Pull back your shoulders {Health}

Ok, so this is the most difficult in the series of right postures. Even I am not sure of how to explain and even I have not yet practiced it accurately that I can tell you how to do it. It is said that you should pull your shoulders back but it is no where specified how and how exactly to do without looking too stiff. One thing I can mention is that pull back your shoulders only a little so that they are parallel to the hips when you are sitting or standing. Generally, they are not coz we tend to slump forward a little. This would cause your chest to come a little forward and make your breasts look firmer.

But, do not make the position so stiff that the muscles of your back start to ache. So, try various positions and select the one which is most comfortable and makes you look a little upright than what you currently are. That would mean you are pulling your shoulders back. Ok, one more thing which I would add before concluding this series is that pull your whole body into an attention position when you are standing but without looking too stiff so that it looks as if you have all your body parts in control without being too uncomfortable. Generally, it is also said to suck your stomach inside but I wouldn't recommend that as it makes it difficult to breathe deeply. Another sign that you are holding the right body posture is that it allows you to breathe deeply without too much of an effort.

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Keep your head parallel to the ground

Well, you might think that you are doing that but most of the times, your neck is bent over whatever you are doing. So, take care and avoid doing that. Instead, use your eyes to look at the whatever you are doing unless you are really bending over something. Do not drop and bend your neck separately. Ideally, your head and neck should always be at 90 degrees to the ground even while you are working on a computer. Yes, that is why it is advantageous to learn typing. (In case you think I know typing, no I don't!!) But, I am not preaching here, just stating a simple fact of how it should be. Keep the head portion straight even while walking. It is not always if you notice. But, refrain from putting your nose in the air, trust me some people do that!!! Probably, they don't know. And, some slump their necks which makes them look unconfident. So, both positions are dangerous. See that you are not overdoing either. 

An added advantage of this position is that it draws attention to your neck even if it is not that long and makes you look slimmer overall. Btw, if you do this regularly, you will see an immediate change int he shape of your neck too. There is a reduction in the fat deposit in the neck area and it makes you look taller and confident.

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Body Postures and Health Issues

Hey guys!!! I was watching Femina Miss India today (I know I'm late so just felt like catching up). One thing which you notice very soon in these kinds of pageant contests is the carriage of the contestants. They not only talk well and look beautiful but carry themselves pretty well and a major part of that comes with their body postures. Body Posture is a study in a itself and it is extremely important to maintain a good posture. A good posture can make you look thinner, appear taller and enhance your personality; not to mention help you in losing your weight and increases your confidence levels. 

Personally, I did try for a week or so maintaining a proper sitting posture with straight back and no slumping at all and honestly, I could tell the difference in my weight, in my height and carriage and also it helped me relieve some of the stress too. Now, I do work on computer a lot and so do a lot of my friends and peers and almost everyone today spends a lot of time on computers. And, of course, its not very easy to sit in front of computers in the swivel chairs so we tend to lose the correct posture after a certain amount of time. And, then there is a matter of office furniture (or a lack of it!!) and we do tend to forget to relax while working on the computer. Yes, concentrating for a long time on computers does play havoc with the minds too in increasing the stress and making us forgetful. So, we forget that we can relax ourselves of the strain by getting up from the chair or looking beyond the screen in front of us. Oh, btw, in case you think getting bigger screen is better, let me tell you bigger the screen more is the strain coz you are very close to the screen. 

So, one of my friend always keeps on complaining about back pain or leg aches or wrist strains or neck-shoulder stiffness and she sits in front of the computer for like 8 hours a day on average. I know its lot less if we compare to some of the software geeks but still it is a lot and I do not blame our work for that coz our work can be divided into two parts - in front of computer and away from computer. So, one just have to remember to stay away from computer when not needed. But, then I am not even blaming my friend!!! Its just that the workplace is designed so. Not fair at all. 

Then, there is another of the lady who has all sorts of medical issues just due to the bad furniture in her office. She is pretty short so when she sits in a swivel chair, her legs don't reach the ground so they just remain hanging. Now, you might be aware that no part of your body should be left hanging because the blood circulation stops in those parts of the body. Same thing happened with her legs and now her legs are pretty much weak. Not fair at all, right?? Offices should take care of their employees too.

Now, the next generation is all addicted to video games and computers and who has any time to go outdoors and play some games and have fun!!! The social life today has become restricted to facebook and twitter. So, body problems are bound to arise. How to prevent all these kinds of problems??? Watch out for the next post.

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Sleeping posture decides height

It does sound strange, right!! I am not sure actually if it a verified scientific belief but I am sharing this with you because I feel it might be true to a certain extent. But, not necessarily for all. Sleeping is one of the most important activities in our life. If you know, we sleep for more than 1/3rd of our lives! I know that its a lot. So, definitely the way we sleep would have some or the other effect on our body.

There are a lot of ways people sleep and the most common way is to get curled up and sleep on the side or stomach. This might be a great way to get deep sleep but definitely not good for your height. Because, it severely restricts your spine from getting relaxed and comfortable. And, if your spine is not straight, you would look almost 2 - 3 inches shorter than your actual height. You know that when you get up in the morning, you are an inch or two taller than your normal height and when you go to bed at night, you lose those inches. This is because of the gravitational pull on your spine. Now, as to the number of inches you lose, it also depends greatly on you.

So, if you want to increase your height and look taller, the best way is to sleep flat on your back. Or, no matter how you sleep, just make sure that your spine is straight. You can tuck a pillow in between your knees if you sleep on the side or under your knees if you sleep straight to prevent exerting pressure on your spine. I have noticed that if I sleep on my back, I tuck one of my legs under the other and if I sleep on my side, I tuck my hands in between the knees. This is probably just an instinct of the body to avoid strain on the spine. Not using a pillow is also a good thing for your spine but many people are used to using a pillow so use a small pillow instead of a high one. It will give relief to your neck and avoid uncomfortable postures which you might develop while using high pillows. And, regrading the mattress, use one which is not too soft and not too hard. Rather, choose one which is a bit towards harder side instead. It is good for the health of your spine. And, believe me, you do not want to get back problems ever in your life. I am sure all people suffering from back problems will agree with me. If you never encountered one, you are lucky and strive to remain that way. And, console yourself that it sure makes you look taller too.

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