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Beauty & Health

5 Ways To Perfect Your Posture While WFH & Improve Your Health

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Wellness

5 Ways To Perfect Your Posture While WFH & Improve Your Health

Standing or sitting correctly has some serious health benefits. This is how you can get good posture (and why you should)

November 4, 2020
Good posture to perfect your posture during WFH

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We rarely think about what constitutes a good posture or bad posture. “For most of us, posture is a subconscious habit, instead of something we actively pay attention to,” says physiotherapist Marcus Dripps. And it’s more than just standing up straight. “There are two types of posture. Your static posture: how you hold yourself when you’re sitting or standing. And your dynamic posture: the posture you use when you’re doing something active, like walking.” 

Having good posture can help lower stress levels, give you more energy, confidence, and fewer headaches. It can also help with less neck and lower back pain, and give you better tolerance to pain. The list goes on and on.

From a psychological point of view, adopting a posture that opens up the body makes it seem like you take up more physical space. This has a psychological knock-on effect. It helps you behave in a way that makes you look like you’re in charge. US researchers say the tactic also convinces the people around you that you’re worthy of their respect. Sitting upright when you’re faced with a stressful situation can make you more resilient to the effects of stress. New Zealand researchers who made the discovery says sitting up straight helps to instantly boost self-esteem and improve mood.

Then from the physical standpoint. Research has linked the degree to which you sit with “forward head posture” (that hunched-over, head-out posture you slip into when you’re struggling to read something on a computer screen) with more frequent, longer-lasting headaches. And Canadian researchers say an expansive powerful posture increases your pain threshold by boosting the production of testosterone. 

These five strategies will give you good posture and improve the impact it has on your health.

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https://www.womensweekly.com.sg/gallery/beauty-and-health/wellness/how-to-perfect-your-posture-while-wfh-improve-your-health/
5 Ways To Perfect Your Posture While WFH & Improve Your Health
Strive for a neutral body position
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“The best postural position is one that minimizes how much your muscles have to contract to hold you in place,” says Dripps. So when you’re standing, align your ears over your shoulders, your shoulders over your hips, and your hips over your knees and ankles. “Use the old ‘deportment school’ method: position yourself, so you could balance some books on your head if you wanted to, or imagine a piece of string coming out of the top of your skull and pulling you up towards the ceiling so your head is balanced over your spine. That will help you place your neck and shoulders in a neutral position.

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Don’t stay in one position for too long
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Even if you’ve got good posture, maintaining one position for lengthy periods is bad for your health. “A key part of making sure your posture doesn’t contribute to aches and pains is moving your body and changing its position regularly,” says Dripps. While standing desks are linked to a variety of health benefits, including increased energy expenditure, they can also contribute to lower back pain if you don’t regularly take breaks to sit down. “When you’re doing something sedentary, set the alarm to remind yourself to change your position every 20 to 30 minutes, and take the chance to stretch at the same time,” he adds.

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Pay attention to your body when using technology
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Using a tablet computer puts up to five times more strain on neck muscles, because of the posture we adopt when we use them — head forward and shoulders hunched. That same posture is also the reason why at least 50 per cent of people who work on a computer has kyphosis, a slightly rounded back.

Try to maintain a neutral body position when you use any technology. Prop tablets up at a higher level, and change your desk or seat height when working at a computer. When texting, use both thumbs and support your back against a chair. Having a strong core will also help you maintain a neutral body position.

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Tilt the seat of your chair downwards
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Scottish research shows that sitting with your back straight, and at a 90-degree angle to your thighs, places too much strain on your back. This can lead to chronic aches and pains. Instead, the scientists behind the study recommend tilting the seat of your chair forward, so that your bottom and hips are slightly higher than your knees. Aim for a 135-degree angle. If the height of your chair is not adjustable, you could place a piece of foam or a folded towel at the back of your seat to sit on.

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Download a ‘posture’ app
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There are a variety of smartphone apps that can help you correct your posture. The Posture Aware app, for example, lets you analyze your posture with the photos you take of yourself and how much it has improved over time. On the other hand, the Posture Trainer app uses your phone’s accelerometer to detect when you’re projecting your “text-neck”. It dims your screen so you instinctively raise your phone to eye level.

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This post was first published in The Singapore Women’s Weekly May 2020 print issue.

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