Follow these useful tips for a better posture Part-2

When you bend over the washbasin to brush your
teeth, bend your knees slightly, especially when you straighten y o u r back at the end. W h e n you bend over to g r a b y o u r s h o e s , lean forward with a straight back and flex your hips. Hips are made for that: bending. Your lower back doesn't have the same range. Plus, bending over like that means pushing your behind out, which is not very elegant!

When you sit, stay higher than your knees or sit on the ledge of your chair to allow movement of the knees. This allows your pelvis and lower back to move more freely. At the end of your day, relax your spine. Lie down on a carpet with your knees bent in order to allow your spine to rest easily on the floor.

The old saying ‘Clothes make the man’ should ideally be ‘Posture makes the man or woman, not the clothes!’ Proper posture is part of your wardrobe. Wearing an expensive designer suit won't help your appearance if you slouch over with hunched shoulders.

Your mother's advice still holds true: Stand and sit straight and tall. When you do that, you appear confident. Keep that chin up with your head erect and held back. Tilting your head down makes your neck disappear. But don't stick your nose in the air. Keep your shoulders back, but relaxed. This automatically lifts your chest. Think tall. Toes should be pointed straight ahead, feet close together. Don't waddle like a penguin or walk like a duck. Keep your arms close to your sides, palms in, elbows slightly bent.

Sometimes we're born with poorly aligned bones
and, therefore, poor posture, but the majority of us acquire it over time by assuming poor repetitive postures. But, some poor postures are reversible to a degree. Here are two exercises to correct poor posture:

In a standing position, sweep your hands forward and up slightly overhead, rotating your hands past your head. Keeping the position, squeeze your shoulder blades down and back as if you were pinching a pencil between them. You should feel a mild stretch to the front of the shoulders and the chest. Hold this for five to 10 seconds and repeat three times.Standing with clenched teeth, interlace your fingers and place them against the back of your head. Hold your hands stat i o n a r y without allowing the face to tip up or down. Try to relax your shoulders.

You should feel some mild discomfort anywhere from the base of your skull to the midback area. Hold this for five to 10 seconds and repeat three times.