I have terrible posture. Any tips on correcting?

katy4399
katy4399 Posts: 136 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello,
I am 34 and I have TERRIBLE posture. I slouch all the time. I think it started because I have a large chest and tried to make it appear smaller by slouching :) Regardless of how it started it is terrible and I am trying to sit up straight and pull my shoulders back. Any other tips?


Thanks,
Katy
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Replies

  • ladyfingers39
    ladyfingers39 Posts: 335
    Just being aware of it should change it. Stand up straight, sit up straight. :)
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    Do some upper body strength training. I used to have horrible posture, but once I got muscles in my chest, shoulders and upper arms, my posture has improved almost 100%.
  • 1shauna1
    1shauna1 Posts: 993 Member
    I'm the same. I think it's because I was 5'10" when I was in 6th grade, and didn't want to be taller than everyone (boys included!). Now I just have to be aware, and when I catch myself slumping I stand up straight. I don't know if there's any other way to fight it!
  • stellaskies
    stellaskies Posts: 161 Member
    Me and my husband both have this problem. We decided to help each other out. If I catch him hunched over I signal to him to put his shoulders back. It has taken him a while but he's finally correcting me too. Maybe you have a coworker or SO that cuold do the same for you?
  • barefoot76
    barefoot76 Posts: 314 Member
    Yoga yoga yoga! I used to teach yoga a long time ago, and I was constantly complimented on my posture. I stopped teaching ten years ago. Now, after having four kids, my posture is wrecked! I'm slowly trying to get back into just 10-15 minutes of yoga a day. It makes a huge difference. Right now the effects are not lasting, but hopefully, with time (and more strength training as has already been mentioned), I will start to see a difference once again.
  • sngnyrslp
    sngnyrslp Posts: 315 Member
    I'm the same. I think it's because I was 5'10" when I was in 6th grade, and didn't want to be taller than everyone (boys included!). Now I just have to be aware, and when I catch myself slumping I stand up straight. I don't know if there's any other way to fight it!

    That's why I have bad posture! Being tall is so awkward!!
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    I noticed a funny side effect from deadlifting. People asked if I got -even taller.- (I'm 6'7)
    I hadn't noticed, but my back and shoulders are much straighter now. My posture is 10x better.

    Bet this would work for you, too.
  • KickassAugust
    KickassAugust Posts: 1,430 Member
    IF you have a desk job you can switch to using a ball to sit on.. the ball kind of forces you to have better posture..
  • BeccaB1981
    BeccaB1981 Posts: 456 Member
    I have terrible posture too and I would love to correct it!! I know when I sit up straight I look taller and thinner but I feel like it looks like I am just trying to stick my boobs out when I sit up tall. Anyway, thanks to this post I am going to try my best to sit up straight for at least the rest of the day. :wink:
  • ChristySeeksBalance
    ChristySeeksBalance Posts: 43 Member
    I have this problem too. It's to the point that I look wierd in pictures because my shoulders are always so rolled forward. Yoga has helped strengthen the muscles, and it's also taught me *how* to have good posture. I always thought you were supposed to hold your shoulders up somehow, and it felt really unnatural. You don't actually hold them up, yoga describes it as more back and as far away from your ears as possible. Weird that just a description could make such a huge impact on me. Anyway, I'm working on mine. I have to be conscious of it pretty much all the time. I do quick checks whenever it pops into my head, and correct my posture and hold it as long as I can remember. There have even been a couple times in the last couple weeks when I do a quick check and find I'm already standing up straight. Yay me!

    Anyway, I noticed something that went with the rolled shoulders is I have limited mobility in my shoulders. Do you know what the yoga table pose is? I can barely do it, my arms don't go back that way. I'm making myself do that more often too, and I"ve noticed my shoulders are becoming much more flexible since I started.
  • StephC74
    StephC74 Posts: 64 Member
    Pilates helps too - stronger core helps with posture. Also if you have the slumping shoulders work on strengthening/lengthening the muscles that run across the front of your chest from shoulder to neck. Mine were quite lazy from holding and carrying small children and all their gear for so long that it was causing the muscles in my shoulders and back to always be super tight. My chiropractor had me do stretching. One of the easiest is to stand facing the wall with your arm straight out against the wall then turn your body 90 degrees away from the wall so your arm is stretched out behind you.

    Crazy as it sounds Sketchers shape ups help with standing posture - you can't stand in them and slouch or you fall over.
  • Benson19
    Benson19 Posts: 54 Member
    Being aware of your own posture is very key because then you can catch yourself and correct it. Bad postures are habits that need to be broken, so they will take awhile to correct. Your muscles are in a tug of war over your bone structure. So when one muscle group wins the tug of war your posture gets pulled in that direction. Muscles on the front of our body tend to be used more because we are always forward moving and working in front of ourselves. Those muscles get stronger and win. That's why we collapse forward. Without seeing your posture and knowing where corrections need to be made, to fix rolled shoulder usually stretching pecs helps a lot and then strengthening your upper back (rhomboids are key). For your low back postures strengthening your abs/core is always key. Your low back doesn't have much supporting it so strengthening your abs helps support your lower spine.

