Sit Straight & Stand Tall: It’s National Posture Month!

Poor posture. It’s something we deal with all day, every day, from sitting at a desk, schlepping across town, or using our phones; it’s something many of us often think about but never actively fix.

Personally, I know I’ve said time and time again, “I really need to work on my posture.” And with May being National Posture Month, there’s no better time than now to become more conscious of the way you stand and sit, and make some changes. Did you know we spend most of our waking lives sitting, which is an unnatural position for the human body? This leads to poor posture for many, and back pain for an estimated 80 percent of Americans, Ken Baldwin, M.Ed., CPS, and executive director for the National Posture Institute says.

To make active changes in improving your posture, try these tips from Baldwin and the NPI:

It Starts with You: Be conscious and make simple changes:

• Stand or sit tall
• Hold your chest high & create a 90-degree angle at your shoulders
• Retract your shoulder blades
• Contract your abdominals

Work Your Core: Look for workouts targeting your core muscles, like yoga, Pilates, and more. We like these workouts:

• The NEW Fitness: Cool Water Workouts
• Core Exercises: Ride the Bull to Stronger Abs
• Good Vibrations: Work It Out with Power Plate
• Shape Your Figure with The Figure Method
• Bikram Yoga 101

Correct Your Cube: Subtle fixes can go a long way in the office environment.

• Adjust the height of your office chair so that your hips are slightly higher than your knees.
• Shift your keyboard and computer monitor to be directly in front of you, with the monitor at eye level.