One of the most underrated, but important aspects of your health is posture. It is so easy to forget just how much good spinal health affects the rest of our physical condition.
But living such rushed lives — like most of us do these days — it can be easy to lose focus on something a simple as sitting up straight.
Our posture may seem small, but it can have an impact on many things, such as fatigue, energy levels, mood and our physical health.
What’s even more surprising is that you can make attempts to sit more straight and still have everyday habits that make your posture poor.
If you are ready to learn just how much your posture is impacted by your regular behavior, check out these daily habits that are ruining your posture.
1. You regularly wear a crossbody bag
Crossbody bags are surprisingly very poor for your posture. Wearing a bag like a crossbody puts uneven pressure and weight on either side of your body. And the heavier the bag, the more problematic crossbodies become for your posture. These bags can lead to neck strain, injuries and even headaches.
2. You hold your phone with your ear and neck
It may seem convenient to lean your head over and hold your phone against your neck while chatting with your friends and family — but you are sabotaging your posture while doing so. This may only feel like a minor discomfort after initially getting off the phone. But long term phone use in this position can lead to some bad muscle strain in your upper back and neck.
3. You work on a laptop often
The positioning of a laptop is never going to naturally be good for your posture. Most people are facing down and angling their necks and upper backs in a hunched, slumped position to peer onto their laptop screen. Studies suggest that looking down at your laptop is basically the same as putting a 60-pound weight around your neck.
4. You add milk to your coffee
Milk may have been advertised as a beverage that does the body good decades ago. But it is actually very toxic to your body. Milk and other dairy products can cause severe inflammation and increase pre-existing back pain. Not to mention that the caffeine in coffee can cause chonric lower back pain as well.
5. You always iron your clothes
If you iron very frequently, chances are you are slumped over the ironing board and bent over at a terrible angle for your back. This can significantly decrease your posture and cause severe neck and back pain.
6. You wear glasses often
Glasses may be helping your eyesight, but they could potentially be ruining your posture. Wearing the wrong glasses could be causing you back and neck pain. This is because when you strain your neck to peer over the top or lower part of your glasses, you are putting significant distress on your neck. This can cause discomfort and tightness in your neck. After a while of this poor habit, you can basically flush your posture right down the toilet.
7. You play tennis regularly
Playing a sport like tennis can actually cause poor posture, despite it actually being a great work out. This is due to the back and forth motion of playing tennis, constantly having to swing your arms and hands wayward. This can put stress on your joins and give you backaches. Also, if you are not wearing the proper footwear, it may decrease the needed shock absorption to keep your ankles, shins and knees safe from injury.
