10 unexpected habits that spoil your posture every day

We spend hours in front of the monitor, often experiencing stress. Due to the workload and at home, we have little time for fresh air and physical activity.

One thing that constantly suffers is our posture – and this is due to a myriad of daily habits.

Changes in posture can affect not only our body but also our psychological state.

But we can change these habits and help our posture. Here are some of the daily activities that affect your posture and some tips from experts on dealing with them.

Sleep on the stomach

It may be comfortable but harmful.

Sleeping on your stomach puts stress on your spine and can affect your posture. When you sleep on your stomach, your spine cannot be in a neutral position. It is best to sleep on your back and/or on your side.

What can be done?

Using the expander tape, try to do 10 clockwise and 10 counterclockwise rotations.

Using a mobile phone

It is not uncommon to see people hunched over their mobile phones. This pose can put more strain on your neck muscles, which over time can cause pain in your neck, shoulders, and upper back.

A persistently tilted head can lead to soft tissue changes and a decrease in the range of motion in the cervical spine.

What can be done?

It is important to stretch your neck muscles carefully so that those muscles do not work harder than they should.
Use the following exercise band exercise to strengthen your upper back and shoulders.

Stress postures

Body position can affect our emotions, thoughts, and energy levels. As a rule, stooping, in addition to pain in the neck and shoulders, exacerbates negative emotions.

For example, stress can be directly related to how we look. A person under pressure usually raises their shoulders and lowers their head.

If stress continues for a long time, it can lead to muscle soreness and increased tension in the neck and shoulders.

What can be done?

Exercises for the neck and shoulders can help relieve tension and are very effective.

A set of types of exercises will also help you:

• With weight
• Folds
• Squats
• Pull and Push.

This set of exercises helps to increase strength, core stability, and joint mobility to restore balance to the body’s musculature.

Wearing high heels

Wearing high heels for an extended time can affect your posture and gait, as the structures of the foot and ankles (such as the Achilles tendon) may shorten.

It also increases the risk of ankle injuries, such as walking in heels on uneven surfaces.

What can be done?

• Because high heels cause your feet and ankles to bend constantly, you can do reverse stretching exercises like placing one end of your foot on a step and slowly lowering your heel.
• It is also advisable not to wear high heels for a long time. If you have the opportunity to replace them with flat shoes, for example, when sitting at a table or in between meetings, do so.

Prolonged sitting

This can lead to soft tissue changes in the buttocks and hips and curvature of the upper back.

What can be done?

Ideally, limit your sitting time by taking regular breaks, stretching, and walking.

When working at a desk, it is important to be right in front of the computer so that your body is not subject to unnecessary rotation, which in the long term can cause pain and discomfort (for example, neck and shoulder pain) when both legs are parallel, and your feet are on the floor.

Exercises to help solve this problem:

• Deadlift strengthens the gluteus muscles and upper back, which tend to lengthen while seated, causing them to weaken.
• Stretching the muscles of the chest, hips, and quadriceps, which are usually shortened while seated.

Carrying a bag

It is recommended that you regularly change the hand on which you carry the bag to avoid subjecting your body to prolonged stress on one shoulder or arm. This applies to carrying a handbag on one shoulder and over the shoulder.

Carrying a purse in the crook of your arm can aggravate posture problems such as round shoulder blades at the shoulders.

What can be done?

• Weekly cleaning of your bag from unnecessary things is necessary to carry only the most necessary things. So you get rid of unnecessary items that are an additional burden.
• Try to use a backpack worn over both shoulders, which allows you to control the distribution of weight.
• An exercise that will be useful is the plank.

You hold the phone with your ear and neck

You may find it comfortable to hold your phone against your neck while talking, but you ruin your posture.

Prolonged phone use in this position can severely stretch the muscles in your upper back and neck.

What can be done?

Try to avoid this and do exercises for the cervical spine.

You often wear glasses

Glasses can potentially ruin your posture. Wearing the wrong glasses can cause back and neck pain.

This is because when you strain your neck to look over your glasses, it creates tightness in your neck.

You often work on a laptop

Positioning your laptop is almost never beneficial to your posture.

Most people tilt their neck and upper back and sit in a hunched position while working on a laptop. Studies show that looking at a laptop is like putting a 25 kg weight on your neck.

You play tennis a lot

Sports like tennis can cause poor posture, even though it’s a great workout.

This involves moving back and forth where you constantly have to swing your arms to the side. This can put stress on the joints and cause back pain.

Plus, not wearing the right footwear can reduce the cushioning needed to protect your ankles, shins, and knees from injury.