Bad Habits: Are you standing up straight yet?

Get up and move and keep that posture straight!

Did you watch the video? Take the quiz. I bet you were subconsciously adjusting your posture throughout the video.  Many, most, people are guilty of bad posture.  It's hard not to slouch especially when you are sitting at a desk all day.  Many times you forget to even get up and walk around.  These bad habits are also bad for your health.

Look up!

Take a break from your phone! Check out this study by New York Spine Surgery & Rehabilitation Medicine, "Assessment of Stresses in the Cervical Spine Caused by Posture and Position of the Head", a study on the effects of posture due to gravity and phone usage.

Here are some tips, however, to improve poor posture even if you can't look away from your phone.

 

Stand up!

Luckily for us, there are apps such as "Stand Up!" that remind you to stand up from working at your desk.  It has a little reminder, "Stand up! We want you to live longer!".  Go take a walk around the office, do some stretches or at least just stand throughout the day. Don't take our word for it though, check out this "Sitting So Much Should Scare You" infographic.

According to the MayoClinic, sitting for long periods of time seems to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Learn the risks of sitting to long and tips on how to fix the bad habit here. 

So don't just sit there and stand up straight!