Hello dear readers! We all know from childhood that even posture is a guarantee of the health of the musculoskeletal system, as well as an integral part of a person’s external attractiveness.
In conditions modern life When most of us spend a lot of time on computers and smartphones, posture disorders have become more common.
In this article, I will share with you information that will help maintain the beauty and health of your back.
Let's first look at what is correct posture? In medicine, posture is understood as the position of the human body in a relaxed state. Each of us has our own posture.
Correct posture is the ability of a person to keep the body straight without muscle strain.
Its signs are:
- The vertical position of the head - it should not be lowered down or, on the contrary, thrown back.
- Tightened, not bulging forward belly.
- The shoulders are slightly lowered and laid back.
- The spine has normal physiological curves.
- The chest is forward, but the pelvis is not retracted.
For your body to accept correct position, go to the wall - press against it with your heels, buttocks, top shoulder blades and occiput. Keep your head upright, look straight ahead: imagine that you are tied to the top of the rope and pull it up. This position is your correct posture. Is it hard to keep her? Then read on.
The importance of good posture for health
Of course, people with correct posture are more attractive in appearance than those who suffer from violations of it. Stoop visually adds at least 2-3 kg. on the stomach, creates the appearance of a sagging flat chest in women, and in men it violates the proportions between the hips and shoulders, making the figure not masculine.
But few people realize how important good posture is for health. Pathologies in the position of the spine lead to a number of disorders in the body. First of all, cardiovascular and respiratory system: often in people with abnormalities in posture, the vital capacity of the lungs is reduced, the veins and vessels in the spinal column are clamped, which can lead to disturbances in the functioning of the brain. People complain of fatigue, back and neck pain, shortness of breath, decreased performance.
In addition, the bent position of the body disrupts the work and digestive system- intestinal peristalsis suffers and pains appear due to obstructed outflow of bile.
Weakened due to scoliosis, the back muscles cannot protect the spine from the appearance of osteochondrosis and hernias.
Correct posture with normal spinal curves keeps the body in an optimal position, allowing all its systems to function fully.
Causes of poor posture
The statistics given by doctors are horrific: in 65% of cases, bad posture is formed from the wrong position of the body, to which a person accustoms himself.
For children, this is incorrect sitting at a desk, at a table, the constant wearing of a heavy satchel on one shoulder, the habit of sleeping in a ball, constraint of high growth. Pediatricians even have such a professional joke - scoliosis develops from the moment he begins to sit. Indeed, most posture defects develop during childhood and adolescence.
In an adult, posture is disturbed from sleeping on the side and stomach, using a too soft mattress, a sedentary lifestyle, the appearance excess weight, weakened muscular corset.
Often, people with poor eyesight suffer from back problems - they are forced to constantly bend over while reading, stick their heads forward when working at a computer.
About 15% of posture pathologies are due to congenital anomalies - intrauterine development disorders that cause underdevelopment of the vertebrae, deformities of the thoracic or lumbar, ribs or pelvis.
In 21% of cases, posture disorders are the result of injuries, anomalies in the musculoskeletal system and various diseases such as rickets, sciatica, pleurisy and tuberculosis.
Simple ways to keep your posture straight
What to do? How do you have good posture if you can't bring yourself to keep your back straight?
You can purchase a special corset that will not allow you to return to the wrong position. But you need to wear it with caution - starting with 10-15 minutes a day and gradually increasing the time.
You can also try the following simple exercise - walking with a book on your head. Put the book on top of your head and walk like this for 5-7 minutes. As soon as you start to slouch, the book will fall. So you gradually get used to the correct position of the back.
How to stand and walk
To accustom yourself to an even posture, you must first learn to keep it in natural postures - in a standing position and while walking.
When you are standing, your shoulders should be slightly back. In this case, it is not necessary to push the chest forward too much. The head should be straight - it does not need to be lifted up or lowered down.
Pay attention to your gait as well. Gait is a natural human movement. That is, this is the same posture, only in motion. It is necessary to step gently, relying on the entire foot, and not just on the heel or toe.
Disturbances in the structure of the foot - flat feet, clubfoot, deformity of the toes can also cause incorrect posture. In these cases, before doing the back, you need to resolve the issue with the legs: for example, pick up orthopedic shoes.
