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The way we hold our bodies while walking, sitting, standing, lying down etc. is what we call posture. When we are kids, most of us have good posture, or in other words, our body is aligned properly. However, you might have noticed that it’s rare seeing an adult with a good posture. What happens between childhood and adulthood is that, as time goes by, most of us develop bad habits that result in poor posture. We slouch over our desks, we don’t exercise enough, we spend too much time looking at our phones, etc.
Why Is Bad Posture Bad?
Bad posture is often the result of more than one thing – what we work, how we sleep, how much time we spend sitting, how often we text, the way we walk, the way we sit, the way we stand… And all of this has many consequences, not the least of which is our physical appearance. People with good posture simply look more attractive, younger, thinner… Most importantly your posture affects your overall wellbeing. Not only can a bad posture cause aches, such as back pain, knee pain or headaches, but it can also impact digestion and even your mental health.
The good news though is that in most cases posture is something that can be improved, and it’s never too late. And there are many ways to achieve it: posture improving exercises or simply going for walks, posture improving aids, such as a shoulder brace or orthopaedic shoes…
Culprits and Possible Solutions of Bad Posture
If you are aware of your bad posture, then you’ve probably tried to stay conscious of it and make yourself correct your sitting or standing, which is generally when we are slouching the most. However, even when we know we are doing it and we try consciously to make ourselves sit straight, most of us find ourselves hunched over our desks again every single time. If you are trying to find a way to avoid this, you should buy shoulder brace to efficiently improve your posture, and combine it with other techniques or aids for posture improvement. One thing only can rarely give miraculous results. For best results you should combine more techniques for posture improvement, and exercising is the most important one.
Depending on what is the main cause of your bad posture, or what bothers you most, there are different things you can try to do. If you work on a computer and you spend a lot of time sitting on a desk, for instance, a standing desk can be a great help. Standing desks are very helpful for people who lead a sedentary life.
One of the biggest problems people encounter when they are trying to improve their posture is that even after finding ways to correct the behaviour that leads them to slouch, they keep finding their bodies in awkward positions. Furthermore, many people who suffer from a back pain decide to change their mattress, however, if the back pain is from a bad posture, a good mattress alone won’t do the trick, though of course, it will be a great help.
Bad posture can also be caused by your feet. If you are wearing shoes that don’t support your arch properly, or that are too uncomfortable, it can cause you to walk with a bad posture. Of course, this isn’t a problem if it’s only that one pair of shoes that you really love, but wear only now and then. However, if you often suffer from back, knee, neck or hip pain after walking, you might try to find more suitable shoes or even orthopaedic shoes.
Benefits of Wearing a Shoulder Brace
In our everyday lives we tend to concentrate on the things we are doing, regardless whether it’s working, having fun, reading, or anything else, so much that we almost forget about our bodies and any discomforts they are in. This is why a shoulder brace may be a great solution for posture improvement – to help us remember to take care of our bodies.
A posture correcting brace like this works by holding our shoulders back, making it hard on our body to slouch. Of course, for some, this will be very hard at the beginning. If someone’s posture is really bad, what use to be their natural position can now cause them pain. But wearing a shoulder brace even in short intervals, can alleviate the muscles, and help the person get their back into its normal position.
If you decide to buy shoulder brace, you should incorporate it in your life gradually. This means that you should start wearing it for about 15-30 minutes, and gradually add more time. When you feel pain take it off. In time, your body will get used to its natural posture, and then your shoulder brace will be there to remind it to stay in it.
One of the best things about shoulder braces is that they can help you keep your beck straight in the situations when you maintain poor posture. Furthermore, there are minimal braces that you can wear under clothes, in case you want to go out with them. However, for best results, and more permanent posture correction – apart from wearing the brace while working on the computer, or while watching a film –, you should do exercises and stretches regularly.
