Familiarize Yourself Practicing Good Posture
Practicing good posture is an easy thing to do, but many are underestimated. In fact, getting used to good posture can help maintain the health of your back. So, what about good posture?
Benefits of getting used to good posture for bone health
Posture is the position you do, whether standing or sitting or lying down. In fact, to get used to being in a good position, you have to train your body to stand, walk, sit, and lie down in the right way.
According to an article published in the Cleveland Clinic, good posture can increase the body’s ability to maintain healthy bones and joints. Specifically, good posture has the following positive effects.
- Prevents back pain and muscles
- Avoiding feeling tired as muscles are used more efficiently.
- Prevents the spine from being in an abnormal position.
- Reduces tension on ligaments in the spine.
- Helps prevent joint damage that can lead to arthritis
Getting used to practicing good posture can start with simple things. For example, when you do your daily activities, try to keep your eyes on the sitting and standing positions.
Then, stay active. You are also advised to do some sports to improve your ability to do good posture. These sports include yoga, tai chi, or other sports that focus on shaping the body.
Maintaining body weight to stay at a normal size is also important, because excess weight can weaken the muscles in the abdominal area and cause problems with the pelvis and spine. If you do this, you will have a hard time practicing good posture.
So, how about practicing good standing and sitting postures?
Here’s how to practice good posture
To get used to it, you need to know in advance what good posture looks like. You can practice standing and sitting to start.
Good posture when standing
To get good posture while standing, you can do the following things.
- Stand up straight and straight.
- Make sure your shoulders are not too forward. At least, its position is parallel to or almost behind the neck.
- Hold your stomach in.
- Focus on your legs.
- Hold your head up.
- Let your arms hang naturally on either side of your body.
- Let your legs spread out in line with your shoulders.
Maybe at first, practicing all of the above is not an easy thing. However, by getting used to standing with good posture, over time things will feel easier.
Good posture when lying down
When you lie down, you still need to practice good posture, as follows.
- Make sure that the pillow is under your head, not under your shoulders, and you should pay attention to the thickness of the pillow to keep your head in a normal position.
- Try to sleep in a position that keeps your back in shape. For example, sleeping on your back with your knees supported by a pillow. You can also sleep on your side with your knees slightly bent. Avoid sleeping with your knees against your stomach because it can make your back hurt.
- If you can choose your own mattress, choose one that is firm and doesn’t make it easy for you to change positions while sleeping. A firmer and harder mattress will be better for your back health than one that is too soft.
- When you wake up from sleep, tilt your body first, then lift your knees. Only then can you lower your legs from one side of the mattress.
- Do sit-ups by pulling your hands together to help your body wake up, and don’t rely on the muscles in the waist area if you want to get up.
Good posture when sitting at the computer
Meanwhile, there are a number of things you can do to maintain good posture while sitting. Given that today’s students and workers spend most of their time in front of computers, the following tips may be suitable for people who spend most of their time in front of screens.
- Position the monitor screen parallel to your arm and a distance of no more than 2 inches between the screen and your eyes.
- Add some features to your work desk, such as adding a place for your feet to rest, providing armrests and bringing a back pillow.
- If you feel you have been sitting too long, use a table without chairs or standing desk which you can use while standing.
- Please choose keyboard and mouse which makes you comfortable when using it while sitting.
- Don’t forget to position keyboard and mouse close together so you don’t have to bother reaching it.
- Go to the bathroom, take a drink on pantry or take a short walk if you’ve been standing too long. This must be done if the bones and muscles already ache.
Good posture when driving a car
Even if you are driving a car in a sitting position, there are a number of things you should pay attention to in order to drive safely while practicing good posture.
- Use pillows to support your back.
- Keep your knees parallel to or higher than your waist.
- Get closer to the steering wheel of the car by adjusting the distance. That way, you won’t sit in a curved position.
- Make sure that your seat is close enough so that you don’t have to struggle to reach the gas and brake pedals.
Good posture when lifting weights
Even if you rarely do it, you still have to know how to lift weights properly so you don’t get back injuries.
- If you have to lift a load that is heavy enough, don’t force yourself to lift weights that are heavier than 13 kilograms as this can be dangerous to your back.
- Before lifting this heavy weight, make sure your legs are in a stable position.
- To lift weights that are lower than your waist, make sure your back is straight and resting on your knees and hips. Don’t lean on your waist.
- Stand close to the object you are trying to lift. Keep your feet firmly on the ground. Strengthen your abdominal muscles and lift the object using your leg muscles. Don’t squeeze the object you are trying to lift into your body.
- When you are ready to lift it, lift it slowly.
- If you are lifting an object that is coming off the table, first slide it to the side of the table so it is close to your body.
- Avoid lifting objects that are higher than your waist.
- To place the object, position your leg again in the same way you wanted to lift it, tighten your abdominal muscles, and position your legs and knees to bend slightly.
If you are in the correct position, always check your position every 15 minutes. If you feel or see that your position has turned into a bad position, justify the wrong position and continue working. That way, you will get used to sitting with good posture.
People who are not used to sitting with a bad posture can improve it over time. What is needed is time, sincerity, and commitment to do it, because improving posture from bad to good is not something that can be done instantly.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
