We know, we know…we talk a lot about proper alignment. But we wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t so important. Proper alignment and posture can help prevent:
- Headaches
- Stiffness
- Digestion issues
- Sciatica
- Carpal tunnel
- Fatigue
- And more
When your body is in alignment, you can move without pain. When it’s out of alignment, everything is impacted.
But you don’t have to start an intense workout regimen to get your body aligned. In fact, you shouldn’t. If your body has been out of alignment for a while, you should start getting back on track slowly.
Here are some small changes you can make to your body and daily routine to fix your alignment.
Watch Your Posture
The way we sit has a huge impact on our alignment, especially since we sit all the time. Since we’re at desks so frequently, this is a great place to start watching our posture.
When you’re sitting at a desk, make sure to:
- Keep your legs uncrossed
- Keep your computer at eye-level
- Keep your back flat against your chair
- Don’t hunch forward
- Keep your feet flat on the floor
- Get up and move every 30 minutes or so
Practice Yoga
Yoga is a great way to promote realignment in your body and build strength. It can also help improve your posture. Some poses that help with alignment include:
- Down Dog
- Plank
- Warrior 2
- Mountain Pose
- Cat/Cow
- Standing Forward Fold
These poses don’t have to be be complicated. Mountain Pose simply involves standing up straight and breathing. If you’ve never done yoga, start small on your way to better alignment.
Watch the Way You Walk
The way you walk can have a huge impact on your posture and we hate to say it but a lot of people don’t walk correctly. Yes, there is a right and wrong way to walk.
Properly aligned feet should face forward. If your feet turn too far in or too far out, it could be an indication that something in your lower body is out of alignment. This could cause an over or underuse of some muscles. Feet that are rotated out could cause a pinching of the sacrum or the lower back. When you walk, make sure both your feet face forward. This could take practice and might even make you feel sore if you’ve been walking wrong, but don’t give up. Try it for a small amounts of time to start but eventually you’ll retrain your body to walk the right way.
Pull Your Shoulders Back
The next time you’re just standing around or sitting with friends, take a minute to notice your shoulders. Chances are, they’re slumped forward or pulled down. This can put strain on your back and pull your alignment out of whack. Taking a moment to pull your shoulders back whenever you feel them hunched forward can get you in the habit of practicing good posture. Just take a deep breath, lift your shoulders up toward your ears and when you let out your breath, squeeze your shoulder blades together like they’re holding a pencil and drop you shoulders down your back. Instant alignment.
Wear Supportive Shoes
If your shoes don’t support you and your feet when you walk it can result in poor posture and a lot of problems down the road. If you have problems with alignment, those flats and heels are not going to help. For some extra support, find an insole that fits the shoes you wear most and wear those insoles consistently.
These small changes can help you feel better and do more and can help you get on your way to better alignment without totally changing your lifestyle. Once you’ve made small changes, you can start exercises that further help fix your alignment, but if you’re in pain, make sure to start small.
