2 Simple Steps to Improving Your Posture

Posture is something so many of us struggle with and poor posture can lead to back, neck and shoulder pain as well as countless other issues. Improving your posture isn’t necessarily a “quick fix”. It’s taken most of us many years of sitting at a desk, computer, using a tablet/phone/etc. to get to where we are, so you can’t expect to fix it with a snap of the fingers.

There are lots of exercises you can do to improve your posture, but today I want to step back even further. I’m going to give you two simple things you can start to implement today to begin to improve your posture!

Today’s video looks a little bit different because I had some really annoying challenges making this video and had to record it a number of times. The last time I held the camera instead of setting up the tripod.

Fortunately, my 5000th recording worked just fine, my goodness what an ordeal! Haha.

2 Simple Steps to Improving Your Posture

Turn Your Palms Forward

Anatomically speaking our palms should naturally face forward at rest, but we are so internally rotated through the shoulder. We can thank desk jobs/computers/phones/etc. for that, so most of us have palms that naturally face our legs or sometimes even behind us.

SImply turning your palms to face forward opens you through your shoulders and naturally allows you to move back into a better posture. Of course, this isn’t a “one and done” situation, it’s something that you’ll need to do on a regular basis before it becomes any type of habit. I like to suggest people put a sticker in 4-5 places you visit many times/day (fridge door, bathroom mirror, inside the cabinet, etc.), and each time you see the sticker it’s your reminder to turn your palms forward. This certainly isn’t going to change your life, but it’s a quick (and free!) thing you can do to help your posture!

Use Your Head Rest

Let me ask you a question – when in a car do you use the headrest? Do you actually rest the back of your head on the headrest? Why not? For many of us, the answer is habit – we naturally sit in a car with our head jutting forward which stressed your neck and back. Backing your head up to allow it to rest (or at least come in contact) with the headrest helps bring you back into alignment and reduces the strain on your neck. This may require you do some adjustments to your car seat to make it a comfortable fit, but it’s another easy thing you can do to save your head and neck.

The same goes for office chairs with headrests. Not all do, but many these days have a higher back and a place you can rest your head. I’m betting right now you aren’t even aware if your office chair has a headrest or not, that’s how infrequently I think they are used. Once again, it may take some adjusting to get the back of your chair in a position that you can comfortably sit with your head resting on the chair. Just think how much time you sit at your desk and in a car – this one change could make a significant difference!

Bonus tip: adjust your car headrest

This tip is less about your posture and more about your neck and safety. When you get in a car you should always lean back to see where the headrest would hit your head in an accident. Many people never think to adjust their headrest and leave it in the low position, which isn’t protecting their neck adequately if they were to be in an accident. It takes a couple of seconds to lean back and see where your head hits and adjust the headrest as needed. Anytime you get in someone else’s car (As a driver or passenger) you should do this check – you don’t typically get advanced notice of an accident so the safest bet is to do it as soon as you enter the car.

Let me know what you think in the comments – I’d really love to hear what you discover the next time you get in the car about your headrest! I’m betting many of you are going to have to adjust your headrests!!