Even young adults and teenagers can start facing the gruesome pain of backaches — something that really shouldn’t bother them until their late adulthood. The fact that students typically sit in desks for at least six hours a day can contribute even more to the problem.
Improving posture can help lessen back problems, neck pain, and even headaches. Overall, improving your posture will help you maintain a healthy body. Here are some ways that you can improve your posture:
1. Start by identifying your correct posture. Stand sideways by a mirror and align your ears, shoulders, and hips so that they form a vertical line. It’s important to realize that this is your correct posture. Then pick an object or color that you see frequently during the day. Train yourself to identify this object or color with fixing your posture. Simple reminders like these could help you straighten up, since one of the leading reasons of back pain is unwarily slouching.
2. Exercise to train your muscles. Strengthening your upper back muscles and shoulders can perpetuate better posture. You don’t need to become buff or anything; you just need to have your muscles remember what the correct posture is. One such exercise is raising both arms to shoulder height right in front of you and then lowering them to the side. Continue this process until a slight fatigue occurs in the muscles.
3. Sit up straight. Nowadays, most people stay hunched over their computers for hours. Adjust your chair so that your elbows make right angles when placed on the table. Even lying on the floor with your back flat can help alleviate pain.
4. Eat healthy. It’s no secret that eating nutritious foods, such as vegetables and fruits, can help increase metabolism, but they also actually make you feel better. Your body needs the nutrients and vitamins to give you energy and support you. Vitamin D is essential for bone growth and maintaining muscles.
These techniques won’t immediately improve back posture. Rather, it will be a gradual change, especially if you have had poor back posture for a long time. If all else fails and you have a big interview, where it is essential to maintain posture, simply use the two inch rule: sit on the front two inches of the chair. You’ll be surprised at how it helps you look more presentable and how it improves your posture immediately; remember that it’s only a temporary fix, though.