How to Stand Up Straight and Improve Your Posture | eHow.com

There are multitudes of ways to make a huge improvement in your posture. All you need to do is stand up straight with your shoulders back, head up, and read ...
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If you are a chronic sloucher, there are ways to turn it around and improve your posture. Some people are genetically susceptible to osteoporosis and if you are one of these people, getting a head start on bad posture won't help your situation. There are multitudes of ways to make a huge improvement in your posture. All you need to do is stand up straight with your shoulders back, head up, and read on.

Difficulty: Easy

1
Simply stand up straight. Keep your head up. You'll look more confident and you'll feel good about yourself. Just as your mother probably used to say when you were a child, don't slouch. She was actually right. Once you're aware of your bad posture, it'll help you get in the practice of knowing when you're slouching and reminding yourself to stop.
2
There is a great device available that can sense when your body is slouching and vibrate to notify you so that you can correct your posture. It's called the iposture and you can purchase it at http://www.iposture.com/.
3
Exercise has a funny little way of improving all sorts of ailments; even those you didn't know you had. Bad posture is one such problem that many people are unaware they are doing by slouching. Focusing on your abdominals can help you stand straight. Performing weight lifting exercises can strengthen your muscles and help build a strong core. When you feel strong, it builds your confidence and you naturally begin to stand up straight.
4
Make sure your diet is balanced with enough nutrients that add to good bone health such as salmon, yogurt, kale, and other calcium and vitamin D fortified foods. Taking calcium, vitamin D, and a multi vitamin can help maintain your bone health if you aren't able to eat a healthy and balanced diet. Consult your doctor or a nutritionist for advice on what vitamin supplements is right for you.
5
When you are sitting down, make sure your back is pressed against the back of the chair with your feet flat against the floor. It's easy to slouch at a desk when surfing the internet. Using an exercise ball can help force you to sit up straight since you have nothing to slouch into.
6
Check your shoes. Do they fit right? If you don't feel you are getting enough support with your shoes, you might want to consider seeing a podiatrist. A podiatrist can check to see if you are well supported and give you recommendations for better shoes or even inserts.
7
Stress can inhibit flexibility and cause muscle tension. Stretching or doing yoga can help release any body tension. A massage can help release tension as well.

Tips & Warnings

If you improve your posture now, you'll be thankful you did later.
Bad posture effects your breathing. When you have good posture, it's easier for you to breath.

How to Ease Neck Pain with Feldenkrais

By an eHow Contributor

Living with chronic neck pain can make ordinary daily tasks seem unbearable. The Feldenkrais Method of gentle movements can reduce pain and increase flexibility, relaxation and self-awareness. Feldenkrais combines anatomy, biology, physics and physiology with elements of judo to reeducate the mind and body. Negative habitual patterns lead to stress and strain in the muscles. Learn to ease tension and neck pain with Feldenkrais movements.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1
Realign the body to move efficiently and effectively and decrease neck pain. By aligning the back, neck and pelvis posture will significantly improve and remove stress and tension from your muscles.
2
Balance. Feldenkrais movements to increase balance are simple but effective. Breathing exercises focus on body parts and employ positive thinking to strengthen the pelvis and improve balance. Good balance will help ease neck pain.
3
Relax your neck and shoulders. Pay attention to the tension in the upper body. Lift and lower one shoulder slowly for 1 minute. Concentrate on that specific movement. Keep your range of motion small.
4
Roll your neck. Do small head circles to one side. Roll your head gently and slowly toward the back, and then to the side. Press your ear near your shoulder and bring it around to the front, lowering chin towards the chest. Repeat this for about 1 minute. This Feldenkrais movement is designed to relieve tension.
5
Do the ear to shoulder exercise. Lower your ear to your shoulder and bring your head back to center position. Note all the body parts involved in this movement. Continue for 1 minute, and then switch sides.
6
Lean your ear to your shoulder as in Step 5. Bring your head back to center. This time, lift your shoulder to your ear and then return to center. Alternate these steps for a minute, and then repeat for the opposite side. Do not strain.
7
Practice Feldenkrais at home with tapes, with your favorite instructor or join a class. At first, try simple things like paying attention to the how you stand, your posture and your breathing. Feldenkrais retrains the mind and body to better health.

Posture check: Do you stand up straight? - MayoClinic.com

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Posture check: Do you stand up straight?

By Mayo Clinic staff
Good posture minimizes strain on your joints and muscles, which can help prevent aches and pains. So what's good posture? When you're standing, keep your chest held high and your shoulders back and relaxed. Try not to tilt your head forward, backward or sideways. Pull in your abdomen and buttocks. Make sure your knees are relaxed, not locked. Keep your feet parallel and your weight balanced evenly on both feet.