Discussion
I have terrible posture, the way I sit in an office chair, I walk and sit in an arm chair.
It’s really bad and something I’ve only just noticed.
What can I do to change this, apart from siting it a chair correctly and trying to walk straighter. Can it be reverse?
I’ve no idea how this has happened and didn’t notice any changes until now.
You could join the army for some beasting if you are caught not standing to attention with good form 
but an easier route would be improving your core strength through pilates or yoga or any exercise really.
You might find your muscles pull you out of shape if you do a lot of sitting and do not stretch or get them massaged to release tension (no, not that) so that can also be beneficial IME.
but an easier route would be improving your core strength through pilates or yoga or any exercise really.You might find your muscles pull you out of shape if you do a lot of sitting and do not stretch or get them massaged to release tension (no, not that) so that can also be beneficial IME.
It'll very much be stretching in the opposite direction to how you sit, and a good dose of remembering to sit / stand better.
Try holding a tennis ball under your chin whilst you sit at the computer, you'll be forced to lift your chest up in order to see the screen, and if you crane your neck forward you'll drop the tennis ball, which serves as a very obvious reminder to correct your posture
Try holding a tennis ball under your chin whilst you sit at the computer, you'll be forced to lift your chest up in order to see the screen, and if you crane your neck forward you'll drop the tennis ball, which serves as a very obvious reminder to correct your posture
I have one of these.
https://www.uprightpose.com/
Not perfect but very helpful when working at my desk, driving, etc. I use it with the neck strap, not sticky pads.
https://www.uprightpose.com/
Not perfect but very helpful when working at my desk, driving, etc. I use it with the neck strap, not sticky pads.
Bad posture is influenced by habit and a weakening of the back muscles as we age. One begets the other.
OP... If you stand up now, lift your head so you are looking directly forward and then pull your shoulders back a little, I guarantee that you posture is improved. The trick is maintaining that. To achieve that you need to strengthen your back muscles and to a lesser extent, neck and core. You will find that in time (and lot as long as you think), you will naturally adopt a good posture when sitting and standing because your muscles have the strength to hold you correctly.
By all means give the other suggestions made here a go but strengthening the back muscles is likely the only long-term solution.
OP... If you stand up now, lift your head so you are looking directly forward and then pull your shoulders back a little, I guarantee that you posture is improved. The trick is maintaining that. To achieve that you need to strengthen your back muscles and to a lesser extent, neck and core. You will find that in time (and lot as long as you think), you will naturally adopt a good posture when sitting and standing because your muscles have the strength to hold you correctly.
By all means give the other suggestions made here a go but strengthening the back muscles is likely the only long-term solution.
StevieBee said:
Bad posture is influenced by habit and a weakening of the back muscles as we age. One begets the other.
OP... If you stand up now, lift your head so you are looking directly forward and then pull your shoulders back a little, I guarantee that you posture is improved. The trick is maintaining that. To achieve that you need to strengthen your back muscles and to a lesser extent, neck and core. You will find that in time (and lot as long as you think), you will naturally adopt a good posture when sitting and standing because your muscles have the strength to hold you correctly.
By all means give the other suggestions made here a go but strengthening the back muscles is likely the only long-term solution.
And imagine a little pocket on your back into which you put your shoulder blades.OP... If you stand up now, lift your head so you are looking directly forward and then pull your shoulders back a little, I guarantee that you posture is improved. The trick is maintaining that. To achieve that you need to strengthen your back muscles and to a lesser extent, neck and core. You will find that in time (and lot as long as you think), you will naturally adopt a good posture when sitting and standing because your muscles have the strength to hold you correctly.
By all means give the other suggestions made here a go but strengthening the back muscles is likely the only long-term solution.
I find I struggle with this most when working from home as I don't have the interactions in the office that tend to make you sit up, so I end up slouching at my desk. I've downloaded a little extension on Chrome called Posture Minder, which pops up sarcastic little messages every 15 minutes to remind me to sit up! Works quite well.
MrBen.911 said:
I find I struggle with this most when working from home as I don't have the interactions in the office that tend to make you sit up, so I end up slouching at my desk. I've downloaded a little extension on Chrome called Posture Minder, which pops up sarcastic little messages every 15 minutes to remind me to sit up! Works quite well.
The Upright device I mentioned earlier is sort of similar in so far as it gives you regular reminders https://www.uprightpose.com/You wear it around your neck like a necklace/medal the 'wrong way around' (i.e. the medal part goes down your back, rather than being on your front) and it gently buzzes if you start to slouch, reminding you to sit up straight. You can set it to have in some lag time - say 15 seconds - so that if you lean forward to pick up a pen from your desk, say, it doesn't instantly start buzzing. There's an app which tracks your progress.
Works very well when seated (inc. driving) but isn't so good when moving around (bending down to get files from cabinets, load dishwashers, etc. means it's always buzzing).
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff