So what are some of the most common poor posture habits that are adding years to your skeleton?
Read on to find out.
Why does good posture matter?
Good posture leads to a mountain of positive changes.
Standing and sitting up straight take pressure off our muscles and joints.
It also leads to a strong core and back.
Studies have also linked good posture with increased self-confidence.
Good posture can even help improve or prevent depression.
“We tend to think the brain and body relationship goes one way.
Wondering if you’re experiencing depression?
Here aredepression symptoms you should probably know about.
Sitting this way puts strain on yoursensitive back muscles, pulling them and causing soreness.
When your chair is too high, your legs dangle.
And always talking about your herniated disc is definitely going to make you seem older.
Fix your slouching by fixing your chair.
Even better, verify you’re taking plenty of walking breaks throughout the day.
This causes our head and neck to lean forward, putting stress on the neck, as noted byU.S.
News and World Report.
It also gives us that “old lady” stance.
Work on core-strengthening exercises like planks to help hold you up taller.
This hunching forward can also lead to rounded shoulders.
Not sure if you’ve been doing this posture mistake?
Stand in front of the mirror and let your arms hang at your sides.
If your knuckles naturally face forward, that means your shoulders are already rounded.
Work on stretching your chest muscles and strengthening your upper back to offset this.
Hunched at the computer?
Hunching usually comes from a weak upper back and tight chest muscles, according toNHS.
This posture mistake can also lead to painfultrigger pointsor muscle “knots” in your upper back.
Fortunately this one can be solved with a simpleredesign of your workspace.
double-check your chair isn’t too low and your screen isn’t too high.
So use a headset or headphones if your hands aren’t going to be free to take a call.
Do you like to work from your couch or bed?
Kind of reminds you of some elderly folks who are permanently looking down, huh?
The same applies when you’re looking down at your phone too much, which can exacerbate spinal compression.
Nothing says beauty and youth like wincing every time you turn your head the wrong way!
Both of those are better for your back, noted Dewan.
News & World Report.
“Instead, they cause your pelvis to tilt forward, accentuating the curve in your lower back.”
Yes, you could add this to thereasons to ditch your high-heeled shoes.
Standing all day?
More power to you!
Across all species, posture sends a message about power, as noted byScientific American.
Standing this way even changed their hormone levels.
Participants had elevated levels of testosterone and lower levels of cortisone.
This means they were feeling more powerful and less stressed at the same time just by standing up tall!
So, why not avoid the posture mistake of slouching and instead stand proudly?
check that you’re giving all your vital organs room to breathe by standing up tall.
Next slide a hand between your low back and the wall.
Ideally, there should barely be enough space to fit your flat hand.
If there’s more room, it means you’re arching your back too much.
Once you achieve your perfect posture, step away from the wall keeping your alignment.
you’ve got the option to try this throughout the day to reset your posture.
The best way to fix any posture mistakes is to confirm to check your posture throughout the day.
How to prevent posture mistakes
First take a look at the activities you do every day.
Working with a laptop?
A stack of books under it could be just the thing to bring it to the right height.
Next keep your keyboard close to your body to avoid reaching forward.
Also, our bodies are meant to move, so verify to take plenty of standing and walking breaks.
Finally, we also need strong muscles to hold our bodies upright.
ensure to fit stretching and strengthening into your week.
Yoga is perfect for this and really focuses on proper posture and alignment.
Keep those muscles moving and grooving and avoid all posture mistakes if you want to keep that youthful look.
