7 Simple Tips for Improving Bad Posture

Updated on April 14, 2020

Posture is probably the least of our concerns in the day to day, but a better posture can only lead to good things that we can feel everyday: looking taller, having a more normal walk, becoming more confident, and a pain-free back. These simple tips for improving bad posture can be the key to those convenient perks you didn’t know you wanted.

1. Wear a Posture Bra or Brace

When your bad posture seems out of hand, posture bras or braces can be your go-to for correcting it. Posture bras help support your back, breasts, and shoulders. They’re designed with the latest technology that focus on relieving back tension and the pressure placed on your shoulders. Braces can also help if you need even more support than what a posture bra can provide.

2. Stretch Daily

The benefits of stretching exceeds mere flexibility. One of the other perks of stretching is reinforcing the right form of your back and spine, ultimately resulting in better posture. When you stretch, don’t forget to breathe deeply into your back muscles to extend it even more. This does the opposite of contracting, which you usually do when you don’t assume the right posture.

3. Move More Throughout the Day

Even if you vow to sit straight all day, it’s not advisable to stay in one position for long periods of time. Constantly taking movement breaks throughout your day will refresh your body and mind. It’ll be easier to maintain the right posture if you make it a point to move your body around.

4. Strengthen Your Core

Having good posture takes work not only from your upper body. Much of its weight fall on your core, so having a strong one will aid your upper back in keeping a straight form. Strengthening your core doesn’t mean having abs, but instead having a strengthened abdomen and pelvic muscles, which you can achieve with certain exercises.

5. Avoid “Text Neck”

“Text neck” is a fairly new term that was created because of our habit to stare at our phones for a long time texting or scrolling through social media. As you probably spend hours on your phone, be conscious of how you position your body while using it. Though text neck affects mostly your nape, it’s connected to the spine and when it’s constantly bent, it will affect your back’s position as well.

6. Change Your Slouching Habit

Similarly with the text neck, slouching has been a problem since years and years ago, especially when we became addicted to hunching in front of our computers. However, this happens almost every time while eating, watching television (whether you’re streaming or watching a TV with an antenna), and other mundane activities. Changing this habit will train your body not to curve your spine in an unnatural form.

Sometimes, it can be hard to notice yourself slouching. To help with this, tell your friend, coworker, or significant other to call you out if they notice you hunching your shoulders. Do the same for them so you can both improve your posture!

7. Sleep in the Right Position

Here’s a myth: we can’t correct our posture when we’re unconscious. Just assuming the right position before knocking out does the same thing. If you sleep on your side, you should bend your knees without hugging them and align your head with the spine by sleeping on a pillow.

If you sleep straight, you should skip those fluffy pillows and trade them for a thin one underneath your neck. Put a similar pillow underneath your knees to allow your spine to rest in its natural curvature.

Conclusion

Posture plays a huge part in how you present yourself and how other people see you. If you work to make it better, you’ll feel the positive effects of having a good posture. At first, you might have to make conscious effort of doing these tips but the more you focus on these various ideas, the easier they will become!

The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.