How to sit correctly
Unfortunately, the modern rhythm of life forces a person to spend a lot of time sitting - when eating, working at a computer, reading, while studying and often - at work.
- Sit on the chair deep - so that the lower back rests on the back. This will reduce the load on the spine.
- Pick up the stomach - it should not protrude. But it's not worth pulling it in either.
- Place your feet flat on the floor with your legs slightly apart. Forget the cross-legged pose.
- Relax your shoulders by slightly pulling them back and lowering them down.
Pay attention to your chair or armchair: it is desirable that it is not too soft. The length of the seat should be shorter than the thigh, so that normal blood flow is not disturbed. Adjust the height - when sitting, the lower leg and thigh should form a right angle.
Straight back when working with a computer
If people still try to sit properly at a stationary PC, then in the case of laptops, everything is much sadder - after all, you can put it anywhere, even on your own knees. And then bend over like the hunchback of Notre Dame.
- The main load should fall on the lower back and tailbone - lean on the back of a chair / chair only with your lower back.
- Keep your head straight. Look directly into the monitor. If necessary, master the skill of blind typing so you can not lean over the keyboard.
- Keep your feet on the floor completely - you can use the footrest.
Remember to get up every 30 minutes and do a little stretch. It will not take much time, but it will bring great benefits to the body.
Sleep with a straight back
You can walk correctly, keep your back straight while sitting at the computer, and conscientiously perform exercises for good posture, but all your efforts will be in vain if you do not sleep well at night.
How much does a person sleep? From 6 to 10 hours. Imagine - all this time the spine is in the wrong position. In the morning, instead of cheerfulness, you will feel tension in your back.
In order for your body to rest and your spine to stretch during sleep, you need to sleep on a moderately hard surface. A soft feather bed or down pillow will also have to be changed to a firmer and smaller one: the main thing is that the cervical region is in a straight position. It is bad when the head is too raised up.
Sleeping on your back is the best for posture. On the side, people often sleep incorrectly - put their hands under the pillow. It is necessary to retract them along the body. If you are so uncomfortable, then you can take a second pillow or soft toy and hug her.
The difficulty lies in the fact that if you are used to sleeping in the wrong position, then even if you fall asleep correctly, in a dream you can involuntarily change the position of the body. So be patient and get used to healthy sleep gradually.
Doing it right: what you need to know before starting classes
You should practice in a well-ventilated room without drafts, clothing should be loose, allowing you to move without discomfort. Women should use soft tops or bras that do not pinch chest.
Before classes, be sure to warm up and assess the level of your well-being. If you have back problems, pain, then you should exclude exercises with a large amplitude from the complex and make sure that all movements are soft and smooth.
Contraindications for posture exercises
Before you perform a set of exercises for an even posture, make sure that you have no contraindications to exercise. These include:
- Diseases of the spine and musculoskeletal system in the acute stage.
- Severe autoimmune diseases.
- ARI or infections.
- High body temperature.
- Too high/low pressure.
- Aortic aneurysm.
- Malignant tumors.
Warm up
It doesn’t matter if you work out at home or in the gym - a warm-up before performing the main complex should be done without fail. This will help to warm up the joints, remove blocks and relax the muscles a little.
To warm up, it’s enough to walk in place for 5-7 minutes, if you feel good, you can even go for a run easily. If your back hurts, any jumping and running should be avoided.
Workout for straight posture at home
Try to do special gymnastics every day of the week, evaluate the result - it will become much easier for you to keep your back in an even position, lightness and ease will appear in your movements.
I offer you a complex simple exercises for homework.
Exercise number 1: To strengthen the muscles of the back
In a standing position, try to bring the shoulder blades as close as possible. At the same time, the hands are at the waist, the shoulders are retracted as much as possible back. Hold this position for 10-15 seconds, then lower your arms along the body, relaxing them. Repeat 3-5 times.
Exercise number 2: For the trapezius muscle
This exercise allows you to relieve pain and tension in the cervical spine. Stand straight, relax your arms and lower along the body. Raise your right shoulder as much as possible, trying to touch your ear with it. Then lift the left one. Hold this position for 5-10 seconds and sharply lower your shoulders, as if throwing them. Repeat 5-7 times.
