Recently during a training session I was asked to instruct on correct posture. I was a little taken back initially because I thought this was an automatic thing that we just did. But it’s true, as humans we struggle with this. If you observe people in public you’ll see a lot of slouched shoulders, slumped backs and on the other side of it most people at their desks tend to be either slouched or in a constant shrugging form with their shoulders. No wonder we hold so much stress in this part of our bodies. So in brief I would like to give you the rules of sitting and standing properly. How to 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 to 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.
- Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled backward.
- Tuck your stomach in.
- Keep your head level. Your ears should be in line with your shoulders and your hips. All in one straight line. Do not push your head forward, backward, or to the side.
Please feel free to pass this on to anyone who is struggling with the proper alignment of their body. Their chiropracter will appreciate the help…..or maybe not.