It is always easy to find ourselves slouching over a tab or laptop for hours. Being at home during the lockdown and working from home sure helped us to stay safe, but it made for bad and painful posture. Below are a few healthy habitsto help you improve your posture; after all, we all want a good, sleek posture for that first impression.

What are the Reasons for Posture Problems?

Poor posture often arises from our daily habits like working in front of a computer, lying on a couch throughout the day, or even looking down at our cellphones. Poor posture can also be caused by carrying heavy objects at work or grocery stores. All these activities overstretch and often weaken the muscles in the back of the shoulders thus making your shoulders arch forward. Gravity further helps these muscles pull forward as they become too weak to pull themselves back.

We all have core muscles in our backs. These muscles are important and need to become more active because if both the core muscles in the back and abdomen grow weak from inactivity, it can cause you to stoop. Core muscles help in lifting one’s frame and staying upright.

Another reason for poor posture comes from brittle bones. There are people out there with osteoporosis who experience compression fractures when the bones located near the vertebra aren’t strong enough to support their posture. Thus, the bones collapse on the front of the body, and the spine starts bending forward. In certain cases, occupational therapy works wonders.

What Are the Healthy Habits to Improve Posture?

Including small changes in your daily routine and adopting simple habits will show significant improvement in your posture. Here are few habits you can include in your routine:

Stretching is always great when it comes to improvingposture. Start your day with light stretching that includes your upper back and chest. This will ensure that your body remains active.

Anothergreat way to improve posture is to remind yourself to reposition your body and sit properly. You can set an alarm every half an hour to remind yourself. While working, we tend to forget the world outside the office. So, relax and reposition yourself every hour to help maintain good posture.

You can also do core and upper back exercises. There are plenty of such exercises online to choose from. Do not go overboard and start with a light hand. It will make a difference after few weeks. You can search for occupational therapy near mefor an appointment.

Make sure that you do not rely on the support of the back of a chair when sitting. Sit straight and try to engage your stomach muscles. At first, it might be difficult, but slowly it will help you improve your position.

Try not to use your smartphone all the time. Position your cellphone so that your head does not have to look downward for a long time. While working,take a mini-break every hour to ease your lower back. You can also take a mini walk for 10-15minutes.