Bad posture can often go unnoticed until it starts having an impact on your quality of life. Telltale signs include constantly tight shoulders or always feeling the need to crack your neck.
Most people are now aware that sitting for long periods can affect posture, but some surprising day-to-day factors can wreak havoc too.
Mallory Behenna, physical therapist at Brooks Rehabilitation, has noticed four common lifestyle factors amongst her patients that are leading to bad posture. She shares all with Fit&Well.
1. Scrolling
Doom scrolling isn’t just bad for your mental health, but your physical health too. “Rounded shoulders can cause and increase neck pain because the muscles that control the shoulder blade are not able to activate in this position,” says Behenna.
“This means the muscles on the top of the shoulder blades going into the neck have to work harder to hold the arms in place, leading to tightness, limited range of motion, neck pain and headaches.”
2. Carrying a heavy bag
Rather than going to the gym, some of us see the rigors of life—such as carrying a heavy bag—as an opportunity to build strength, and Behenna agrees that holding a “very heavy weight on just one side can be beneficial” when it’s done correctly.
“However, it can also be detrimental if you cannot maintain a neutral position against the weight,” she cautions. That means if you get pulled out of shape by what you’re carrying for long periods, you could negatively impact your posture.
“It puts more stress on the neck, shoulders, thoracolumbar spine and core muscles, which can cause or exacerbate pain,” says Behenna.
3.Sleeping on your stomach
You can’t help how you prefer to sleep, but certain positions are better for you than others.
“Sleeping on the stomach puts the neck at the end-range of rotation and holds it there for hours, causing more strain on the muscles, joints, and discs in the neck,” says Behenna.
It’s much safer to sleep on your side or back with pillows supporting the neck in a neutral position.
4. Using the wrong size keyboard
For those of us who work at a desk, adjusting your office set-up to suit your body is crucial.
According to Behenna, using the wrong-sized keyboard can lead to long-term health issues, such as carpal tunnel, repetitive strain injury and even spinal dysfunction.
“If it’s too wide, it can cause your posture to be off-center and cause strain, which is commonly seen in people using large gaming keyboards,” says Behenna. “On the other hand, if it’s too small, this can cause shoulder and chest strain. To avoid this, adopt an ergonomic office setup that supports your frame and size.”
Three exercises for better posture
As well as making lifestyle changes, it’s essential to do some exercises that can improve your posture—these will strengthen your muscles and joints so they can properly support you.
These are the three exercises Behenna says you should be doing every day.
1. High plank
“Planks work your core stability and endurance, which helps with overall balance and stability as well as protecting your spine,” says Behenna.
How to do it:
Sets: 1 Time: 60sec
- Start on your hands and toes with your arms extended and wrists under shoulders, your feet shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Engage your core and don’t let the hips rise or sag.
- Hold this position for 60 seconds.
- Aim to increase the length of time you hold a plank for as you get stronger.
2. Step-up
“People tend to use one leg more than the other when performing daily activities, like going up a flight of stairs, resulting in unbalanced leg strength,” says Behanna.
Working the legs individually each day will help you avoid mobility problems later down the line.
How to do it:
Sets: 3 Reps: 10-15 each side
- Stand in front of the bottom of a staircase or a sturdy stool (4-8 inches tall).
- Lift your right foot and place it on the step.
- Extend your right leg to bring your left foot onto the step.
- Slowly place your right foot on the floor behind you, bending your left knee and controlling your descent.
- Step the left foot down to the floor.
- Continue, leading with the same foot each time.
- When you’ve completed all the reps, repeat, leading with the left foot.
3. Side-lying hip abduction
“When you take a step, your hip abductors keep you stable,” Behanna says. “These muscles contract to stabilize your femur and prevent your hip from dropping as you put your weight on the stance leg.”
This move will help you strengthen your hip abductors.
How to do it:
Sets: 3 Reps: 10-15
- Lie on your right side with your right knee bent.
- Lift your left leg, keeping your heel slightly behind your hip.
- Lower slowly.
- Repeat 10-15 times,
- When you’ve completed all the reps, repeat on the other side.