Developing and maintaining good posture requires paying attention to how you hold your head, shoulders, back, hips and feet.
As you practice straightening your spine at first it may feel uncomfortable, but with practice your new posture will seem natural and healthy.
Follow these guidelines to achieve strong, supported posture.
Maintaining a good standing posture is important for spinal health.
Good Posture While Standing: Step by Step Guide
You can correct years of poor posture through proper form, developing new posture habits, and consistency.
Here is how to stand with good posture:
- Stand upright: Maintain a straight posture as if you're trying to reach the ceiling with the top of your head.
- Knees: keep your knees straight but avoid locking your knees.
- Arms at your sides: Let your arms hang naturally down the sides of your body.
- Chin check: Make sure your chin is tucked in slightly to keep the head level.
- Head alignment: Be sure your head is square on top of the spine, not pushed out forward. Align your ears over your shoulders.
- Shoulder alignment: Square your shoulders - pull your shoulders back and down, keeping them relaxed.
- Core engagement: Gently tuck your stomach towards your spine to engage your core muscles.
- Foot placement: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and distribute weight evenly throughout the heels and balls of your feet.
When standing for a long period of time, shift weight from one foot to the other, or rock from heels to toes.
Quick Tips to Straighten Your Posture
The following tips will help you re-align your posture and protect your back at home:
Practice against a wall:
Stand with your back flat against a wall, ensuring your heels, buttocks, shoulder blades, and head are touching the wall surface.
In this position, the back of your head should also touch the wall - if it does not, your head is too far forward (anterior head carriage).
Maintain this position for one minute to reinforce your muscle memory.
Do posture exercises:
Specific exercises like wall slides, exercise ball core strengthening, and pelvic tilts strengthen the core body muscles needed to support the natural alignment of your spine.
Check your posture at times throughout the day:
Regularly check your posture while sitting, standing, and walking. When starting out, set an alarm on your phone for every 30 minutes, and use this as a reminder to check your posture. Watch Video: 6 Tips to Improve Posture While Sitting
Use an app or wearable device that checks your posture:
There are apps and wearable devices that will vibrate or send you an alert when you slouch, prompting you to make real-time corrections in your posture.
Stretch your hip flexors:
A common cause of leaning forward at the hips is overly tight hip flexor muscles that tilt your pelvis forward. Do specific hip flexor stretches twice daily to open up your hips and allow you to keep your back straight while standing and moving.
Extra tip: Walking is an excellent way to get the benefits of regular exercise without stressing your back, but it’s important to maintain a strong supported posture and take shorter strides while exercise walking. If you have a lot of back pain or joint pain, you can walk in a warm pool as the water will help support you while providing gentle resistance.
Watch How to Start Walking Program When You Have Low Back Pain Video
There is no one product or “quick fix” to correct your posture, but regular practice and consistency over time will lead to good posture and reduce stress on your back.
Reduce Tense Muscles to Straighten Your Spine
One common cause of bad posture is tense muscles, which will pull the body out of alignment.
There are several specific exercises that will help stretch and relax the major back muscles, and many people find that engaging in physical therapy is the best way to do this.
Other helpful therapies include:
- Meditation, prayer or other forms of mental relaxation are effective in helping relax the back muscles.
- Massage therapy helps with overly tight muscles and muscle knots, and spurs blood flow to the muscles.
- Slow and mindful exercise routines are helpful, such as yoga and tai chi.
- Chiropractic adjustments and spinal manipulation are helpful with both muscle relaxation and posture awareness and improvement.
Final Thoughts
By incorporating these effective tips into your daily routine and engaging in a therapy that works best for you, you can correct your posture, stand tall and straighten your back – as well as protect your back from excessive stress and degeneration over time.
It is never too late to fix your posture and improve your spine health, so start today with the above instructions. Seek help from a physical therapist or other health professional if you need one-on-one guidance.
