Save yourself pain
A lot of pain can be avoided by good posture. Train yourself until your body automatically assumes a correct posture while standing still, walking and sitting.
How we sit, stand still and walk has a major influence on the functioning of our body. Incorrect posture can put a wrong load on your spine, shoulders and knees. Resulting in pain. Good posture can prevent or remedy this.
Take care of your own stability
When you stand correctly upright, your body weight is evenly distributed on both feet. That’s how you get stability. And that stability is needed. Stable means durable and resistant. A stable construction can take a beating.
But how do you ensure stability? You are often so used to your incorrect posture that you no longer even notice that you are unstable.
Stand with two feet on the floor. Evenly distribute your weight, knees slightly bent. Tilt your pelvis back slightly and tighten your pelvic floor muscles slightly. Now tighten your abdominal muscles as well. Look out! Tightening your abs is not the same as pulling your stomach in.
Then lift your chest, unfolding the rib cage, as it were. Relax your shoulders and pull them back slightly.
To know the correct position of your chin, make an L with your thumb and index finger, with your index finger on the bottom of your chin and your thumb on your chest.
Make sure to maintain the natural S-shape of your spine. Think of the strength of the flexible bamboo, as opposed to a stiff broom handle. The first can take a beating, the second is vulnerable.
To walk
How we walk depends on the surface. If you walk in a forest, on an uneven ground, you will automatically walk differently than on the street. In the woods, you carefully balance and use your flexible foot joints to nimbly walk over and around the obstacles.
This resilient way of locomotion, in which the upper body swings in a relaxed manner, is a good way of walking. You can learn to maintain this gait, even on a hard surface. It will benefit your body.
Sit
We spend a lot of our time sitting, and very often with the wrong posture. The height of your desk, the position of your computer screen and a good office chair are of great importance for your posture.
Today there are quite a few ergonomic aids on the market that should help us find our correct body position.
Footstools are good for people who can’t get their feet on the floor. A sitting ball can help to vary your sitting position. There are also all kinds of pillows on the market that support your back and even stimulate your back muscles.
Also make sure that you do not stay in the same position for a long time. Move in between.
