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Maybe 3 or more years ago I said to myself I need to correct my bad posture. It was a big desire. I walked straight and thought everybody look at me, as on the quite strange person. Of course it wasn’t so. My good posture (very good posure) was hard to support, and it was not very comfortable to have it.

After week or two both with bad and good posture I felt badly. And I stopped keeping good posture.

Why bad posture is really bad?

When the body shifts and poor posture sets in, the bones are improperly aligned and muscles, joints and ligaments take more stress and strain than intended. Poor posture may cause fatigue, muscular strain, compression of blood vessels and pain. In addition, faulty posture can affect the position and function of major organs.

Later I understood that without any exercises correcting posture won’t be effective and painless. Also computer use is the proactive cause of a big number of injuries related to posture and positioning.

First thing we need to do is to see your general practitioner to have bad posture formally checked. They may also recommend a referral to a back specialist like a chiropractor, osteopath or physiotherapist. They will need to check out how you sit, stand, lift and walk.

Becoming more active with walking or running will help improve our posture, but you may also need to add in strength and stretch work through activities like yoga or ways listed below to help improve your alignment.

1. Yoga to Correct Posture As many chiropractors and back specialists have discovered, yoga can help improve your posture, and even scoliosis. To correct bad posture with yoga, the first emphasis should be on poses that help to realign the spine and promote healthy postural habits.

Often with scoliosis you not only lose alignment of the spine from side to side, but also the head can sit forward, one shoulder can be higher, and a hip can be more forward and raised, emphasis should be on keeping the head aligned with the rest of the body. Follow with standing poses that also help you become more aware of postural alignment. YogaJournal.com

2. Bad Posture Exercises
There is a range of exercises available to help address bad posture problems. Key areas to improve include increasing flexibility and range of motion, and strengthening weak muscles. Do exercises that strengthen the muscles across your upper back and shoulders.

Align your ears over your shoulders. Raise both arms straight up, along side your ears. Remember to keep your ears aligned! Bend forearms toward shoulders to touch your shoulder blades. Do 10 repetitions with both arms, then alternate 10 reps for each arm singularly. Align ears with shoulders. Raise both arms out to sides at shoulder length. Hold for a slow count of ten. Slowly lower arms to sides, counting ten as you lower. Slowly raise arms back to shoulder height, counting to ten as you raise arms. Do ten reps, constantly checking your alignment! If ten reps are too many to start, do as many as you can. You should at least feel a slight fatigue in the shoulder muscles.

Download a free ebook with exercises to correct bad posture.

3. Ergonomic Posture Chairs
Back pain and bad posture are the most common work-related injuries and is often caused by ordinary work activities such as sitting in an office chair or heavy lifting.

In recent years, ergonomists have attempted to define postures which minimize unnecessary static work and reduce the forces acting on the body. All of us could significantly reduce our risk of injury if we could adhere to the following ergonomic principles:

• All work activities should permit the worker to adopt several different, but equally healthy and safe postures
• Where muscular force has to be exerted it should be done by the largest appropriate muscle groups available.
• Work activities should be performed with the joints at about mid-point of their range of movement. This applies particularly to the head, trunk, and upper limbs.

There are many types of ergonomic chairs available for use while working. No one type of ergonomic chair is necessarily the best, but there are some things that are very important to look for in a good ergonomic posture chair, like:

• Steel frame construction - for the longest lasting
• Easily adjustable height - allows the user to have his or her feet flat on the floor, with thighs horizontal and arms even with the height of the desk.
• Good backrest design - provides solid back support and right posture forming.
• Enough padding seat material - is comfortable to sit on for extended periods of time.
• Adjustable armrests - allow the user’s arms to rest comfortably and shoulders to be relaxed.
• Easily rotate swivel - allow user to reach different areas of desk without straining.

Also we can some days sitting on an exercise ball instead of desk chair while working.

4. Posture Braces
You can rectify the bad posture by using a support to control your posture. Posture braces act mostly as a firm “reminder” that you can straighten your spine and maintain a healthy sitting or standing position - and hopefully, eradicate those unnecessary pains from bad posture. Posture correctors help pull the shoulders back and reduce shoulder slump to bring the shoulders and trunk into proper postural alignment.

Individuals with osteoporosis and postural disturbances will find posture corrective braces very useful for helping you stand straight.Like Sweeta:

I need a posture correction as soon as possible to correct my posture especially that I’m working. This corrector will help me stand straight and support my back.

5. Comfortable Shoes and Clothing for Good Posture
High heeled shoes, boots, tight clothing and wide belts also shift our center of gravity and move us out of normal alignment. Wear comfortable, low-heeled and , shoes that offer good support, because high heels put pressure on the lower back.

It’s never too early or too late to start working on your back posture, and a little bit of attention and improvement could spare you a lifetime of painful back rumbles and bad posture. I’ll start keeping good posture with you, right from now.

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