A majority of Americans have poor posture It’s especially prevalent among people who spend several hours a day sitting, which is increasingly common in the modern workplace.
Most people know that poor posture can cause or contribute to pain, and be a major contributor to chronic migraines. What is less commonly known, however, is the fact that it can also cause a whole host of other medical issues, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and depression.
There’s good news, though. Poor posture can be easily corrected, but the first step in doing so simple awareness. If you’re not mindful of how you’re sitting for hours at a stretch, you’re poorly positioned to do anything about it.
This is actually harder to do than it seems, because after all, you’ve spent a big chunk of your life sitting. Like tying your shoes, it’s one of those things you assume you’re already an expert at, and because of that, you don’t really think about it.
Start thinking about it. Pay attention to how you’re sitting, and make a conscious effort to set up straight, with your head level.
Another big contributing factor to poor posture, especially in the workplace, is the fact that your chair and the computer monitor you stare at may be too low or too high, which sees you sitting in a poor position as you work.
If your neck feels fatigued at the end of a workday, or you suffer from chronic headaches, both of these are signs that you need to make adjustments to the equipment you’re using. It’s amazing how effective those simple changes can be.
Finally, if you want to take it to the next level, consider doing some simple exercises. Positions that are especially good for improving posture are the “upward facing dog” yoga position and the standing forward bend. Both are easy to do from the comfort of home, and both can make a big difference if you commit to doing them every day for five minutes or so.