How I'm Fixing My Posture

've had bad posture for as long as I can remember. It wasn't so bad at first, but it got worse after years of working at the desktop. I hunch a bit and my neck is pushed forward a little.

The problem was not just how I looked, which was uncharismatic, but also the soreness along my spine, especially at the cervical spine, just below the nape of my neck. The soreness made me tired and looking tired deteriorated my charisma even more.

Read my note on charisma

I saw the Upright device ads and thought about getting one, but the cost was too much for something that just buzzes when you are not upright. If I knew how to be upright, I could make myself be upright without reminders. Yes, I had consciously tried to make myself stand and sit upright, but I couldn't get it right.

Recently, I got myself one of those posture supports which was way cheaper than the Upright device. It was something that you strap on your body, and it pushes back your shoulders and your cervical spine, which is the part of the spine below the nape of your neck. Amazingly, it worked.

What is good posture?

Olivia Fox Cabane probably gave the best description of good posture in her book The Charisma Myth: your posture should be like that of a dominant gorilla. Chest spread, tummy in, head forward. You might even give a roar. This is the posture of a charismatic person.

Three things you can do to correct your posture

Having used the posture support, these are what I discovered:

1. Tuck your chin so that your head is upright and no longer tilting forward. You can use two fingers to push your chin back if you're not sure how to do this. Sometimes, this is all you need to do.

2. If, after tucking your chin, you are still bending forward, then bend backwards so that your cervical spine and your thoracic spine - which is just below where the back of your ribs meet - are aligned upright.

3. Sometimes doing the above two causes your shoulders to go forward. If so, relax your shoulders and move them back just enough so that your chest stretches and your spine doesn't get pinched.

If you do the above, you won't even need the posture support. But there is one more thing.

Keeping yourself upright is not easy for someone who's not used to it. And I've spent half a lifetime with bad posture and I feel my body resisting my efforts. Fortunately, l found this exercise video by FitnessFAQs on YouTube, which is helpful to loosen and ease my muscles into my new posture.

So that's it, I recommend the three actions listed above and the exercises to anyone have a posture problem like mine. Improve your posture, get rid of the soreness and tiredness, and increase your charisma.