Building Better Posture – How To Stand Tall And Stay That Way

Are you standing or sitting with your head, neck and spine in alignment, your shoulders pushed back and your chin parallel to the floor? If not, then it’s likely your posture isn’t as good as it could be – and the more you maintain poor posture, the higher the chances of back pain, injury and poor health in the future. Correct posture will also affect your center of gravity, meaning you’ll experience better balance and less risk of trips, falls and injury.

Distributing your body weight evenly as you stand will help maintain balance and build positive posture from the feet up. Brace your abdominal muscles too – this will not only draw your back naturally into alignment, but also build your core strength, making it easier and less uncomfortable to maintain good posture for longer periods until great posture becomes a habit that requires no thought or effort at all. This goes for not just standing positions, but sitting as well – try to sit facing forward with your feet flat on the floor, and keep your arms relaxed by your sides to help keep the rest of your body calibrated.

There are several steps to follow if you want to develop and maintain good posture. First, think about the environments you sit, stand or lie in often – are they set up correctly with a good ergonomic chair or mattress, and do you have the support you need to avoid creating bad habits? Adjusting the height, settings and location of any seats, tables, footstools, cushions and equipment you use can make a big difference to the way you interact with them, and ensuring that screens are level with your eyes, your feet can touch the floor and stay flat, and your knees are not higher than your waist will allow you to easily adopt a stance that is comfortable.

Remembering to get up, or change position regularly is important too. ‘Lazy’ working positions such as reclining in bed or on the sofa, resting a tablet, phone or laptop on your knees perhaps, are fine from time to time – but do them too often, and you’ll find you experience pain and stiffness that’ll further contribute to poor posture, eventually exacerbating these effects. Retraining yourself to adopt a better position may take a bit of time, but it’ll pay off with a reduced risk of pain, improved breathing, and increased digestive health.

Posture doesn’t just come into play when you’re sitting still – how you use your back to bend, squat or lift also impacts on your overall health. A weak neck can also be particularly problematic, as your head will tilt forward if your muscles are not strong enough to hold your head high, adding additional stress to your spine and causing discomfort throughout your body. Undertaking strengthening movements for your neck, back and abdominal muscles will help you preserve your posture as you move around, and will make it easier to sit or stand straight too.

Assessing how you sit, stand or lie, and making some minor adjustments to improve your posture can have a big effect on your overall everyday life, whatever activities you’re doing. Taking a small amount of time to evaluate and exercise each day will help you to develop great posture permanently – and your body and your brain will thank you for it.