We all know how important proper alignment is but we don’t always know how to improve posture effectively, right? Our posture not only increases or decreases our internal confidence, but it can also have a severe impact on the quality of our lives and pain levels.
In this collaborative post, we will focus on a few simple ways for how to improve posture so you can stand tall and breathe deeply.
5 Tips for How To Improve Posture
Due to entirely too much time sitting at our computers, browsing our phones, or binging on the latest TV show, our posture is seriously suffering. As a result, we are hearing more complaints of chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain.
Related Reading: How To Get Rid of Back Pain Naturally with Essential Healing Helpers
If you have found yourself moaning about the discomfort linked to postural issues, now is the time to take charge. It’s easier to correct the problem earlier, rather than later.
We didn’t learn bad habits overnight, so unlearning them probably won’t happen that way either!
The biggest challenge is often knowing where to start. Here are five simple tips for how to improve posture that will help alleviate the pain and reverse some of the damage.
1. Be More Active
Okay, okay, I know y’all are probably hollering at me right now! You might be thinking, “Holly! I’m already in pain, how am I supposed to be more active?!?”
My friend, believe me, I hear you! As someone who has walked the road of chronic pain, I understand where you’re coming from. Exercise feels like the worst thing you could possibly do.
What I can honestly tell you is that exercise is powerful medicine. An inactive body is a body full of muscle, joint, and nerve pain. Not to mention inflammation!
Good Reading: Exercising for chronic pain
Finding the right kind of exercise for your fitness level and pain level is one of the most powerful ways for how to improve posture and find relief from chronic pain & stress.
Increased flexibility and suppleness should slowly reduce the pains. More importantly, it can actively correct the postural damage to build a straighter and more natural stance.
The fact you’ll lose a little fat in the process can only help too. Excess fat really stresses our bodies and our postures!
Consider these activities:
- Strength training with CrossFit
- Walking briskly outdoors or on a treadmill
- Yoga stretches for flexibility and relaxation
- Swimming is low-impact and excellent for your joints!
- Isometrics are arthritis and pain friendly
- … really, anything you find fun & can stick with!
2. Get Techy With It!
Many people don’t even realize that they have a postural problem until the damage is severe. If you’ve noticed minor issues, there’s time to reverse the damage with obVus Solutions.
The platform turns your Apple Watch into a real-time postural recorder. It will track just how bad your posture has become and make suggestions on how to fight back against it. As you become more conscious of the issues, you’ll soon overcome them.
Technology can teach us how to improve posture? I guess we should’ve known, “there’s an app for that!”
Correcting your breathing with modern tech can feed into a better posture too. It really is amazing how much the ‘openness’ of our posture and the quality of our breathing are connected.
3. Change Your Workstation Set-Up
When we are looking at ways for how to improve posture, it’s no surprise that we must shift the focus to where many of us spend a good chunk of our time; at our desks!
Office working is one of the main reasons for the increased presence of back problems among younger adults. It’s likely that you spend 40 hours of each week slumped over the computer.
A standing desk can instantly reduce the impact that too much sitting has on your body. Another option is to invest in an ergonomic chair that provides ample support to the back.
On a side note, many people find that walking while working boosts productivity and creativity! Not to mention, it can help prevent that painful condition known as sciatica!
4. Upgrade Your Bed
Even the long hours spent in the office don’t match the time spent in bed. So, if you are currently sleeping on an old and misshapen mattress, it will show in your quality of life and health.
They may be expensive, but because we spend 1/3 of our life asleep, it’s important to get this investment right! A mattress that isn’t right for us not only hurts our posture, but increases our stress hormones from poor quality sleep!
A new Tempur mattress could be a good match for you. The layers mean that the mattresses contour to your body and movements. The key is to find a firmness level that suits your needs.
About 6 months or so ago now, we invested in a DreamCloud mattress with an adjustable frame. While their customer service lacked a lot to be desired; the bed has been a great value for the price.
A comfortable pillow is another critical piece of the pain and posture puzzle. I like to tuck a body pillow between my knees to properly align my hips and back. What a difference this makes! Have you tried it?
5. Wear Supportive Clothing
When you already have back pains, wearing ill-fitting clothes that weigh down on your shoulders in the wrong way can cause big issues. For ladies, the wrong-sized bras can be a big culprit. Women’s purses are another big posture issue!
How do we go about correcting this? One of the most popular ways for how to improve posture quickly are back braces and vests that actively correct how you are aligned.
Typically, this is a temporary measure to re-train yourself to sit or stand without slouching. Physically and mentally, the benefits are incredible. Pain wears us down in every way.
