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Most of us are guilty of slouching. Lately you might be doing it more often and wonder how to improve your posture. Now that many of us are spending more time at home, good posture is particularly important. You’re probably not thinking about whether you are sitting upright every second of the day. And it’s just so easy to slump over your computer while working or watching videos.
While posture definitely includes how you sit and stand, it also involves the way you move and hold your body during every single activity—including sleep, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In the long run, we can reduce our risk of developing various aches and pains, balance issues, and even breathing problems by paying more attention to our posture, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
But hearing that you should improve your posture and knowing how to do it are two completely different things. So we talked to experts about how to improve your posture.
What is posture, anyway?
As we previously mentioned, it’s simply your body’s alignment at any given moment. There are actually two types of posture, according to the NIH. Static posture (the one you generally might think of) refers to how your body is positioned while sitting, standing, or sleeping. On the flip side, dynamic posture describes your body’s position in motion, for example, during a jog.
Good posture supports your joints, muscles, spine, tendons, and ligaments, Tyler R. Koski, M.D., codirector of the Northwestern Medicine Spine Center, tells SELF. So when you regularly slump over your computer—or engage in other forms of bad posture that we’ll discuss—you’re putting extra stress on some pretty important body parts. Over time this can lead to widespread body pain, particularly in your neck, shoulders, back, knees, and hips. Bad posture also can throw off your balance, so you may eventually fall or stumble more often. In some cases poor body alignment can even compress your diaphragm and cause breathing problems, according to the NIH.
What causes bad posture?
A lot of people just started slouching ages ago and never corrected it. “Poor posture is often a bad habit that someone gets into,” Mike Murray, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon in Pennsylvania, tells SELF.
Then we continue to carry out these habits in many of our daily activities, Dr. Murray says. Texting while sitting hunched over your phone is one common issue, he explains. Working at a desk that isn’t set up to support good posture is another big one. (Don’t worry, we’ll go over some basic ergonomics tips in a bit.)
In certain cases, people have health conditions that contribute to bad posture. For example, people with scoliosis have curved spines that can make their shoulders, waist, and hips uneven, which makes it harder to maintain proper posture, according to the Mayo Clinic. Ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory disease that can prompt some of the interlocking bones in the spine to fuse, can make people hunch over, the Mayo Clinic says.
How can you maintain good standing posture?
In general, you want to stand in a way that supports the curves of your spine. It may be helpful to understand that your spine has three natural curves: one at your neck, another in your mid back, and another in your lower back, according to the NIH. Good posture maintains each of these curves. When you’re standing, your head should be positioned above your shoulders, and the top of your shoulders should be above your hips, the NIH recommends. “In general, if your head is up, your shoulders are going to go back, and you’re going to maintain the most normal neck and [back] alignment for you,” Christopher Wolf, M.D., orthopedic spine surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, tells SELF. Remembering to keep your earlobes in line with your shoulders may help with this.
Proper alignment also involves standing with most of your weight on the balls of your feet and letting your arms lie naturally at your sides. Beyond that, tuck in your stomach to avoid arching your back and keep your feet about shoulder-width apart to make sure your weight is evenly distributed.
How can you maintain good sitting posture?
When you’re sitting, your back should be straight, your shoulders should be back, and your butt should touch the back of your chair, the Cleveland Clinic says. A lot of people tend to slouch when they sit, and touching your butt to the back of the chair helps prevent this and give your back some support, Dr. Wolf explains.
You might naturally cross your legs, but the Cleveland Clinic recommends keeping both feet flat on the floor, with your knees bent at right angles and about even height to your hips. Crossing your legs shifts your pelvic alignment, which can also affect the alignment in your lower back, Dr. Wolf says.
Beyond that, you want to avoid sitting for too long, so go for a quick walk every 30 minutes or so if you can, or even just get up and move around a bit. “Sitting in one position puts stress and strain in one area,” Dr. Koski says.
An ergonomic workspace can help support good posture, but not everyone has access to a traditional desk and adjustable-height chair. If you can, adjust your chair’s height so you sit with your knees about level to your hips, advises the Mayo Clinic. They also recommend keeping your shoulders relaxed and resting your elbows and arms on your chair or desk if possible. If nothing else, you can avoid leaning forward by pulling your chair close enough to your desk or table. (If you’re interested in creating a more comfortable home office, you can read about our top picks for ergonomic chairs. There are options to fit many different budgets, including this Best Office Store mesh chair that’s $60 on Amazon.)
You can have good posture while sleeping too.
You probably conk out in whatever pose feels comfortable at the time, but your sleep position technically counts as a type of posture. If your spine is sore at any point when you wake up—from your neck to your lower back—it may be time to experiment with different sleeping positions. For example, some people with lower back pain find that sleeping on their backs is more comfortable, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Keep in mind that this may differ if you have any sleep-related conditions. For instance, side and stomach sleeping are recommended for people who have sleep apnea, Johns Hopkins Medicine says, but preferences vary by person. If you don’t have any of health concerns to influence your sleeping position, or you don’t experience body aches, then you may not need to change your sleep position, John Hopkins Medicine advises.
Regardless of your preferred sleep position, Dr. Murray recommends supporting your back. “You want to have your hips level with your shoulders, and you also want your neck to be in a neutral position,” he says.
Here are a few other ways to improve your posture.
There are many good reasons for practicing yoga, and improving your posture is one of them, according to the NIH. To be clear, any type of exercise can help you be more mindful of your body position since they all require you to focus on form. But yoga is particularly helpful because of its emphasis on body awareness. Or, you can focus on core exercises that strengthen the muscles around your back, abdomen, and pelvis to better support your spine and improve posture.
Of course, you won’t know if your posture could use some work if you’re zoned out in front of the computer all day. That’s why Neel Anand, M.D., professor of orthopaedic surgery and director of spine trauma at Cedars-Sinai Spine Center in Los Angeles, recommends checking your posture regularly throughout the day. “Glance at yourself in the mirror when you have the chance to get a good visual of your stance, and adjust accordingly,” he tells SELF. You can also stop and do this whenever you pass by a mirror to assess your standing posture. Once you’re more familiar with how proper posture feels on your body, you can more easily spot-check yourself throughout the day and make corrections when you need them.
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