How to Improve Bad Posture

Bad posture does not happen overnight. It is a gradual process. Bad posture is a response to how you hold your body in various positions, such as sitting, slouching and standing. After a period of time, your posture muscles become weak and other muscles take over the work.

Perfect posture IS possible

If you want to improve your posture, you need to be aware of bad posture habits. Here are some examples of common behavior and poor ergonomics that need correction to improve posture and back support:

• Slouching with the shoulders hunched forward
• Cradling a phone receiver between the neck and shoulder
• Keeping the head held too high or looking down too much
• Sleeping with a mattress or pillow that doesn't provide proper back support, or in a position that compromises posture
• Slumping forward while sitting in an office chair and not making use of the office chair's lumbar back support

You can improve your bad posture as follows:

1. Identify your bad posture habits and take steps to prevent such habits. Check your posture throughout the day.
   
2. Pay particular attention to your computer posture.
   
3. Examine your sleeping posture. The correct sleeping position is on your back. Sleeping on your side is your next best position. Sleeping on your stomach is the worst position and is not recommended.
   
4. Most importantly, stretch regularly. Stretching will help lengthen both your muscles and tendons. This will increase your range of movement which means that your limbs and joints can move further before an injury occurs.

Stretching is the key to posture correction and one of the best ways to stretch is to use a posture cushion. A good posture cushion will allow your head to assume a neutral position in relation to your shoulders. The contours of the cushion should be such that it pushes your thorax forward, stretching the muscles in the front of your chest and relaxing the muscles in your mid and upper back.

It is never too late to improve your posture. Just because you have bad posture right now does not mean that you have to stay that way for the rest of your life. Follow the simple guidelines set out above and you will be well on your way to improving your posture.

For more information on how to improve your posture, please visit http://www.posturepal.com/