14 DAY TRIAL // A poor posture not only makes one looks bad, but, most importantly, it also leads to lots of pain, especially if it’s not corrected in time. However, the discomfort can be easily avoided by making sure we always sit up straight, Dr. Gerard Clum, president of Life Chiropractic College West and member of the board of directions of the World Federation of Chiropractic, tells Shape magazine, while also offering some tips on how to achieve perfect posture.
The first step towards making sure we’re always sitting up straight is to check our posture in the mirror. For instance, the expert says for the magazine, if we’re standing, we should be able to draw an imaginary straight line from the earlobe to the hip, the knee and the center of the ankle. If we can’t do that, it’s clear that something is not right in our posture and it needs correcting. However, we can tell this earlier than this checkup, by learning to read the symptoms, Dr. Clum explains.
“If you don’t work at proper posture, chances are, you’ll start to suffer from aches and stiffness that could have you dealing with chronic pain management down the road. For now, bad posture can leave you with headaches, fatigue (it takes way more energy to unnaturally support yourself) and tight back and neck muscles. Most people feel the symptoms of poor posture in the muscles around the base of the neck and near the shoulder blades. If you don’t learn how to improve posture, you could find yourself in trouble later in life,” the expert says.
“One of the best ways to attain proper posture is to avoid sitting or standing in one position for too long. If you work at a desk all day, get up and move around every half hour. Also, make sure your workstation is set up properly, with your computer screen at eye level (looking up an extra five inches all day, five days a week can become a big pain in the neck – pun intended). Position your keyboard so your shoulders aren’t cramped up. And don’t be afraid to ask for an ergonomic chair, mouse pad and keyboard. Another tip on how to improve posture: Work your core. Sure, crunches and cardio are great for your abs, but it’s also important to strengthen muscles in the back to achieve and/or maintain proper posture,” Dr. Clum further explains.
One final step to achieving perfect posture is when, after taking all these measures, we still suffer from back and neck pain, which means the problem might be bigger than we thought at first. This is the right moment to go see a specialist, who will recommend a proper course of action.