You’ve Been Standing Up Wrong All Along

Standing up is the most natural thing in the world. It’s one of the first skills you develop as a human being. Most babies start experimenting with holding their necks when they are only a few months old. Gradually, they’ll learn how to sit up, stand up and finally walk. So, standing up and holding yourself upright is something you’ve been doing for most of your life. Yet, that doesn’t mean you’ve been doing it right. 

Indeed, most of us spend a lot of time engaging in activities that disrupt our postures, affecting muscle flexibility and strength. This can impact your back health, digestive health, joints, and much more. But how can you improve your posture as an adult? 

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You need feedback

How do you know if you’ve got a bad posture if nobody lets you know about it? Most people develop bad posture habits in their day-to-day lifestyle. Desk jobs are one of the most common sources of posture problems. Your desk setting could contribute to neck pain as you try to keep your eyes level with your screen. Similarly, too much sitting also encourages back pain, which will affect the way you stand. Even if you don’t work at a desk, frequent smartphone usage can aggravate neck and back pain. Unfortunately, as the mind is engaged, you may not notice your posture. That’s where it can be helpful to gain some helpful feedback from a digital posture corrector that lets you know what is going on. If you work from home, it might be helpful to temporarily add a mirror to your home office, so you can check your posture and develop a feeling for what is right. 

Your abs do most of the work

Your core helps keep you upright. Unfortunately, how many of us dedicate time to core training? It’s likely that the pandemic has completely transformed our fitness routines. Therefore, many individuals could have developed muscle weaknesses during the pandemic. It can be helpful to keep a simple fitness routine at home that makes sure your muscles are engaged regularly, even if you are self-isolating. If you are unsure about which muscle groups to work with, your core muscles are the muscles on the front of your torso. A lot of people assume that the lower abs, below the waist, are the core muscles. But you should focus on the whole torso area to notice positive changes. 

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Tight hips mean back pain

Sitting down reduces muscle flexibility if you don’t do anything about it. Your hip flexors are the first group of muscles to lose flexibility and mobility when you don’t train them. Tight hips are going to make standing and sitting up straight difficult because they pull the pelvis out of alignment. As a result, your hips tilt forward, taking your spine with them. Therefore, the rest of the bones follows and becomes misaligned, which leads to soreness. Therefore, it’s essential to stretch your hip flexors regularly, using simple exercises that activate your legs and hips. 

Maintaining your back health is a priority in life. Back pain can become a chronic and debilitating condition when it is left unattended. More often than not, understanding how to realign and strengthen your posture could do wonders. You may also want to invest in ergonomic desk settings to prevent further issues. However, without actively helping your body to realign bones and strengthen muscles, you are unlikely to benefit from an ergonomic chair.