Exercise #3: For Flexibility
Pick up the ball. If you don’t have it, any other light object will do - a pillow, a toy, etc. Raise it above your head, arms straight. Bend back as far as you can. Try to arch your back. Do not retract the neck, the head reaches for the hands. Then slowly return to initial position and immediately, without stopping, bend down to the floor. Try to touch the ball to its surface. Gently straighten up. Repeat 3-4 times.
Exercise number 4: To eliminate the lateral curvature of the spine
Stand up straight with your back and shoulders relaxed. Raise right hand up and bend it over the head to the neck area. left hand bring it behind your back and lift it up to your shoulder blades. Try to connect your fingers. Hold this position for 10-15 seconds and change hands. If you can’t connect your fingers, don’t be discouraged, just keep your hands as close to each other as possible.
If you do not understand how to do this exercise correctly, watch the video.
Posture exercises in the gym
Are you training in the gym? This is very good. Set aside 10-15 minutes of your time for the following exercises, and your back will always be straight.
Hyperextension on the simulator
Lie on the simulator with your stomach down, fix your legs under the roller. Lean forward and lift your body up. Keep your hands in front of you or behind your head. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.
If you are experienced enough and the exercise seems easy to you, try doing it with weights - be careful and start with a light weight.
The pull of the upper block behind the head
Sit on the seat of the block simulator, place your legs under the roller. With your hands, pull the handle behind your head, while trying not to slouch or pull your elbows back. If that doesn't work, try reducing the weight. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.
Shrugs with dumbbells
Take dumbbells in both hands. Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart. As you inhale, take your shoulders back and raise your arms as much as possible. Lower the dumbbells as you exhale. Do 2 sets of 10 reps. When lifting, try to exclude the load on the biceps - for this, it is allowed to tilt the body slightly forward and lower the chin.
Exercises for posture on the horizontal bar
For men, a good way to straighten your posture is doing exercises on the horizontal bar, and in particular, classic pull-ups. - the better the result. During the exercise, remember about safety - do not straighten your arms to the end to avoid damage to muscles and ligaments.
If it’s hard for you to pull yourself up, try doing the exercise, located along the horizontal bar. To do this, grasp the crossbar with both hands so that the palms look at each other. At the same time, you should stand across the crossbar. Pulling up, turn your head different sides horizontal bar in turn. When performing the exercise, cross your legs at the knees - so the body will not sway.
For those who, you can just hang on the horizontal bar without swinging - this will stretch the spine and remove the extra load from the back.
Thus, a beautiful back is entirely the personal merit of each person. If you give yourself at least a little time to do exercises for an even posture, sleep properly and not sit still, then the result will not be long in coming.
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How to learn to keep your posture
5 secrets beautiful walk
The beauty of a woman is not only the right style of dress and professional makeup. Of course, they are, too, but all this is far from the main thing. What can attract in a woman passing by, if you did not really have time to make out either her face or outfit? Of course, a gait that makes you follow a random oncoming one with your eyes for a long time.
Perhaps you are satisfied with your gait, it is convenient for you to move in this way and you see no particular reason for improvement.
However, a beautiful gait is, first of all, the correct position of the spine, which is responsible for the work of all organs and systems of the body.
In addition, a graceful gait involves the correct setting of the feet, which does not allow the development of diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
And one more important argument in favor of keeping your back straight: the correct gait keeps all muscle groups in good shape and presents our figure in the most favorable light. Therefore, it is worth every woman to develop the correct posture and gait.
1. First steps
Learn to observe the correct posture always and everywhere - this is the main "sign" of the correct gait. Having trouble remembering what she looks like?
Raise your shoulders as high as you can, in this position, take them back, then lower them. This is correct posture.
It is important to place the foot correctly in the process of walking. The heel (heel) and toe should be almost on the same line in the direction of movement, the toe can only be slightly turned outward.
It’s ugly to pace with the “eight”, the seed, but you don’t need to put your legs wide when walking - this is how men walk.
An important point: the foot moves forward first, and then the body, but not vice versa, otherwise your gait will not be smooth.
The stride length should be equal to the length of your bare foot. In this case, the gait will not mince.
Try it, and you will understand that it is convenient to walk this way, especially since with a wide step there will be body jolts, head-up jumps.
Hand movements should match the size and rhythm of the step, but they should not be in the pockets! This not only deprives the gait of naturalness, makes it constrained, but also impairs blood circulation.
