Improving Your Posture Can Pay Off Big Later?
Take notes from the experts on how to sit up, stand tall and feel awesome.
The Heavyweight Shopping Schlep
How it hurts you: When we carry heavy bags, we often tense up our muscles. Do that for a long time and muscles can go into spasms or cramps, leading to a sore upper back, neck and shoulders. If your load is lopsided, you risk spine-related injuries such as slipped disks and pinched nerves.
• Fix it now: Post-shopping, do shoulder rolls: Slowly roll shoulders back, making big circles, 10 times, then circle front for 10. Next, do an upper-trapezius stretch: Sitting down, extend one arm to grab the edge of the chair and lean your body-leading with your head-away from that arm. Hold 10 seconds and switch sides.
• Fix it forever: Ideally, your total load should be less than 10 percent of your body weight. If you're on a major mall expedition, drop off some bags in your car, then go back for Round 2. You'll lighten your load-plus get extra exercise!
The Tablet/Texting Hunch
How it hurts you: When your head hangs down, it's like a 15- to 20-pound weight pulls on your neck, generating aches and often a burning sensation that radiates into your upper back and between your shoulder blades. Long term, you also can sabotage your posture-helping gravity round your shoulders.
• Fix it now: A simple test can tell you if you're slumping too much. Form an L shape with your thumb and index finger and place your thumb on your sternum with your finger pointing up. If your chin is touching your index finger, your head is too far forward. Release the pressure with a chin slide: Keeping your chin level, slide it back, away from your index finger, as far as possible. Then slide forward again. Repeat 5 or 6 times, coming to rest with your chin back, in a neutral position.
• Fix it forever: Sit upright with your back against the rear of your couch or chair. Raise your screen to about 2 inches below eye level-you might need a pillow on your lap to support your arms. Ideally, your chin should be pointing roughly at the center of the screen, which should be around 17 inches from your eyes.
The Smartphone Shoulder Squeeze
How it hurts you: Although it frees your hands, squeezing a slim smartphone between your shoulder and ear can seriously compress muscles, joints and nerves in your neck and lead to tension, soreness, headaches and numbness or tingling down your arm. If you do it for hours every day, you run the risk of pinched nerves, tendinitis of the rotator cuff in your shoulder and, in some cases, jaw pain.
• Fix it now: Stretch in the opposite direction to lengthen shortened muscles and decompress structures in the neck. If you were squeezing on your right, place your left hand on top of your head, elbow out to the side. Slowly lower your neck toward your left shoulder (being careful not to pull on your head). Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, tucking your chin to deepen the stretch. Repeat 5 times.
• Fix it forever: Use a headset, earphones or Bluetooth, or just use the speakerphone feature. At the very least, alternate ears so you don't keep compressing the same side.