If poor alignment is causing chronic pain for you, this one affordable addition could have a huge impact on your well-being.
As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my affiliate disclosure here.
— Quick Recap & Closing —
We’ve covered 5 easy tips for how to improve posture problems effectively & naturally.
- Exercise is medicine. Our bodies need to move. That’s what they were designed to do. Our sedentary lifestyles have created posture problems and many other health conditions. Even if it’s just small amounts of movement to start with – remember that movement is life!
- Embrace technology platforms like obVus Solutions while you’re learning how to improve posture! Technology isn’t always good for us, but in this case, it can help us heal!
- Monitor how long you are sitting for work. Consider investing in a standing or treadmill desk so you can be active while you work. It’s even proven to boost your problem-solving skills & creativity!
- Mind your mattress! A worn-out, nasty ol’ mattress can wreak havoc on your health & posture! It’s an investment, yes, but you spend 1/3 of your life in it; make it a healthy place to be!
- What you wear matters. Clothing items that don’t fit correctly pull on our posture in ways they should not. Heavy purses can cause us to lean to one side leading to postural nightmares. That’s why posture-correcting back braces or vests are so popular to re-train your body.
While there are so many more tips & tricks I could share with you, the above steps should have a significant influence on your postural health. It’s still wise to consult your doctor before implementing any new routines into your life.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
- Do you struggle with keeping correct posture? If yes, what have you done to correct it?
- Has pain affected your life because of poor posture? Let’s talk about it!
As always, if this post has helped you, please share it with your social media family. I am so very thankful for each and every single one of you! ♥
Poor posture got you down? Try these 5 easy tips to improve your posture and your pain levels! #posture #healthyliving #chronicpain #painrelief #health
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Lots of Love & Endless Blessings,
Thanks for sharing these tips, ma’am. Our health matters!. ❤
Thank you my friend. You’re right, it really does! ♥️
All great ideas Holly. I suffer from sciatica so this helps 🙂
Aw, Michele! I am so sorry you suffer from sciatica! That pain is awful! Have you been able to improve it?
Thank you for your kind words. ♥️
Yoga has helped me a lot, and I enjoy it so much.
That’s awesome, Michele. So thankful to hear you found something that helps you! There are endless yoga poses that provide amazing pain relief. Our bodies were definitely made to move. 🙂
Hi Holly! These are great tips. I sit a lot for my job and you are spot on with your advise. I try to do stretching and get up and about whenever I can. Thanks for your thoughts! Love, Janet
Dearest Janet, you are so sweet! Thank you for your encouragement. 🤗
I love what you said about getting up and stretching since you are forced to sit so much for work. It helps a lot, doesn’t it? I try to remind myself at least once an hour to get up and move around if it’s a sit down kind of work-day too. It’s easy to get lost in a project though and forget to do just that! Then my body reminds me of why it’s so important! 😉
I love you, my friend. Thank you for all you do to be a blessing and a support. I don’t take you for granted! ♥
Great tips! Got a new chair this weekend and a laptop stand that will allow me to stand up! Way to much time hunched over. 🥰
Hi Cindi! Oooh! How do you like your new chair and laptop stand? I hope they are perfect for you. When we have to sit a lot for work, the quality of our chairs is everything. Finding the right one for us can be a little tricky sometimes. I purchased a La-Z-Boy work chair and can’t say that I’m very thrilled with it, unfortunately.
Here’s to hoping you are getting out of pain, standing taller, and finding yourself smiling at work again. 😘 Sending tons of love to you, my friend. It’s GREAT hearing from you!
Such a perfectly timed post! I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before but I’ve been having significant problems around my shoulders/back/down the sides of my chest for a while now and it’s badly affected my sleep and breathing. I didn’t have a clue what was going on and – to cut a looooong story short – I’m now paying for physio. He said I looked ‘manged’. Shoulders slumped because they were being pulled up like by marionette strings, my shoulders subluxing / partially dislocating every time I lifted my arms up, etc.
Turns out the muscles in my back have weakened too much over these last few years from essentially being bed-bound as I can’t sit in a real chair, so even though I move about, it’s obviously taken a toll. I also look down to my laptop so even though that’s propped up a little, that’s not enough either. It’s also led to clavical outlet syndrome, with trapped nerves, veins and muscles below my clavical. It’s amazing (and not in a good way) how interconnected different muscles and such are and what happens when they start going haywire. I can’t believe my shoulders aren’t in place properly anymore because of this. It’s mad.
Posture is immensely important, especially as it works certain muscles. If they’re not strong enough, other muscles take over and get knotted up, messing up a lot of things because they’re all interconnected.