The first steps with a graceful gait are not easy. Help in mastering correct technique come special exercises.
2. Strengthen your spine
Get into the habit of not jumping out of bed instantly at the first sound of the alarm clock in the morning. Our spine is not designed for such sudden movements, it can react to this by displacement of the intervertebral discs, which is fraught with serious consequences for the internal organs.
Wake up calmly: first stretch your arms well, then your legs, and not with your toes forward, but with your heels. Roll over on your stomach, kneel and stretch like a cat, stretching your spine along its entire length. And only after these body movements, stand up, leaning your hands on the bed.
Exercises for the spine
To strengthen the "pillar of life", as the ancient sages called the spine, there are special exercises.
Lie on the floor, spread your arms to the sides. Raising your head, tighten your neck muscles, at the same time pull your socks towards you. In this position, freeze for 5-10 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
Sit on your feet. Take your hands back and clasp your hands ankle joints. Slowly lean forward so that your forehead touches the floor. Try to transfer the weight of the body to the head and stay in this position for 20-30 seconds, gradually increasing the load.
Sit on a chair, put your hands behind your head, bend over and stay in this tense position, counting to 5. Repeat 5 times.
Stand up and put your hands behind your back. Make a “lock” by straining your arms as much as you can. Relax and tighten up again. Repeat 5-10 times.
Lie on your stomach, stretch your arms along the body with your palms up. Bend over, simultaneously raising your head, arms and legs 10-15 cm from the floor. Hold this position for 10 seconds, repeat 7 times.
Roll onto your back, take a slow breath. Raise yourself with your back muscles without lifting your legs from the floor and without bending them. Use your hands to lightly support your torso. Arch your back and hold your breath. Repeat 3-5 times.
Get on your knees, grab a chair with your hands and bend at the waist. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Repeat 5-10 times.
Lie on your stomach again, grab your ankles with your hands and arch your back strongly. Try to get your head as close to your feet as possible. The body should be tense, like a bow stretched for shooting. Freeze in this position for a few seconds, repeat 5-10 times.
Roll over onto your back again, bend your knees and stretch your stomach up, arching your torso in the lower back. In emphasis on the head and hands, hover above the floor for 5-10 seconds. Repeat 5-10 times.
If you perform this complex at least 3 times a week, your intervertebral discs, ligaments and back muscles will become much more resilient and elastic. And it will be easier for you to keep your back straight.
3. Learn proper posture
Doing simple and effective exercises to develop a beautiful gait will not take much time and will not require special conditions.
The main thing is to observe the regularity of classes. One-time workouts are also useful, but they will not bring the desired result.
Exercises must be performed in front of a mirror in order to monitor whether you are standing straight, whether you are making movements correctly. Each of the proposed exercises must be performed at least 10 times.
First, raise one shoulder as high as possible, fix it in this position. Do the same with the other shoulder.
Then lower the shoulder that was raised first, after - the other. Only the shoulders work.
Immediately move both shoulders forward, then back. Don't lift your shoulders. The back is straight.
Combine shoulder movements with tilts. Shoulders forward - lean forward. Shoulders back - lean back. So along with the muscles shoulder girdle back muscles are also developed.
Shoulders back - lean forward. Shoulders forward - tilt back. Gently bend your whole body, tilting your head back.
Place your palms together in front of you. The edges of the palms are pressed to the body. Without opening your palms, gently raise your arms up as far as you can, bending at the elbows and sliding over the body.
In this case, the palms, as it were, draw a line in the center of the body. Try not to roll your shoulders. Then slowly lower your arms, keeping your palms together and away from your body.
Take your straight arms back. From this position, slowly raise them as high as you can, trying to bring them into a position perpendicular to the body. Do not bend your arms or body.
4. With a book on his head
The legendary gait of Audrey Hepburn is also the result of the film actress's long training.
In her appearance, she in many ways resembled a fairy-tale fairy, and such an image was formed thanks to amazing grace and a light, graceful gait. In her youth, Audrey attended ballet school.
Classical methods were used there to teach gait and form posture. For example, walking with an object on your head.
Pupils had to put a book or a matchbox on their heads and walk with them as if nothing had happened, as well as do squats and turn their heads so that the object did not fall.
Repeat the “feat” of patient ballerinas and you may be able to keep a volume of love prose or your favorite detective on your head.
