POSTURE

Sit or stand tall, as if a string was attached to the top of your head pulling upwards and keep your chest lifted (but not to the point it over-arches your low back!). Do not actively pull the shoulders back as they should align better when the spine straightens.

This is a simple, general rule but if there are tight or weak muscle groups that have developed over time then it may become more difficult to sustain this position for long.

Self-awareness and regularly correcting posture is a great start, but unfortunately for some it may not be enough. Adaptive shortening of tissues (muscles, ligaments etc) may have already happened over time. Different postures adopted lead to different sets of tissues becoming shortened. As a result a ‘knock-on effect’ may cause compensation where muscles ‘over work’ and generally leads to soreness, tightness, and pain.

Luckily most issues can easily be reversed and we can do simple things to help it - movement and exercises. It's not rocket science!