The Importance of Correct Posture and How to Create It
Many of us do not go through a week without experiencing some sort of ache or pain especially if we are exercising on a regular basis. Although you may think it is a result from your workout, your sore back, neck and or joints may not be caused by your workout routine but possibly from poor and incorrect posture instead. Poor posture can be the cause of many chronic disorders and pains including shoulder pain, neck pain, back and spine discomfort, headaches, and improper digestion. While there are exercises and stretches we can incorporate into our fitness plan, oftentimes our job and lifestyle may prevent us from focusing on improving our posture 24 hours a day. Below are a few tips that we can use in addition to our fitness plan to help create healthy posture and take care of our bodies correctly.
Stand at Work
An office and work environment can hinder proper posture. Sitting at a desk or riding in a car for long periods of time on the job can make it easy for us to create bad habits. Finding time to break away from sitting down and placing pressure on your spine throughout the day can help keep back muscles loose. Try working from your desk while standing for a few moments throughout the day or try finding time to take small breaks to take a quick lap around the building to stretch out your legs.
Adjust your Car
A large amount of our day is centered around driving or riding in a car. Whether we are driving to and from work, picking up the kids from school, grabbing dinner, or heading to get your workout in you are most likely going to be sitting for an extended period of time. While sitting in your car seat, adjust your head rest, lumbar position, and distance from the pedals to create the optimal position for your posture to take pressure off your neck, back, and hips.
Invest in your Sleep
If you take into account a normal night’s rest is anywhere from 7-9 hours, we spend a large percentage of our day laying on our mattress and pillows. Making sure we use the correct type of pillows for the position we choose to sleep in and rotating or flipping your mattress can go a long way in saving your posture. Not only can sleeping correctly improve your posture dramatically, but it can be one of the most beneficial tools in helping build muscle and becoming more fit.