    Hope that helps :)
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    pilates should help. and ballet t6ype workouts.
  • solarpower4
    solarpower4 Posts: 250 Member
    I, too, had a terrible slouching problem for years, even though I tried to pull my shoulders back to correct it. I finally found a source that explained what PROPER POSTURE looks like from a body mechanics view:

    First, pull your ribs away from your pelvis by imagining there is a string attached to the top of your head and pulling you straight up.
    Next, Line your ears up above your shoulder blades, and your shoulder blades (back side) over your heels, making sure your hip bones are in that same line.

    Some sources recommend standing against a wall with your feet out 8 - 10 inches, etc, but for me the ear/shoulder/hip/heel line was something I could visualize no matter where I was and it worked!

    Exercises to help:
    Lay on your stomach with your arms "above" your head, reaching towards the wall. Keeping your arm straight, raise your right arm and left leg at the same time. Hold for a count, then lower. Raise your left arm and right leg. hold for a count, then lower. Repeat 20 times. You can also do this starting from a kneeling position, hands under your shoulders, back straight and parallel to the floor. This works on your core more.
  • solarpower4
    solarpower4 Posts: 250 Member
    I have terrible posture too and I would love to correct it!! I know when I sit up straight I look taller and thinner but I feel like it looks like I am just trying to stick my boobs out when I sit up tall. Anyway, thanks to this post I am going to try my best to sit up straight for at least the rest of the day. :wink:

    Hey, if you've got 'em, flaunt 'em! Be proud of your body!! I used to feel self-conscious like that, too - as if I were just sticking my boobs out - but that's NOT what it looks like to everyone else.
  • jplucheck
    jplucheck Posts: 275 Member
    try yoga or strengthen your core
  • lizzie1030
    lizzie1030 Posts: 60
    I agree with yoga definitely. Also pilates exercises that strengthen 360 degrees around the core. Those also help you get in the habit of always holding in your stomach muscles, which will help your posture.
  • loves_jc
    loves_jc Posts: 86 Member
    Yoga, should help it out alot, you will lengthen your spine also. Very good for you too
  • lolamariem
    lolamariem Posts: 47
    Core excercises
  • wurgin
    wurgin Posts: 241 Member
    yoga!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    Posture is just something you have to force. Just like good eating, or working out. Just start doing it and soon enough, it will be second nature.
  • twisted88
    twisted88 Posts: 294 Member
    For immediate results: corset (but a good one).

    I definitely second the core training as well.
  • marsellient
    marsellient Posts: 591 Member
    First, pull your ribs away from your pelvis by imagining there is a string attached to the top of your head and pulling you straight up.
    Next, Line your ears up above your shoulder blades, and your shoulder blades (back side) over your heels, making sure your hip bones are in that same line. T
    Do this! Even think about lining up your ears with your shoulders. A physiotherapist described my posture as "teacher's neck"and gave me this advice years ago. It even helps my Mom (age 85) relieve a bit of the discomfort from arthritis in her neck.
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    Deadlifts and squats help posture. So do snatches and the clean and jerk.
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
    Yoga!
  • korsicash
    korsicash Posts: 770 Member
    core exercises, horse back riding, and I have horrible posture as well and when I wear heels i remember to watch this and keep my posture in balance.
  • aryastark8
    aryastark8 Posts: 57 Member
    Try the Gokhale method! It works great, and requires little effort. http://www.amazon.com/Steps-Pain-Free-Back-Solutions-Shoulder/dp/0979303605/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334616800&sr=8-1
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    PILATES!

    Strengthening core muscles will also help a lot!
  • taiji22
    taiji22 Posts: 13
    As the others have mentioned, yoga, pilates and weight training will help. T'ai Chi, whose basic premise depends on keeping alignment and understanding where your center of gravity is at all times is great for giving you feedback about how you are carrying your body. A skyscraper is built perpendicular to the ground so that the force of gravity does not tug it down causing the building to lean backward, forward, more to the left or right. Gravity runs through the core, causing less strain. Case in point - The Leaning Tower of Pisa. You may be tilting forward in your stance as you are hunching over- causing more stress on your back and your organs as gravity is pushing down. See a teacher who understands the dynamics of T'ai Chi and have her correct your posture. T'ai Chi is also rated as a moderate intensity exercise - 2 birds with one stone!
  • katy84o
    katy84o Posts: 744 Member
    It must be a Katy thing :) I slouch really bad to, when I realize i'm doing it, I pull my shoulders back and tighten my abs. But no other tips. I'm interested to see what everyone else says

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