5. On the move
After training, move on to exercises in motion. Imagine a vertical thread that stretches from the top of your head up. Try to walk with this feeling, and you will see that the shoulders will straighten, and the center of gravity of the body will shift to the front of the feet.
Try to walk more by changing the rhythm of your step. Practice in different shoes. Pay attention to your walk and the walk of other people, celebrate your successes and difficult moments.
Make it a rule not to walk fast until you have mastered correct gait and learn to keep your back straight. If you are running, it is simply impossible to analyze your movements.
And with a leisurely gait, there is time to focus on what and how you are doing. When you travel somewhere, make sure you have plenty of time to travel.
The textbook gait of Sophia Loren, demonstrated by the famous actress in the film "Italian Marriage", was a successful creative find of her husband and director Carlo Ponti. During the filming of the picture, it was he who taught the then-unknown actress how to walk in a very original way.
Sophie walked for hours between the two rows of bedside tables and closed their open doors with her hips.
The actress honed her skills until the sound of closing doors became barely audible. But not only exercises made Sophia Loren's walk an example for millions of women to follow.
The actress believed that the very feeling of oneself plays an important role in this: “Often an ugly gait, stoop develops from self-doubt.
And beauty, in my opinion, is courage, it attracts people to us.
If you are self-confident, open to both happiness and adversity, a smile will appear on your face by itself, your gait will become more graceful, and your gestures will become smooth and beautiful.
The gaits of famous beauties, of course, were not given from birth. Although, watching these women on the TV screen, you think so. However, legendary gaits are the result of long training.
Since childhood, we hear: "Keep your back straight!". Easy to say! Someone forgets about this rule, and for someone it is more difficult to keep their back straight with every passing year. In any case, without special exercises strengthening the spine is indispensable.
… Remember that walking is not just a way to get around. This is a reflection of character, our calling card. Despite fatigue, bad weather and other obstacles, try to keep your back straight, shoulders straightened, head raised and stepping from the hip.
We all dream of a royal posture. But today, there are fewer and fewer women who walk proudly and with dignity. If we put aside the congenital curvature and various injuries, then all other causes are not correct posture can be eliminated. Wrong working posture, bad developed muscles backs and even uncomfortable clothing can ruin your posture. Follow these rules so that you have perfect posture and avoid spinal problems.
Rule #1: Always keep your back
Whatever you do, your back should be straight: whether you are standing, sitting or talking on the phone. To take the correct position, stand for a couple of minutes standing, pressing against the wall with the back of your head, calves, buttocks and the entire plane of the shoulder blades.
Rule number 2. An imaginary stretched thread from the coccyx to the back of the head
For a beautiful posture are important not only strong muscles but also internal control. Therefore, always imagine that a strong thread is stretched from the back of the head to the coccyx.
Rule number 3. Turn your shoulders and lower your shoulder blades
Turn your shoulders, try to lower your head and look at the floor - you will not succeed, because correct posture obliges you to walk with your head held high.
Rule number 4. Control the bend in the lower back
When sitting, try to follow rule number 1. Try to get up from your normal sitting position without changing the position of your back, and look in the mirror. If you see a hunched old woman in the reflection, then you urgently need to do self-control and keep your back straight to avoid clamping in the lower vertebrae.
Rule #5
Easy walking helps beautiful posture. Walk like models - moving your feet in one line. But you don't have to twist your hips.
Rule #6
Try practicing the vacuum exercise. Do it in the morning on an empty stomach.
Rule #7
Perfect posture: doing exercises
Hanging in the doorway will help strengthen the muscles of the back and neck and correct posture. Put your feet on the line with the jamb of the doors, the heels can be torn off the floor, the main focus is on the shoulder blades. Keeping your hands on either side of the door frame, bend forward and hover for 30 seconds. It is important that you feel the spring return. After the exercise, stretch the muscles of the arms.
Lying back extension: lie on your stomach, arms along the body. Raise your head by arching your back.
plank- an exercise that helps out in many cases: look forward, back and legs form one line.
Roller exercise- Lying on your back, place a towel roll under your lower back. Connect the big toes and little fingers on the hands. In this position, you need to lie down for 5 minutes, gradually increasing the time to 10 minutes.
Rule #8
Don't be shy and don't hide your eyes from people. Always walk with your head up.
