Help Correct My Posture
 

Does anyone know of any daily exercises or tips for correcting and strengthening my posture? It seems to be getting worse since i'm working with computers a lot and generally just have such a laid back (lazy) way of relaxing when sitting and standing. When i try to correct my posture when walking around i'm worried that it looks odd and after a while my shoulders start aching. I also keep my hands in my pockets a lot. I'm 22 so i think its not too late to correct this!

I basically think that i need to look more confident outwardly and all the guys i see with straight backs and heads held high and chests out, seem very confident. Plus i dont want to grow old with one of those hunched backs...

P.S. If you nice people answer this post i'll treat you to a call for help with another one of my physical inadequacies later ;)

Get a really good chair and use it. Leap by Steelcase is good or the Airon from Herman Miller. They cost but are worth it.

Work out, especially your back.

See a chiropractor.

Walk with your shoulders back (watch Americam Gigolo and see how Richard Gere walked in that).

Thanks thingstodo

Unfortunately i'm a student at the moment and i can't afford to splash out on chairs. What kind of exercises can i use to give my back a workout (preferably without joining a gym) ?

Any lift that makes you pull something toward you, think reverse bench press. One I like is lean over a bench supporting yourself on one knee and one hand. Use your free leg for balance. Lift the weight up till it is roughly 3-5 inches from your body. Alternate arms without taking a break between sets. This will work out your shoulders and upper back. Also any of the rowing excersizes work well.

Pullups/lat pull downs. Also work your lower back.

Exercises:
Pullups/lat pulldowns will work your latissimus dorsi, which insert onto your humerus. Those won't do anything for your posture. The exercise frogza described will only be beneficial if you consciously retract your shoulder every time you lift the weight.

You want exercises that will strengthen core back muscles that attach to the shoulder blades. That's pretty much anything with a rowing motion. If you can, hop on a rowing machine a few times a week and go for 20-30 minutes. Every single stroke you make, you need to actively retract your shoulders, trying to make your shoulder blades touch at the back. You can also do strength training on a seated row machine (similar to a rowing machine, but it has weights and only does upper body), or a 45 degree row. Go for endurance, not strength. You want these muscles to be able to hold your upper body in correct posture all day without fatiguing. That means don't put it on the highest weight and do 8 reps trying to impress the girls. Instead, put the weight lower and do sets of 15 reps.

Lie on your stomach on the floor. These are called supermans. Lift one of your arms, and the opposite leg off the ground (e.g. right arm, left leg). Hold it for about 30 seconds. Now switch arms and legs. As you get better at this, try different combinations of limbs off the ground: both arms 1 leg, both legs 1 arm, all four limbs. For this exercise to be effective, you must pull in your belly button and squeeze your abdominals. You obviously won't be working your "6-pack muscles" at all, but by pulling in and squeezing, you engage your transverse abdominis which allows core back extensors to work as well. That's what you want.

Professional Help:
I wouldn't see a chiropractor. My personal biases aside, chiropractors deal with bones. Your problem is a muscle problem, NOT a bone problem. A chiropractor will start trying to snap things this way and that way. Your posture will not improve with any amount of snapping. If you do want professional advice about your posture, see a physiotherapist and have them show you some exercises.

Every day:
Work on your posture all the time. Be aware of it, sitting and standing. Make sure your shoulders are in line with your chest, not hunched forward. By simply being aware of your posture (particularly your shoulders) all the time, you'll develop the strength for them to stay that way. One thing to watch out for: make sure you're not sticking your butt out. It's called anterior pelvic tilt. Sometimes when people are trying to stand up really straight they stick their butt out - if you develop this habit you'll get lower back problems. If you're conscious of having your shoulders back, the rest should follow. When you're sitting at your computer, try to lower your chair or raise the monitor, so that you're not hunched over when you look at it. Put it on a couple textbooks or something.

Do lots of back excercises and stretch

Thanks guys, esp. Poloboy - those supermans sound like they're gonna do the trick. Got me paranoid about the butt sticking out thing though hehe, shouldnt be a problem now i know about it though :)

i try and sit up straight at my computer, in class, or anywhere else. being conscience of it is already a great start.
as far as correcting your posture and strengthening....
a good excercise to build up your 'core' is to lie down in the push up position with your arms bent and fingers crossed under your chin. then lift yourself up with your forearms on the ground, keeping your body straight. hold this position as long as you can. this builds your core strength with is what should be used to hold up your upper torso when sitting down. those who have the wrong posture stretch their backs to hold them up, which is not good for your muscles.
as far as walking goes, try to walk as if something is pulling the crown of your head up. ears over shoulders over hips over knees over ankles. the key to posture is stimulation. you body muscles should be stimulated, not just 'hangin' or 'stretched'
im not an expert by any means, this is merely what i have done to help myself, i hope this helps.