I’d never heard of obVus Solutions before but that is absolutely awesome that there’s an app for the watch to keep track of posture. Wow! I can’t really afford the watch to begin with but I’m so curious!! I’m also interested in clothing for posture. I’ve seen a few things before through other blogs for shoulder alignment (like you say with back braces or vests) so I’ll investigate a little further.
Amazing post, Holly!! xx
Aw Caz! Bless your heart. I am so sorry to hear of all you’ve been going through with your shoulders, back, and sides of the chest. I’m grateful to hear that you have been able to secure physio to hopefully get some of these issues corrected. Have you noticed how we really don’t know how much pain we’ve been in until someone massages or manipulates that area to correct it? 🤗
The looking down at electronic devices is a killer for our muscles. I’d have to look it up again to find it but I recall reading how many pounds of pressure our necks endure as we do that. It was CRAZY! It’s no wonder then, as you describe, that it affects every other area of our upper bodies. You’re right, my friend, it is truly amazing how interconnected the muscles, fibers, and nerves are. It saddens me that you’re dealing with this kind of pain. Are you feeling any improvement now or are you in the healing process?
Like you, I haven’t invested in an Apple watch due to cost but they are very useful, especially when combined with programs like posture trackers, etc. I can say that those vests and braces help a ton. It’s much like wearing a sports bra during a workout versus wearing a regular bra. Big difference! 🙂
Thank you so much Caz for your encouragement. I have no words for how much your support means to me! ♥
I loved reading this, Holly! The post is so informative and straightforward to follow but can add a lot to improve the posture. I do notice that when I wear a sports bra and go for a walk, I almost don’t get back pain. I should read further on the exercises to improve posture.
You are so kind, Svet! And I agree with you – isn’t it incredible how even just a sports bra can help alleviate some back pain and tension? In comparison, if we are too active in a regular bra, you can really feel the difference!
I hope you find exactly what will bring you the most relief, my friend. ♥ Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I love hearing from you! Hoping you and your loved ones are well. BIG hugs headed your way.
What excellent ideas! Exercise would help me!
Thank you, Diane! ♥ I agree with you – exercise makes a world of difference in our posture and pain levels. That one change in my own life helped undo years of debilitating chronic pain. Even just quick walks and stretches help! 🙂 Thank you for sharing your thoughts, my friend. I appreciate you and hope you are well!
What a great post! Some of these I never thought of before, especially the clothing. I do know that my purse can really way me down. After a full day shopping with my mom, my shoulder and neck hurt! I should probably clean out my purse. Do I really need to carry around all that stuff? LOL
I know that I could use a better workspace. Right now I work from my couch! I try to get up and walk around every hour but sometimes when I’m super into writing something time just passes me by!
LOL! I hear you about the purse. I’ve seen quite a few memes about the amount of stuff women carry in their bags. Usually the argument is, “Well! You never know if one of us will need any of this stuff!” It’s like an emergency suitcase carried around at all times. 🤣 In all seriousness though, I do hope you take it easy on that back of yours!
Ouch! Dang Michelle, I am sorry to hear that you work from your couch. I used to do the same and it was causing issues. Will your new home have a nice office for you? I hope so!! And yeah, I know exactly what you mean about losing track of time when you’re busy writing, creating, or working in some form. It’s so easy to do. Some people set those little timers that beep to remind them. Maybe we need to consider those! 😉
Sending big love and lots of hugs your way, my friend. I am so grateful for all of your shares, comments, and support. You’re the best! ♥
Yes! There’s a big “formal living room” off to the side and since we’re not “formal” people, I’m hoping to turn that space into my craft room/office. I’m so excited! There’s a door that goes out to a side porch and also a gas fireplace! I’ll probably never leave that room! hahaha!
I love the idea of a timer! I’m putting that into my phone right now so I don’t forget to do it. 😀 Thank you!
Oh my goodness, Michelle!! That room sounds amazing. I am so ridiculously happy for you and can see why you’d not want to leave. The creativity you’ll be free to have in that space is going to be highly contagious to us all! What a blessing. I wondered if you guys were looking at homes in the Martinsville or Henry County area.
Hope the timer idea works for you. 😀 You give me good ideas all the time so I’m glad that I could return the favor!
We were looking in Henry, but this one is in Martinsville, which is even closer to my husband’s work. 🙂
Oh my goodness. That’s amazing! As you know, I used to live there and I LOVE that area. We’ve even been considering moving back (and actively looking). I think you’re going to love the community, Michelle. ♥
I would love that. Who knows, it just might happen! I genuinely believe you are going to find yourself very happy. I’m praying that’s true! ♥