Rule #9
When walking, transfer the load from the heel to the part of the foot closer to the toe. You will see how soft your walk becomes.
Rule #10
Self-respect and self-esteem, coming from within, will help you always feel like a queen. So - and your gait will be royal.
There is a very important thing for maintaining health - it is the power of correct posture.
Posture deteriorates due to many professional activities, especially in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Often bad posture develops from childhood due to bad habits. In most Western countries, children spend an average of five hours a day watching TV, not to mention how much time they spend computer games. The human body is not adapted for such a way of life. Your posture - how you sit, how you stand, how you walk - is extremely important to your health.
But why is posture so important?
Everything is very simple. To function properly, your tissues and organs need two things - a good blood supply and a good nerve. The blood carries nutrients and oxygen to the tissues, and the nerves produce electrical impulses needed to generate energy. Deprived of one of these factors, tissues will begin to degenerate and wear out. And what allows you to carry out innervation and blood supply? Your posture!
Imagine a watering hose. What happens if you squeeze it? The water will stop flowing. The same happens with the vessels and nerve trunks in our body, when they are pinched, the muscles spasm, the innervation and blood supply are difficult.
Now imagine your own spine, you have twenty-six vertebrae, and between each of them there are vessels and nerve roots emanating from the spinal cord. They provide nutrition to the entire body. When you slouch or sit in an uncomfortable position, the nerve roots and blood vessels are squeezed by your vertebrae in the same way that a hose is squeezed through which water flows. We simply deprive our body of the opportunity to receive blood and nerve impulses by assuming a bad posture.
What can bad posture lead to?
Poor posture leads to poor health, chest muscles become sluggish, which in turn gives rise to bronchitis and breathing problems, abdominal muscles weaken, abdominal organs begin to function poorly, and this gives rise to many digestive problems. Many people are faced with a similar nuisance - saggy belly - and try to get rid of it with the help of a diet. But even losing weight, they cannot get rid of the tummy. No diet will help flaccid muscles belly if your posture is not good.
Let's start with diagnostics
To find out if you are straight enough, a critical look in the mirror helps. Stand up straight in a position that does not cause you tension. The soles are pressed to the floor. For a person with correct posture:
Shoulders should be on the same horizontal line, one shoulder should not be higher than the other.
Elbows should fall exactly into the bend of the waist; if they are higher than the waist, it means that you raise your shoulders too much; if the elbows are below the waist or stick out to the sides, you are most likely slouching. More information about your own posture can be obtained by turning sideways to the mirror.
Draw an imaginary line from the heels to the crown. It should also include: knees, pelvis, elbows and shoulder joint. A straight line passes through the shins and femurs, bisects the chest and, passing through the shoulder joint and neck, exits the top of the head.
Please note that the ribs should not protrude too much forward, being exactly above
Homo erectus, help yourself!
Algorithm for detuning the correct posture:
Raise your feet one by one, twist your leg. Put on the floor - the sole should be in contact with the floor, the load is distributed evenly.
Above the heels are straightened knees.
Move your attention up and imagine your tailbone - this little "tail" is looking exactly at the ground. Now you will notice that the pelvis has moved forward, and the stomach and ribs hang over it.
In order not to bend in half, you need to stretch the stomach to the width of the palm. Place your palm on the hypochondrium of the same name (if right, then on the right). There should be no bones under your palm - that is, thumb touches the lower rib, and the little finger lies on the ilium. It is important to pay attention to the fact that the ribs do not protrude forward, but are strictly above the ilium.
We continue to move up (feel how the spine straightens from the coccyx itself, like a flower reaching up). Make a circle with your shoulders and lean them back. Do it lightly - no need to pull your shoulder blades together and hold yourself with the muscles of your upper back. Designed by engineers human body, hands must be held pectoral muscles and not back muscles.
By the way, about the hands. If you did everything right, now your elbows are exactly opposite the bend of the waist (they do not touch ilium and do not stick out to the sides). The palms are slightly turned outward and are opposite the hips (not in front of them and not behind them!).
Finally, the neck - think about the seventh vertebra (you can feel it with your hand). This is where the back ends and the neck begins. Try not to bend in this place, do not hang your nose! Imagine how the neck continues the straight line that you just built from the coccyx itself.
