Posted on August 12, 2016 by Kate Halsall
Our posture series draws to a close. But you need to keep in mind that we have only focused on the common postural “problems” that we come across on a day to day basis – these are not the only poor postural habits people have! So as part of our Posture Advice Finale, here are our top posture tips of what you SHOULD be doing on a day to day basis.
- Get up and move! The figures for how long the average person sits per day are astounding: 8-10 hours! Just imagine what this is doing to your core muscles, your neck, your back, your hips…..it’s scary. You need to take regular breaks: stand up, walk around, stretch – anything to get you away from that chair!
- Set it up right. If your job does mean that you are seated for the majority of the day (except when you’re taking breaks of course), make sure that your desk is set up right. http://www.posturite.co.uk/posture-learning-resources/ergonomic-workstation-setup
- Take a picture. If you’re not sure how your posture is – ask someone to take a picture so that you can look at it. This should give you a great visual representation and reminder of how you look. Not sure what you’re looking for? Then you haven’t been following our previous blogs!! See below for links.
- Spread the weight. Don’t take it personally – we all have weight to carry! We’re talking either body weight or additional bag weight. If you are stood up for sections of the day, don’t hold all that weight on one leg at a time. Your body weight should be evenly distributed through both feet – and that’s the whole foot, not just the balls of your feet (which is why ladies heels are not good for you!!). If you carry bags, having them on one shoulder is not good for your posture. A backpack/rucksack with straps that can go on both shoulders and therefore evenly share the weight is recommended.
- Do your exercises. At minimum we should all be doing exaggerated shoulder rolls and chin tucks. But hopefully as you’ve seen, there’s so much more we should be doing. More importantly, if a professional gives you some exercises – you need to do them!!
The key is this – it’s never too late. If your poor posture has been brought about through bad habits, it IS correctable – but you have to act now and stop putting it off. Why not come and see us for a Postural Assessment if you need further advice.
Previous Postural Blogs:
http://www.m8north.co.uk/blog/posture-advice-part-1-forward-head/
http://www.m8north.co.uk/blog/posture-advice-part-2-forward-shoulder-posture/
http://www.m8north.co.uk/blog/posture-advice-part-3-lordosis/
http://www.m8north.co.uk/blog/posture-advice-part-4-watch-your-legs/