How to Stand with Good Posture

• Hold your head up straight with your chin in. • Ensure that your earlobes are in line with the middle of your shoulders. • Keep your shoulders back. • Push your chest out, slightly. • Keep your knees straight, but not locked. • Stretch the top of your head toward the ceiling. • Engage your abdominals, but don’t suck in or tilt your pelvis. • Carry your weight equally between the balls and heels of your feet. • Breathe naturally. Ways to Improve Posture 1. Exercise Focus on stretching tightened muscles in the chest, front of the shoulders, and hip flexors (front of the hips) as well as strengthening back, abdominal, and glute muscles. 2. Foam Roll Foam rolling, or myofascial release, is becoming much more popular, and for good reason. It is essentially like a deep tissue massage for your muscles. This is important because it allows tight muscles and fascia to loosen up so that stretching those muscles becomes easier. If you have formed bad posture of years and years of bad habit, it may be very challenging to correct it without release those over worked and tight muscles. 3. Ergonomics Ergonomics involves changing your environment to support and encourage good posture. Adding lumbar support to your chair is a good example, or even invest in a standing desk. You could also modify a tool, work station, counter height, or task to improve its ergonomics. 4. Eliminate Bad Habits You must first be conscious of these bad habits, but things such as slouching in a chair or reading while lying down are some places to start. Working under dim light is also one, it results is craning your head forward to see your work better as well as slouching. Even driving your car in a bad position can help contribute to poor posture. Did you know posture affects many areas of your life: Mood Memory Confidence Digestion Bones & Muscles Content adapted from http://blog.paleohacks.com/how-to-improve-your-posture/#