Whether at a desk in college or in front of a blinding computer screen at work, most of us spend our days sitting for long periods of time; more often than not, with terrible posture. Now you may not feel the effects of your bad posture immediately, but in the long run (maybe even months from now), your body will slowly start developing aches and pains and even internal problems you’ll be surprised by. We know it’s hard to keep track of how you’re sitting or standing throughout the day, but with these few simple tricks, your posture will improve before you know it.
The most important thing you can do is keep a conscious check on how you’re sitting or standing through the day
Whether you set a reminder on your phone every hour or ask your friend or colleague to help you keep a check, make sure you monitor and correct your posture every couple of hours during the day. Once you get into the habit of doing this, you will automatically end up sitting or standing straight.
Take regular breaks away from your desk if your day involves long periods of sitting
A quick coffee run or even a trip to the bathroom every hour or so allows your body a little bit of a stretch, which is great for your body to open up a little.
Do some back-strengthening exercises
One super simple exercise that you can do just about anywhere is standing up straight against a wall for an extended period of time. The wall helps keep your body upright, so if you keep doing this regularly, your body will get accustomed to keeping your back straighter. Another exercise you can do is shoulder shrugs, which is as simple as it sounds, standing straight and shrugging your shoulders up and down. This will help loosen your body up.
Equip your chair and desk to help improve your posture
A few things you can do to help your posture get better while you’re sitting, is making sure your computer monitor is at eye level and you are not looking downwards while typing. Another thing you can do is get yourself a lumbar support pillow that attaches to your chair, or if you’re really committed, an ergonomic chair that is especially designed to better your posture.
This one might be the most problematic for all of us – don’t hold your phone in such a way that you have to bend your neck to look at it
Hold your phone out in front of you at eye level, as opposed to how we always hold it comfortably inches below our heads so that our spine and neck is perpetually curved at an angle.