i struggle with the same thing, but have made some real improvement in the past few months. i'll echo what poloboy and jfelco suggested, being aware of your posture at all times is the most important thing. become obsessed with it... think about it while you walk and when you're sitting at work/class. eventually it feels more and more natural as your body gets used to it and the supporting/stabilizing muscles get more toned.

as far as workouts go.... work the trapezious and back muscles a lot. also, one of the most underrated physiological causes is sometimes a lack of flexibility in the hamstrings. in order to get a full range of motion, your back is sometimes forced to round out to compensate for a lack of flexibility in the buttocks/hamstrings. keep your knees locked and try to bend at the waist while keeping your back perfectly straight (don't do this for too long)... you'll see what i mean.

YOGA YOGA YOGA YOGA!!!!

One thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned, if you take up running that helps a lot. You naturally stand up straight when you run because it expands your lungs so you get more air. If you stick to it you begin to stand up straighter even when you aren't running.

Thanks to you all, the advice is really very much appreciated :) I've been trying to work on it lately but i keep lapsing as i have a lot of more important things to think about. I guess i need to get obsessed with my posture as irateplatypus suggested hehe.

I was told to lie on the floor and alternate pulling one leg at time to your chest

Obsession is the way. I used to do the sticking out my butt thing Poloboy mentioned until I was made aware of it, and then I obsessed about it for a few months. My trick was to find things I did standing/walking every day, like riding the subway or wait in line at the cafeteria, and resolve to have perfect poise at those times. After a while it became part of my routine to check my posture at those times, then I started checking all the time and now I just have it. Pretending to be a noble lady of the court or a starfleet admiral helped, too! ;) You can pretend to be either a charming diplomat, a famous ballet dancer or a Prussian drill officer depending on mood. Have fun and think of how handsome you'll be!

For good posture, don't do anything with your shoulders, simply tilt your pelvis back.

Take up archery!

It works out your trapezius and the other huge muscles in your back that are responsible for keeping your shoulders straight. It uses graduated resistance instead of gravity, so you are less likely to hurt yourself, and the results are faster. Girls like it (think: Legolas). It's fun!

i think you just need a beeper that goes off every 5 minutes and reminds you to straighten up. write yourself one in Java innit? obviously back exercises are good too.

PS: don't use a "bing" noise, or you will condition yourself to stand up straight when anyone rings a bell. Like Pavlov's dogs.

It doesn't quite work like that ;)

Funny.
But really, you need to exercise it and train it to be in the position you desire. Just like anything else, training is the key. For example, if you have a bad habit of picking your nose(not from personal experience), carry tissue. Just try to keep conscious of what you are doing, and exercise the muscles. :thumbsup:

The best thing I found to help with posture, was just practice, like a few people said here, you need to remember to sit up straight. Its muscle memory, the more you sit and stand properly the more your body will do it naturally but if your in a dorm room, try to sit on the front half the chair and support your own upper body while sitting up straight as opposed to leaning back into the chair.

I second what Irate said. That was dead on. Dont forget about your back, but if you ignore your hamstrings, you'll NEVER correct your posture. I gather from your posts you are a student and probably sitting at a desk for most of the day. Having your knees flexed in a seated position all day long, repeatedly, will cause your hamstrings to shorten. In turn this tilt your pelvis posteriorly. This affects the curve in your spine and will eventually lead to stooped posture.

Great advice for your back in this thread so far. But if you forget about your hamstrings, theres only so much improvement you will realize.

This looks like some good information:

http://physicaltherapy.about.com/cs/.../aa081501a.htm

"But the major part of maintaining proper posture is reminding yourself to stand and sit straight. And this is the hardest part. Use these little tips to make sure you don't cheat:

Tell your friends. They can serve as your support system and they will be glad to elbow you when you're caught slouching.

Use Post-It notes. Put them in areas you see daily; your medicine cabinet mirror, your rearview mirror, and your computer monitor.

Feel the results. Keep looking at the difference between a good posture and the one you see in the mirror, to really visualize the work to be done."



http://www.askmen.com/fashion/how_to/38_how_to.html

i used to have a real problem slouching in middle school. so i told all my friends to punch me in the arm when they saw me slouching.

it worked for me. if you have a few buddies, i'm sure they'll oblige.

This is cool... i just saw another reply to this thread and automatically straightened up again. Thanks for the support and the advice to all of you :D