Slouching refers to sitting, standing or walking with an awkward drooping posture — your back slightly bent and neck hinged forward. Slouching in a chair and crouching over your desk at a sedentary job leaves you with rounded shoulders and tense muscles. Other than making you look unattractive, not to mention shorter than you are, slouching can cause pains in your back, neck and shoulders. Frequent headaches and tension in the upper body and back are sometimes traced to bad posture. Here's how to fix that stoop.
How do you look in the mirror?
Examine yourself in the mirror while standing as you normally would. If your palms face your thighs with the thumbs pointing ahead, it means you have a good posture. In case they face backwards, you could be slouching. To see what your posture is supposed to look like, pull your head back, shoulders down, arms by the sides and feet together.
Strengthen your core
The area from under your rib cage to mid-thigh refers to the 'core'. All the muscles that sit here work together to help you sit and stand tall. Yoga, say experts, is the best way to improve core strength because asanas involve controlled movements to hold positions. An easy way to strengthen your core is to lie on your back, lift your legs off the floor and bend your knees as if you were putting your feet flat on a wall. Tuck your abs in and extend one leg straight. Keep your back flat and the other knee bent. Bring one leg back, pause, and then extend the other leg; repeat.
Examine how to sleep
If you sleep on your side, use a pillow that keeps your spine well aligned by supporting your head. Your neck shouldn't rest at an awkward angle. When you lie on your side, your top knee tends to drop and pulls down your back. Place a pillow between your knees. Those who sleep on their backs can place a pillow under their knees to open up the joint spaces in the spine. Sleeping on your stomach can strain your neck.
Stretch yourself
The stiffness that you feel in your muscles when you are on a long flight or have been vegetating at your desk all day, is due to being in one position for an extended period of time. Simple stretching helps. While standing with feet slightly apart, place hands on the small of the back (fingers pointing downward). Lean back as far as you can. Hold it for a few seconds and repeat. If you are at home, lie on the floor face down, raise yourself up on your elbows and let the lower back drop towards the floor. Hold it again for a few seconds and repeat three times.
Maintain posture at work
When you sit at a computer, your natural reflex will be to lean forward, leaving a strain on your neck. The monitor should be about an arm's length away from you, with the top of the screen sitting at eye level. This will prevent you from looking up to see it. Trainers suggest when you sit in your chair, you use a lumbar pillow and raise your knees instead of slanting them downward.
Always sit right
You know you are sitting right if your back is erect, shoulders straight, and head slightly bent forward with chin up. Make sure you sit all the way back in your chair. Sitting forward places pressure on the pubic bone. Keep your feet flat, and centre your weight with your buttocks and pubic bone, creating a triangle. This position will align your body correctly.
Learn to be flexible
If you aren't flexible, it leads to muscle imbalance and bad body alignment. Make sure stretching exercises are included in your exercise regime. Try this stretch to relieve neck and shoulder stress: While standing or sitting, pull your head back, and align it with your spine. Pull your shoulders back and down, moving your arms as if you are trying to put your elbows in your back pocket. Push palms outward and hold for at least six seconds.
Keep bags light, heels short
When it comes to carrying backpacks or bags and purses, the trick is to keep them less loaded. Don't stuff them with unnecessary items and try choosing a cross-body bag to distribute weight more evenly. Limit use of high heels — they throw you forward and put a strain on the lower back. Wedges are your best bet if you must wear heels.
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