My posture’s always been hopeless. I recall the effort it took to sit upright in the school classroom and now, as an adult, I still catch myself slouching, crossing my legs and hunching my shoulders when seated. Our posture is created by what we do during our days and, with many of us spending hours on end sitting in front of a computer, it’s becoming more important than ever to make the effort to improve our posture. Here’s five tips to bear in mind:
1. Visit a chiropractor
What: A chiropractor is a doctor who diagnoses and treats neuromuscular issues, with an emphasis on treatment through manual adjustment and manipulation of the spine.
Why: You may benefit from visiting a chiropractor to assess your posture and address any muscular pain in the neck, shoulders and back. I visited Dr Elsje Meyer in Cape Town, who assessed that I have tight hip flexor muscles, weak glutes and lower back. She explained to be that I have what is known as ‘sway back’ posture and that my quadratus lumborum muscles (lower back) have been extremely tender because they’re overactive and hypertonic (in mini-spasm).
Results: The electrotherapy Elsje does on my back – a gentle current pulses through the muscles to contract and relax them, increase blood flow, pump new oxygen in and remove accumulated lactic acid – relieved my lower back pain. She also stretches my muscles using a technique called proprioceptive neuro-facilitation (PNF) and adjusts specific joints using chiropractic spinal adjustments to correct my musculoskeletal alignment. This instantly releases stiffness, increases mobility in the neck and back and allows me to walk our her door with corrected alignment.
2. Strengthen your core with Pilates
What: Pilates is designed to promote stability, mobility, strength and flexibility in the entire body. The ‘core’ refers to more than just the superficial rectus abdominis (six-pack muscle), but rather the deep stabilising muscles that protect the spine; namely the transversus abdominis, internal and external obliques, erector spinae, pelvic floor muscles and the diaphragm.
Why: Having good posture isn’t as simple as standing up straight or trying not to slouch. It is important to put effort into strengthening your core and stabilising your spine in order to help you stand taller, prevent pain or injury and to sit up straighter.
Results: In my first session at Evolve Studio in Cape Town, Pilates instructor and biokineticist Marty Pretorius notes my ‘sway back’ posture and takes me through a series of leg, core and arm resistance exercises on a reformer machine to see how my muscle groups are working. Marty quickly identifies the weak points – glutes, inner thighs, abdominals and lower back – and points out how my neck muscles tense up from hunching at my desk and overcompensate for every exercise I do, as my core is weak from sitting for long periods of time at my computer. After a few weeks of Marty’s group classes, I notice how upright I’m sitting at my desk and how improved my posture is when I walk and run.
3. Sit correctly at your desk
What: If you work long hours at a computer, you need to invest in a decent chair. The dat-o chair from Dauphin (from R5 545) is the first in SA to be certified for its ergonomic design by the Ergonomics Society of South Africa, and offers maximum spinal support. It has a stylish design that allows you to choose the alignment that works best for you: height adjustable armrests that help take the strain off your neck, height adjustor for sitting comfortably with your knees forming an angle and feet resting flat on the floor and depth-adjustable lumbar support for lower back support.
Why: Experts estimate that we spend 80 000 hours of our lives seated – a position deemed the most unnatural. What’s groundbreaking is Dauphin’s Syncro-Activ-Balance mechanism, which allows for a negative seat tilt – a ergonomic advance in office seating that allows the position of the pelvis, when sitting, to be similar to its position when standing, minimising the strain on the spinal column, allowing oxygen to flow freely, thereby increasing energy.
Results: After just a few days sitting at my desk in the dat-o chair, I noticed how straight I’d been sitting thanks to the lumber support, positioned in exactly the correct position to support my weak lower back. The Dauphin rep adjusted my arm rests, which helps to keep my shoulders up, and the negative seat tilt ensures my feet are flat on the floor. At first I feel slightly robotic in my upright, symmetrical position but now I don’t know what I’d do without it. Looking for a temporary solution? Get yourself a lumbar support pillow to attach to your current chair.
4. Stand up every 60 minutes
What: For every 60 minutes you spend sitting down, get up and walk around to get your circulation flowing. Take a trip to the kettle to make a cup of tea, walk over to a colleague’s desk instead of emailing them or leave the office to get lunch.
Why: The simple act of getting up from your chair every 60 minutes can help prevent the negative effects that sitting can have on your body. Before you get to your desk, start your day by moving to stretch muscles, open up the hip flexors and get the blood pumping. This might be a 10-minute yoga sequence upon rising, walking to work or taking the stairs to your office floor.
Results: As someone who is practically glued to my desk editing (and a culprit of leg crossing!) I’ve notice how my posture has improved after standing up more often. I walk to the kettle with awareness about my posture and when I sit back down, I realign my seating position. Try downloading a pedometer app on your smartphone to keep an eye on your steps – give yourself a daily target and use it as motivation to up and about more.
Related:
If Blake can do it, you can too! 8 tips for going alcohol-free
10 Health and beauty reasons to use coconut
10 Instagram accounts that will keep you moving
5. Imagine a string
What: Imagine a string pulling up from the crown of your head when standing and seated.
Why: Wherever you put your head, your body automatically finds the most efficient way to support it. Aligning your head over your shoulders and lifting it up, as though a string is pulling it from the top, allows your shoulders to drop and open while pulling in the abdominals. This holds true whether you are sitting, standing or walking.
Results: I noticed that I often lean too far forward when I sit and have ‘lazy’ sway-back posture when standing, indicating that my posture was off. I incorporated this trick at my desk by putting a sticky note on my computer with the word ‘String’ – every time I notice it and find that I’m hunching in concentration I’m reminded of that string pulling up, which keeps my ears in line with my shoulders and my shoulder blades back and relaxed.
6. Sleep on an orthopedic pillow
What: Traditional pillows often provide minimal neck support and can even be responsible for neck strain, while Tempur’s pillow designs follow the natural curve of the spine to support your head, neck and shoulders better. When we are asleep, our body can alternate from side-, back- and front-sleeping positions. Sleeping posture is best when the body’s position keeps the spine in its natural ‘S’ shape (when viewed from the side) to reduce strain on the muscles and ligaments of the spine, therefore the side-sleeping position is thought to be the best.
Why: Tempur use pressure-absorbing, temperature-sensitive material in its products – first used in the 70s by Nasa in its spacesuits – which conforms to the shape of your body, reducing discomfort caused by pressure points by redistributing pressure so you can immediately relax into your most comfortable sleeping position and remain fully supported.
Results: Once you’ve slept on a Tempur support pillow (from R1 600), you won’t be satisfied with anything else. It may take a few nights to adjust to the firmer pressure but your head, neck and shoulders will thank you for it. When visiting the Tempur store, I got the full Tempur experience in one of its bed pods where you lie down on a Tempur mattress and pillow and watch the promotional video. As I sleep on my back, the consultant advised positioning my regular pillow underneath my knees – this serves to further support my lower back.
Read more health & fitness.
The post 6 Ways to improve your posture at your desk appeared first on Marie Claire - South Africa.