10 Easy Tips to Perfect Posture and Pain-Free Back

Have your parents ever told you to stand up straight? Maybe they have even poked your back when you were least expecting it to remind you not to slouch?

My parents did it all the time. Especially my mom.

It used to annoy me tremendously, to the point where when I caught myself slouching I did nothing to correct my posture.

Today no one tells me to keep my back straight. Instead the occasional neck and shoulder pain reminds me about it.

In reality, the benefits of having perfect posture go far beyond simple back pain prevention. In many cases proper posture reduces tension headaches, fatigue and eye strain, improves blood circulation and digestion, enhances sleep and makes us appear younger and more confident.

Unfortunately, overcoming bad posture habits is not that easy, especially for those of us who work in front of a computer all day.

I do not know about you, but I do a lot of sitting these days. I sit at my desk for 6-7 hours. I sit as I drive home. I sit at the dinner table with my family. I sit during the long intercontinental flights between the US and Italy. I sit while I wait for my appointments.

All this sitting puts a lot of strain on my back.

I have to go to great lengths to correct my posture and stop myself from slumping and tensing my shoulders.

Here is a complete list of 10 Easy Tips  for Perfect Posture that I find very helpful:

1. Learn what perfect posture feels like

For those of us, who have been slouching for years, sitting or standing with a straight back may feel weird and even uncomfortable. This is the power of habit. If you want to break it, you need to know what proper posture feels like.

Try this: raise your head, free up your diaphragm by straightening your back area, and roll your shoulders back, sort of relaxing them into the correct position. You can double check yourself by making sure that your ears, shoulders and hips make one straight line. As you straighten your spine, you will notice that it becomes much easier to breathe.

2. Try the Balloon Method

What I call “The Balloon Method” is a little visualization exercise that I learned years ago when I was doing artistic gymnastics. This visualization alone has done miracles to improve my posture.

This is how to do it: Next time you are walking, imagine that there is a balloon on a string extending from the crown of your head. The balloon is pulling your head towards the sky, elongating your spine and making your steps light and fluent. If you keep doing this visualization technique for a few weeks, you will notice that your posture and your physical appeal improve greatly.

3. Do not lean with your head forward

Go ahead and look at your side reflection right now. Is your head tilted forward? If it is you should really start working on improving your posture.

Chiropractors believe that this unnatural head position causes a lot of extra strain on your neck and upper back and contributes to tension headaches that many of us feel after a long day at work.

The reason behind a Forward Head Position is often quite simple and easily resolvable – an incorrectly positioned computer screen.

Double-check your work station and see if you can make any improvements that will help you to boost your energy level and productivity.

• Do you sit at a comfortable distance from the monitor (between 20 and 40 inches)?
• Is the monitor positioned directly in front of you?
• Are you able to read all the text without having to lean forward?

If not, you probably need to make a few changes (i.e. reposition your monitor, increasing the text size, regulate the height of your office chair, etc…).

4. Use reminders

When I first tried to improve my bad posture habits, I could go for hours with my shoulders slumped before remembering to correct it. Finally, I took a post it note, drew a stick figure girl on it and attached it to my agenda. Every time I glanced at it, I would remind myself to straighten my back.

You can have similar reminders in places where you spend a great deal of your time. They do not have to be fancy; they just have to bring your attention back to your posture.

5. Experiment to find what works for you

Orthopedists suggest keeping the spine from tailbone right up to the upper back in contact with the backrest of a chair when sitting. I have noticed that it is easy for me to sit like this during long flights or when driving, but when I work I prefer to sit on the edge of the chair as in this way I am less likely to lean against the back support and slouch.

You, too, may want to experiment with different sitting positions and ergonomic cotton pads to find the optimal sitting position that allows you to keep your back straight, without putting a strain on spine, neck and shoulders.

6. Improve your posture with yoga

Practicing yoga is an incredible, inexpensive and very effective way to prevent and relieve stiffness and back pain. There are numerous postures and asanas that combine flexibility and muscle strength – the secret weapon against back problems, and tension headaches caused by work stress. If you have severe back problems it is a good idea to consult your doctor first to get their advice on safety modifications and any movements that should be avoided.

7. Invest in an ergonomic office chair

I know a lot of people who spend hours and even days looking for the right sofa for their living room, so that at the end of the day they can come home, sink into it, stretch out their legs and relax. However, when it comes to choosing an office chair, many of us are less picky in our choices.

I learned the hard way that one of the biggest investments I can make for my well-being and productivity is a well designed and carefully constructed ergonomic office chair that helps me to alleviate any spine discomfort and supports good posture.

What features to look for when choosing your ergonomic office chair?

• Lumbar support. Your chair’s backrest should have a natural curve that fits into the hollow of your lower back. Sitting for long periods without having support for the lower spine leads to slouching and flattens the natural spine curve and leads to misalignment of spinal disks, which inevitably causes back pain. If you do not want to invest in a new office chair, consider adding a lumbar support pad that will allow you to sit straight without overly straining your back muscles.

• Seat height. Office chair seat height should be easily adjustable to allow the user to have their feet flat on the floor, with their thighs horizontal and their arms on level with the height of the desk.

8. Take frequent breaks

If by the end of the day you feel that you can no longer sit or stand without the constant feeling that you need to stretch your back then you are not giving your body enough time to rest and move around. It has been very challenging for me to introduce frequent 10-15 minute breaks into my work routine.

Even nowadays I have to make a conscious effort to stop working every 40-45 minutes and drag myself away from the computer. When I have a lot I need to get done, I may feel tempted to skip my 10 minutes of rest and keep going. However, I know that if I stay ‘glued’ to the monitor for 3-4 hours straight, by the end of the day my back feels as if I have been loading and unloading trucks, not sitting at my desk typing.

9. Get the most out of pillows when sleeping

Sleep is another activity that takes up about one third of our day. No wonder, the sleep position that we choose largely affects how rested and energetic we feel in the morning. If you wake up in the morning feeling stiffness in your neck and shoulders or discomfort in your lower back, try a few quick pillow reorganizations that may noticeably improve your posture and your quality of sleep.

Many people do not know this, but sleeping on your back puts about 55 pounds of pressure on the spine. Placing a couple of pillows under the knees reduces the pressure by half. Similar, placing a pillow between the knees when lying on your side (the way I do) helps to take a lot of pressure off your lower back.

10. Create your 10 minute exercise routine

Often all our back needs is a little regular exercise. Even just 10 minutes a day. With a little effort and some experimentation you will easily find an exercise routine that suits you well.

Here is a great pdf report of simple exercises prepared by Orthopedic Specialists of North Carolina that help to alleviate back pain and avoid future back injuries.

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Tags: back pain relief, back pain solutions, good posture tips, health, perfect posture, posture tips