Stop Slouching

I remember as a child my parents constantly telling me to stop slouching. Now as an adult I don’t think I have ever managed to get the perfect posture, although there was a time when taking regular yoga classes, my back strength was much better and I seemed to hold myself in a better pose. Now as I spend many hours at a desk I am more aware of the terrible posture positions that I find myself in by the end of the day. My back feels weaker and when I walk it it noticeable that my shoulders are much more rounded than they should be, I even appear to limp at times! I know that more excerise and getting back to my regular yoga classes is the answer but I was interested to see what other tools were available to me to help straighten and retrain my body. The first product I tried was the bac< Shoulder Brace (RRP £34.99) designed by experts at The London Spine Clinic to alleviate and prevent back pain. It was easy to put on, (a bit like putting on a ruck sack) although at first the elastic straps seems a little uncomfortable on the bare skin so I decided to try it over a t-shirt. In the winter this would be easy to disguise but in the summer you would have to dress carefully for it not to be seen. It certainly helped in situations like sitting a desk as it helped to keep my shoulders back which is usually where I struggle to sit up straight. I’m not sure I would wear it all day and to go out in but wearing it while working at the computer was certainly a great place for me to use it. They are available to buy in selected Boots stores, www.boots.com and www.backpainhelp.com The next product was The Posture Wand™ £24.95 plus £5.95 for delivery, created by Michele Paradise, a former catwalk model. The idea is to place the stick across your back for 20 minutes a day to improve your body through muscle memory. Although it says you can use it which working on your laptop I struggled to type on the key board so it didn’t really work to use at my desk. I could see that using it while watching TV or just walking round the house would work although it would be difficult to do jobs as the arms need to stay by the side. As I never have a spare 20 minutes to just sit this probably isn’t going to work well for me, but if you like to sit and read, watch TV or have a desk job that doesn’t involve typing then 20 minutes a day using this would be easy to achieve. theposturewand.com LUMOback delivers real-time posture and body movement feedback, enabling you to make small, incremental changes that can have an impact on your health. The LUMOback sensor gives an immediate, gentle buzz when you slouch, nudging you to sit up straight. You can track and compare your daily activities like steps taken, running, sitting, standing, and sleeping. $149 + shipping available from lumobodytech.com