The last blog, I wrote, I gave you three exercises to help build better posture. This post I wanted to talk about the bad habits you have that are causing the hunched back and “tech neck” and what you can do to change those
1. Bring your phone up to eye level
Ever checked your screen time in your phone? If you haven’t you should. That bad huh?? That means you stare down at your for phone that long every day. That’s not including tablets or any other electronic device we use on a daily basis. What this is doing to your neck is now clinically labeled Tech Neck. Don’t worry you can change it if you make a simple adjustment in how you hold your phone/device. Try to make a conscious effort to bring your phone up to eye level when using it. It might seem unnatural or weird at first but it will save your posture and neck.
2. Set your alarm to check your posture
It is so easy to go through your day without even realizing you are slouching at your desk or looking down at your phone for hours on end. By the time the day is over you are wondering why your neck hurts. If this is you try setting a reminder in your phone every hour or two to check your posture. You will be surprised how much this will help.
3. Upgrade your office furniture
Now this is something you will have to discuss with your Human Resources Department unless you purchase out of pocket but there is lots of office furniture out there that makes being at a desk for 9+ hours a day less painful. These include desk chairs that have lumbar support in the small of the back, sit to stand desks so that your computer is eye level no matter if you are sitting or standing, a phone headset, etc. Your human resources department should have a list of approved vendors to purchase the furniture from so start there.
4. Balanced training
This is all to common unfortunately but people tend to get fixated on working one part of their body which causes problems for opposite muscle groups. This can be for any muscle but for the sake of this article we will use the chest muscles as an example. When you overwork your chest muscles they become tight and pull on your back muscles causing you to slouch or hunch over. Stretching the chest muscles and not overlooking the back muscles will help get you on your way to better posture
These simple changes can have a big impact on your posture. You wouldn’t think sitting for 9+ hours a day can be bad for your body but it is having more of an impact then you know.
By: Kristen Sharp
