Why is it Important to Stop Slouching?
It is very easy when you get into your work to slouch over your desk and forget about your posture. When we are pre-occupied, good posture is probably the last thing on our minds, however, maintaining a good posture is extremely important for many different reasons.
Slouching causes your upper back muscles to weaken and your chest muscles to shorten and tighten. Your shoulders then begin to roll forward, leading to your head following suit and straining the muscles in your neck. As time goes on, the lengthened muscles become weaker, and the shortened muscles become tighter. As a result, our bodies find comfort in deepening a slouched position to take the pressure off of them. And so it begins– a never-ending cycle of worsening posture until we have caused injury and severe pain.
In order to fight the dreadful slouch, we need to retrain our posture awareness and learn different tips and tricks to maintain a good, upright posture. Of course, creating an ergonomically friendly workspace is a huge head start! Get yourself an ergonomic office chair like the CoreChair and adjust your desk height, and screen location appropriately.
Our Top 5 Tips to Stop Slouching
1. Try a Posture Assistive DeviceÂ
The UprightGo is a posture assistive device that we tested out, and loved. It is a small device that you stick to your upper back between your shoulder blades to detect slouching.
When you do slouch, it vibrates to remind you to sit up and correct your posture! It also connects to a mobile app that creates training sessions, and collects stats!
2. Use a CoreChair
The aggressively sculpted seat cushion works in conjunction with the pelvic support to promote optimal sitting posture and prevent slouching.
CoreChair’s patented technology allows you to move in all directions up to 14 degrees. This added benefit of movement helps to reduce back pain, mobilize your joints, improve circulation, and engage your back and core muscles.
3. Use Athletic Tape
Another (less technological) way to maintain your posture is by using some Kinesiotape (KT Tape) or Athletic Tape on your shoulders. Take some athletic tape (preferably stretchy athletic tape) and while seated in an upright optimal posture, with shoulders rolled back and down, tape an X across your shoulders as seen below. You want the tape to be tight enough that when you start to slouch, you feel the tension on the tape – but not too tight that it HOLDS you in the upright position and prevents slouching. When it’s too tight, you end up being held in that position, allowing your muscles to turn off – which won’t help you at all.
4. Stretch and Strengthen
Check out our CoreFit page or follow us on Youtube for some great stretching and strengthening exercises that you can do to stay limber and strong!Â
5. Sign Up for a Yoga Class
Yoga is a fantastic way to combat the negative effects of being an office worker and sitting all day and help correct bad posture. Find a local yoga studio or an online program with classes focused on heart opener poses which open up caved chests and work on rotating the shoulders back into a proper position. A few examples of these poses include Heart Bench, Cow Face Arms, Plank Pose, Camel Pose, and Downward Facing Dog.Â
So there you have it, a nice simple list showing you five different ways you can help yourself stay aware of the dreadful slouch and maintain good posture. By incorporating these into your workday, you can help protect yourself against short-term and long-term injury and pain.
Fun fact: Having good posture will actually help you appear taller, slimmer, and more confident! So… sit tall and proud!
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