Improving your posture

Your mom was always telling you “sit up straight!” Looking at photos of myself now, I wish I’d listened to her, I constantly catch myself slouching, whether I'm walking, standing, or sitting, it seems to be my default position. Is it too late to fix? Of course not, and there are a couple ways other than sitting up straight you can improve your posture.

Don’t crane your neck

If you’re sitting at a computer desk for most of the day, make sure the top-third of your screen is at your eye-level. Make sure you’re never hunching over your laptop.

Have a look at your feet

We don't mean to look down at your feet while you're walking! That's the worst possible thing you could do. No, keep your neck aligned with your spine, but make sure your feet are not pronated. That's when your feet are caved in and your weight is unevenly distributed, leaving your hips lopsided and your spine unaligned.

Do exercises that help with your posture

Yoga is a popular exercise many turn to help their slouch. Finding your centre and balancing keeps you confident and teaches your body what good posture feels like. Simple exercises with standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, and with both your ears aligned with your shoulders, raise your arms from the side out so it's shoulder-level. Hold your arms out there for 10 seconds and slowly lower them down to your sides. Repeat this ten times, so you start building "muscle memory" and good posture becomes your default posture and you don't have to think about it or get tired from trying to correct yourself up straight.

Watch how you're sleeping

Sleeping on your back is better for support and helps keep your shoulders straight. If you need to sleep on your side, try putting a pillow between your knees to keep your spine straight.

Last pro tip: imagine yourself walking with a book on your head as often as you can.

Or if you’re feeling confident about your posture, trays of food work too.