Did you know May is Correct Posture Month? According to the American Chiropractic Association, it is!

A lot of us probably haven’t thought about our posture since the days when teachers told us to sit up straight. But although it’s easy not to notice, poor posture can have a host of ill effects on our health. The most common of these is back pain; poor posture can also lead to increased headaches and jaw pain, and can cause problems for your circulatory and respiratory systems. Good posture, on the other hand, may help prevent arthritis, injuries, and fatigue.

Indicators of bad posture
Alive.com notes that you are at greater risk of having bad posture if you:

• sit on your wallet
• sleep on your stomach
• stand all day, or sit all day
• tilt your head back to see through your glasses
• hunch over laptops, computer screens, and other electronic devices
• lift weights with poor posture
• wear your backpack or a heavy purse over one shoulder
• wear high heels
• are obese
• are pregnant

Checking your posture
As a first step toward improving your posture, this post from Diabetes Health recommends that you take pictures to assess the current state of your posture:

Have a friend take 3 pictures of you: from the front, back, and side. Stand straight and tall when they take the picture, with what feels like good posture (No looking in a mirror to cheat!). Print out the pictures, one to a sheet. Next, put a dot between your feet on the front and back view, and on your ankle on the side view, and then fold each paper in half vertically, neatly at the dot.

FRONT & BACK VIEW: The two halves of your body should be the same. If your head and/or torso is off to one side, or your arms are hanging differently (one hand is lower or further from the body than the other), your posture is not symmetrical.

SIDE VIEW: The line from your ankle should pass thru your shoulder and ear. If your head is way forward of that line, you may have a posture distortion called Forward Head Posture (FHP).

Treating bad posture
If your posture needs improvement, you can do a few different things. Exercise such as yoga and Pilates can help a lot; you can also find a number of exercises meant specifically to improve posture online — here are five you can try.

WhatHealth.com suggests:

When sitting, keep the legs bent 90 to 120 degrees perpendicular to the floor, buttocks touching the back of the chair, with weight evenly distributed over both hips. Feet should be flat on the floor. When sitting at a table or desk, have the arms and elbows rest on the surface taking the strain off the shoulders.

Pay attention to how you sleep, as well: “A position which maintains the curve of the back is encouraged. This can be achieved by sleeping on your side with knees slightly bent, or by lying on your back and placing a pillow under knees. A lumbar support placed near the lower back can also help to make you become more comfortable.”

And if you’re feeling serious backaches or other pain, schedule an appointment with a medical professional soon.