Modern Life Is Rubbish ( for our spines)

Why our posture is SO bad

You all remember as kids being told; sit up straight, don’t slouch, look at me when I am talking to you. I mean for me it was part of the routine when it came to sitting down at the dinner table, wash your hands, don’t scrape your chair on the floor and sit up straight.

Though I wonder, did those words have a lasting effect on me? Do I now think about my posture? Am I telling my kids enough about theirs and why now when I look around are a lot of young people hunched over…why IS our posture so bad?

It seems that modern life, like Blur said in the 90’s is in fact rubbish…for our spines. The ability to do everything from the comfort of our laptops and smart phones means we spend a lot more time hunched over a device. We are always looking down….and sometimes I wonder what are we missing? Are we noticing the colour of the sky, the way the clouds are forming…do we even know whats above ours heads? Or are we always looking down?

This constant state of looking down is awful for our posture, giving a lot of people what we call rounded shoulders. Whilst their is no escaping the fact that the world is moving on and that technology is so advanced that pretty much all our needs can be fulfilled through some kind of app, their is something we can do about our posture.

Here are a few tips for you and your mini me’s.

How do I sit properly?

• Keep your feet on the floor or on a footrest, if they don’t reach the floor.
• Don’t cross your legs. Your ankles should be in front of your knees.
• Keep a small gap between the back of your knees and the front of your seat.
• Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips.
• Adjust the backrest of your chair to support your low- and mid-back or use a back support.
• Relax your shoulders and keep your forearms parallel to the ground.
• Avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time.

How do I stand properly?

• Bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet.
• Keep your knees slightly bent.
• Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart.
• Let your arms hang naturally down the sides of the body ( you may have to put some music on and put down the smart phone for a while!)
• Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled backward.
• Tuck your stomach in.
• Keep your head level-your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders. Do not push your head forward, backward, or to the side.
• Shift your weight from your toes to your heels, or one foot to the other, if you have to stand for a long time.

Not only can poor posture have a negative effect on your spine but also on your general well-being too. Having a healthy spine can have positive effects on your general health and mood too as can looking up from your phone and taking in the beauty of your surroundings and smiling at people!

Regular chiropractic adjustment are also advisable to maintain a healthy spine and correct your posture so look into getting a spinal health check as soon as possible…not just for yourself for the children too. When it comes to posture the only way is up!

We know this is how life is now…we are all so busy and we have to move with the times but just try, a few times a day to think about how your holding yourself, do you need to be hunched over your screen right now….is their something about your surroundings you might be missing out on?

Then simply do as your folks always told you to at the dinner table…legs under the table and sit up straight.