad posture than good, but nonetheless it is good posture that will go a long way towards ensuring a life without back pain, especially lower backache. To begin with when standing straight you should be able to imagine an invisible line being drawn from your earlobe, down to the shoulder, then hip, and knee ending at the mid point of the ankle. It’s not enough to concern yourself with just how you sit or stand, but many other aspects of daily life that affect your stance must be considered as well.
When you are first trying to correct poor posture, you should set yourself up a program of checking throughout the day on how you are sitting and standing. Correct any slouching of the shoulders, any bending of the neck either downwards or too far up and make certain you are not pushing your stomach out too far as this causes an inward curve of the back. Remember that both of your shoulders, hips and knees should be at the same level. This says a lot about how well you are maintaining good posture.
There are many visual tests you can do to determine whether you are on the road to good posture or just fooling yourself into thinking you are doing all right. First stand the way you think you should and then have a friend look at you from the side. Then have them determine the following:
Are both your knees facing straight to the front?
Is your head straight? It must not tilt to one side.
Do your shoulders line up with your ears?
Is your chin aligned with the ground?
Is there a forward curvature, it should be slight, to the lower back?
Other factors that contribute to good posture may seem straightforward, yet many people miss them because of their simplicity. For example, watch your weight. If you’re too heavy the unnecessary pounds you’re carrying will pull on your back causing you to hold yourself wrong. How you sleep is as important as how you stand or sit. A firm mattress gives you the right support to keep your spine straight
Watch yourself after any type of injury. Even a minor injury like a sprained ankle or a sports injury to a shoulder or knee can cause you to compensate by taking the weight off that area to lessen the pain. This can cause problems later as you try to realign your body to the way you should carry yourself. Make sure your footwear fits properly. Like an injury, bad shoes will affect the way you walk and so the way you carry yourself.
One of the main factors that contribute to poor posture is your work area. Too many people sit in low, uncomfortable chairs that offer no support to the lower lumbar region and so stress the back. Ergonomic furniture may help to a degree but it is not enough to rely on them to improve your back comfort. Humans were not made to spend all day sitting in one place. So a good rule to use is for every twenty minutes that you sit, get up and move around for a mere twenty seconds. This will be a big help. Stretch your legs, and arms; wiggle your fingers and toes, loosen your ankles and wrists.
If all else fails and the simple act of trying to stand and sit straighter is not successful there are many exercises that can bring your back in proper alignment and get rid of that back discomfort and pain you have been suffering. Build good posture now to ensure when old age settles in your journey is a more comfortable one.
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