Common posture mistakes you're probably making – and how to fix them
Monday is right around the corner, and for many of us that means being bound to a desk and chair again in an office or home working space.
While intentions might start off right, soon issues such as slouching begin to set in, and that poor posture can stay with us for the rest of the day – even once we’ve left the desk.
According to research, 51% of 16 to 24-year-olds have already been told that their posture is bad, highlighting this isn’t an issue that only develops with ageing.
Of those people, over a quarter have never taken action to try to improve their posture.
Changing posture overall relies on more than just sitting up straight, as Katharine Metters, lead consultant at Posturite, tells Metro.co.uk that tiredness, poor environmental ergonomics (including poor seating and seating positions), a sedentary lifestyle, and a lack of confidence all have an impact.
Around 26% of people in the UK are working at home at some point in the week, and Katharine believes many of them will not have suitable equipment leading to poor set-ups and them working in bad positions.
She shares how you can make small changes to fix bad posture.
Chair slouching
Katharine says: ‘Short periods of slouching aren’t bad for you and is unlikely to cause discomfort.
‘However, if people slouch for prolonged periods this lack of support in a poor position will put strain on the muscles, ligaments, discs or other structures leading to damage which will cause pain.’
How to fix it
‘Get into a habit of adjusting your workstation and chair so you are supported in a good posture,’ Katharine suggests.
‘By good posture, I mean have your feet supported either flat on the floor or on a foot rest – don’t cross your legs and definitely don’t sit on your legs on a seat.
‘Lean into the back rest in a relatively upright position but not bolt upright, as you need to feel support from the back of the chair and makes sure you head is upright rather than coming forwards and down.’
She warns this position may feel strange at first because your muscles haven’t been conditioned to support you in that way yet, and your joints may be in slightly different positions from your habitual posture.
‘Some exercises that can be done to help this can include bridges, back extensions and plank exercises,’ she adds.
It’s also important to take regular breaks no matter how good your position is, moving at least every hour.
Standing with a flat back
‘When you stand up, your shoulders should be under your ears and your chest open with a slight inward curve in your lower back,’ Katharine says.
‘A flat back means that your pelvis is rotated back and your lower back, which should be naturally curved, is actually flat.
‘Often this can be that your trunk muscles are out of balance and your abdominal muscles are stronger than your back muscles. Not standing correctly could put you at risk of discomfort and struggling to stand for a long periods of time.’
How to fix it
There are exercises that you can do to correct this standing-position.
‘Try to tip your pelvis forward to increase your curve,’ Katharine suggests.
It might also be worth seeing a professional to get tailored exercises to restore the muscle balance of your trunk.
Standing with an arched back
When you stand up, your shoulders should be under your ears and your chest open with a slight inward curve in your lower back.
Katharine says: ‘Standing with too much of a curve or arched lower back means that your pelvis is rotated too far forwards.
‘Often this can be that you trunk muscles are out of balance and your abdominal muscles are weak. Standing in this position could put you at risk of discomfort and struggling to stand for a long period of time.’
How to fix it
‘If you know you stand with a very curved back, try to tighten your tummy muscles and tip your pelvis back to reduce your back curve.
‘You need to restore the muscle balance of your trunk, usually through abdominal exercises,’ Katharine says.
Leaning on a single leg
‘When you’re standing upright, it’s not uncommon for people to balance all of their weight on one leg, rather than spread across both,’ notes Katharine.
‘Instead of using your core muscles for this, you instead use your back and hip, placing pressure on just one side.
‘This may lead to you developing muscle imbalances around the pelvis area, causing muscular strain in the lower back and bottom.’
How to fix this
‘When you stand, make a conscious effort to stand evenly on both of your feet, so that the weight is evenly distributed,’ she says.
‘Exercises to strengthen your buttocks and core muscles will also help over time.’
Texting neck
In a world of smartphones, this is a common problem.
‘Using a mobile phone can cause similar problems to when you hunch over a computer.
‘People also often hold the phone up causing arm fatigue and your head may lean forward which can lead to poor posture, putting strain on your neck,’ Katharine says.
How to fix it
‘Think about how to use your phone,’ Katharine recommends.
‘Using headphones can be helpful and consider calling people rather than texting.
‘Also think about increasing the text size so you do not lean forwards so much.’
Perhaps most importantly, put your phone down when not using it.
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