Keep your back: 8 tips to stop slouching during the day

We are greeted by our clothes – and by our posture too. Squared shoulders add grace and self-confidence, but it turns out that a straight back is the result not only of habit, but also of a person’s emotional state at a certain moment. Let’s find out how posture is formed and what you can do to stop slouching.

Control of emotions

Osteopath Vladimir Zhivotov in a blog for Marie Claire magazine talked about the reasons for the formation of posture, as well as gait and posture. Emotions are reflected not only on the face, but also on the human body. In case of stress or other unpleasant situation a person, without noticing it, clamps – shoulders lower or on the contrary, unnaturally raised, back hunched, head tilted forward. And vice versa, the sight of a person filled with joy screams of his happiness: he straightens up, his head stretches upward. Therefore, one of the main rules in the fight for a beautiful posture – to try to look for positive moments in any situation.

Comfort vs. appearance

If we do not take into account the emotions that can turn you into Quasimodo in an instant, the curvature of posture comes from the fact that this position becomes the most comfortable and natural for the body.

“If we see, for example, a man sitting in transport, who in some bizarre way intertwines his arms or legs or takes a somewhat unnatural to our eyes pose, we must understand: for him this position is the most comfortable, so his muscles are best unloaded. Therefore, I would not say that posture is entirely under the arbitrary control of our consciousness,” writes Zhivotov.

Slouching is not a judgment

Nevertheless, there are ways to force yourself to keep your back straighter. Of course, you can banal “train”, but it is best to create the right conditions in addition to this. The following simple tips will help you regain a beautiful posture.

Exercise and stretch

Pay attention to physical activity, because flabby, not worked muscles are hard to keep your back straight. Special attention should be paid to the straight and oblique muscles of the abdomen, buttocks, the broadest muscles of the back, lower back and hips. You should also train stretching – flexibility exercises will help relieve tension in the back and neck.

Create a comfortable sleeping environment

Another important advice from Zhivotov concerns the sleeping environment. “Perfectly matched pillows and mattress will help your muscles recover better during the night and, thanks to your good condition, it will be much easier for your body to stay upright,” says the osteopath.

Organize your workspace

A well-organized workplace is one of the success factors in the fight against slouching. Are you comfortable sitting at your computer? To be comfortable, you need to follow a few rules.

• Adjust the height of your chair so that the height of your desk is as comfortable as possible. It is ideal if your knees are at or slightly above your hips when sitting. Otherwise, they will pull the whole body and the back will quickly become tired. The back of the chair should be tilted slightly forward.

• Put the monitor at arm’s length so that the top of the screen is at eye level. This will save you from having to lean forward to the monitor and will not put unnecessary strain on your back.

Take breaks

Get in the habit of taking short breaks every 45-60 minutes, otherwise your body will get overworked, tired by the end of the day and start slouching involuntarily.

Look in the mirror

Don’t walk past mirrors – just the sight of your slouching back will make you straighten your shoulders. Pull your head back, keep your back straight, pull your stomach in, and keep your shoulders back and down. This position may seem unfamiliar, but it looks much better than a hump.

Put your head in place

Beautiful posture largely depends on the position of the head. Only you lower your head, as it is followed by the shoulders and back. To understand the correct position, it is enough to stand close to the wall, touching the surface with the back of your head, shoulder blades, buttocks and calves. Stand like this for a while and memorize your posture. Move away from the wall and walk without changing your body position. Got it memorized? Now remind yourself more often how to hold your head and back correctly – your muscles will remember your experiment and take the right position.
There are other ways – imagine that you are holding a weighty volume of “War and Peace” on your head, for example. Or that your shoulder blades are glued together with duct tape.

Go for tricks

Television news anchors do a simple trick to avoid slouching on camera – they sit on the edge of a chair. In this way, the body is forced to constantly balance, which means keeping the back straight.
Another option is similar to the drawings on which first graders are taught to sit correctly at the desk. One leg – under the chair, the other is stretched forward. This position will help you keep your balance and not slouch.

Copy cats

Cat and dog owners know how sweetly their pets stretch after a nap. Our little brothers do it for a reason – their muscles get tired of being in one position for a long time. And it’s good for us humans to stretch not only in the morning, but also every time we get up from the chair.