Posture Perfect: Walking and Sleeping
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This article is from the Health Articles series.
Posture Perfect: Walking and Sleeping
* Walking: Start by getting into proper "standing" position. As you walk, keep your shoulders rolled back, spine lifted, head balanced over your neck and shoulders, chin in. Take steps of equal length with a heel-to-toe gait and let your arms swing naturally.
As you walk up stairs, instead of leaning forward and placing all the pressure on the balls of your feet, remain upright and place your whole foot firmly on the step. Contract your quadriceps and lift up; repeat till you reach the top. This not only protects the low back but also gives the quads a good workout!
* Sleeping: Maintaining proper alignment while sleeping is tough because sleep habits are so ingrained and we're not, well, conscious while we sleep. Still, you can train yourself to adopt a new position while at rest (pregnant women who sleep on their backs, for example, must learn to sleep comfortably on their sides during pregnancy).
Sleeping on your stomach is one of the worst for body alignment and posture: with your head sideways, the neck is typically strained and the low back arches. Better to try sleeping on your back, with one pillow under your neck and one pillow under your knees (elevating the head too high with several pillows strains the neck; the pillow under the knees supports the low back).
Or, try sleeping on your side, again with just one pillow so that the head and neck are aligned with the shoulder. You might also place a pillow between your knees to keep the hips and knees in alignment.
In addition to following our guidelines, you might try stretching and flexibility workouts such as yoga, tai chi, and Pilates to help improve posture and increase body consciousness.
And you might call Mom and tell her that, once again, she was right!
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