Sometimes a person has a desire to “turn up his nose” - to raise his chin, bending his neck in the region of the 3rd-4th vertebrae. Do not do this - it leads to impaired cerebral circulation. It’s better to imagine how someone pulled the wonderful straight construction that you just built up by the thread coming out of the top of your head. The chin should be exactly above the infrajejunal cavity (the point in the middle between the collarbones).
Important for the health of the whole body. It protects us from back and muscle pains that have become commonplace in today's society.
We sit for several hours in a row at the computer at work or stand in an uncomfortable position for a long time, which negatively affects the condition of our spine.
In this article, we will tell you how to learn to hold correct posture through various workouts.
What affects our posture?
If you look at things objectively, then everything. Poor posture has severe and often irreversible consequences.
The two most common diseases associated with poor posture are herniated discs and chronic fatigue. But in fact, there are much more diseases associated with the fact that we walk, sit and sleep incorrectly.
Women often have problems with hip joints, because they do not distribute weight evenly on both legs, but transfer to one. High heels and heavy bags on one shoulder only exacerbate this problem.
Poor posture is a very common problem among modern people due to the nature of their work, excess weight, seated image life and use of electronic devices (mobile phone, tablets and laptops).
Please note that we constantly tilt our heads to send a message or check email and social networks. Our spine curves, and the body leans forward. That is why most people have so much pain in the evening.
What should be the correct posture?
Some people pay attention to how they hold their back and shoulders only when they are doing exercises. Very it is important to learn to pay attention to posture anytime and anywhere: when you stand in line at the supermarket, when you sit on the subway and when you watch TV at home.
Here's when it's especially important to pay attention to your posture:
When we sit
The correct posture in a sitting position is as follows: the feet should fit snugly on the floor. The back should be straight, and the shoulders should be straightened and lowered. If you are used to cross-legging, then you should know that this way you interfere with blood circulation and can then suffer from inflammation or fatigue in the legs.
When we stand
The knees should be slightly bent, the chest pushed forward so that the abdominal muscles expand and allow us to breathe properly. Distribute body weight evenly (support on both feet).
When we walk
Keep your neck and head straight, do not look at the floor, because this causes pain in cervical region spine. First put your foot on the heel, and then on the toe.
When we sleep
The best is on the side with bent legs. In this position, the spine relaxes. It is very important to sleep on a quality mattress and pillow. And of course, they need to be changed from time to time.
When we drive
Maintaining the correct posture in the car is very important not only for the health of the spine, but also for the safety of the driver and passengers. Proper posture greatly reduces the chance of injury. To do this, lean back against the back of the seat, and with your neck and back of your head against the headrest.
Adjust the seat so that you can comfortably press the pedals without having to lean forward.
How can you improve your posture?
There are the most different ways that help keep your back straight at any time of the day. At first, it will be difficult for you to remember that "you need to sit correctly" because the muscles and spine are not used to the correct posture.
Either way, the benefits far outweigh the minor inconveniences. Here are some effective ways:
Imagine that a rope has been passed through you
It is usually taught in yoga or Pilates classes. Imagine that a rope is going through your head to the ceiling, which, as it were, pulls you up. Represented?
Attach tape to back
Ask someone to help you. Fasten the band starting at the right shoulder and move it to the left thigh.
After that, wrap the tape around your waist twice, pass it to your right hip and, finally, fasten it to your left shoulder. This will also help you maintain your posture.
When you fasten the tape, the shoulders need to be parted.
Carry a book on your head
This is an ancient technique, before girls were taught to walk correctly in this way. Keep your neck and head straight and do not look down. Also, keep your shoulders straight and relaxed.
Pay attention to the position of the calves
Correct posture depends on more than just position. The weight of the body is taken by the legs, and more specifically, the calves.
Sit on the floor, stretch your legs and bend towards them until your hands touch the tips of your toes. This is a great stretch for your back, shoulders, and neck muscles and helps strengthen your abs and calves.
Take breaks
If you spend all day sitting, take the time to stretch a little. Walk at least around the table, move your arms, raise your shoulders and move your hips. When you are sitting, lift your legs up, straighten your back and relax your shoulders.
To check if you manage to keep the correct one, just look at yourself in the mirror. Stand up straight and analyze your feelings. At first it will not be easy, but the muscles have their own “memory”. Over time, they will remember their correct position.
