Whether you agree or not, the way you sit, stand, or lie down during the day can considerably impact your health. It is called posture. Poor posture leads to aches, pains and even affects the long-term health of your spine and joints … and it even plays a role in your breathing and digestion.
Surprisingly there are 5 enemies Of Your Posture and Core. Here are more details and some simple tips to fix.
- YOUR PHONE.
There’s actually such a thing as “text neck,” and it’s caused by looking down at your phone.
It can add as much as a 60-pound load on your cervical spine! As you might guess, this can lead to a MAJOR misalignment in your neck muscles, which has a ripple effect through your entire core.
THE FIX: Look at your phone both less often and for shorter lengths of time! And when you do look at it, be mindful of your head position.
- DRIVING.
Proper posture when driving is doubly important, because not only can slouching or sitting too upright behind the wheel affect your core, it’s a safety issue.
Research shows that when you’re poorly positioned in your vehicle during an accident, you have a higher risk of serious injury.
THE FIX: If at all possible, when you’re seated behind the wheel, your knees should be slightly lower than your hips. Also, make sure your lower back is supported – use lumbar support or a lumbar pillow if necessary. Plus, the seat back shouldn’t be straight up and down – instead, it should lean back slightly to put the least pressure on your neck and back.
Additionally your chest should be as far back from the steering wheel as possible while still allowing you to easily reach the pedals.
- SLEEPING.
We spend as much of a third of our lives asleep – and as you can imagine, if you sleep in bizarre positions or curled up in a tight ball, it can cause aches and pains.
THE FIX: When you sleep, make sure your body is fully supported. Use a pillow beneath or between your knees to keep your hips and spine aligned and make sure your head isn’t propped up too high with extra pillows. Try to remain loose and relaxed!
- CARRYING BAGS OR A PURSE.
Did you know that the average purse being toted around by women weighs about 6 pounds? And many carry tote bags that weigh double or triple that amount!
Over time, lugging around a heavy bag can affect your posture – especially if you usually carry it on one side.
THE FIX: Downsize your handbag and make it a point to switch sides when you carry it.
- STRESS.
When people get stressed, we tend to go into protective mode, which can mean hunching up our shoulders and folding them inward, leading to tightness and even MORE stress, because it’s harder to breathe.
We also can tighten through our hip area, contributing to back pain.
THE FIX: Do a quick stress-check a few times a day, and take 3-4 long, deep calming breaths to expand your chest and exhale away all the negativity!
So these are the 5 enemies of your posture. We hope you find these tips useful in your everyday activities. Feel free to comment if you would like to add to the list. Now it’s about putting the fixes into action.
