In a world where you meet and bump into millions of people daily, it's easy to believe your first impressions towards any person. More often than not, these impressions are based on the physical physique of the person because that is the first thing you see. Having said that, it goes to show that aside from the face, posture also gives away a lot about the person because that is what can be seen from the outside.
While you can’t do much about your physical appearance without time and effort, you can change the way a person sees you just by maintaining proper posture.
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Posture: Your Body Language
Posture is a kind of language that people often take for granted since it can convey messages and opinions just by seeing it. Just one look at a slouching person who is standing far away from the crowd says that he is shy or he lack self-esteem.
On the other hand, a person who is standing straight and tall and is in the middle of the group when they take a photo look like a confident, happy guy, don’t you think?
Aside from that, bad posture can make you look distant and unapproachable. Instead of having people become comfortable around you, they may not want to talk to you at all. Don’t get me wrong, so as a person who is overly confident, people won’t want to talk to him either.
So basically, your posture says a lot about you and sometimes, these subconscious messages are not what you are meaning to convey at all.
Ways to Improve Posture
These Are Tips That You Can Do To Correct Posture
Invest on good equipment: There are ergonomic equipment like mouse, keyboard, chair and desk. This will ensure that it is designed with your posture and comfort in mind.
Move Every Hour: It is found out that moving and stretching every hour can break your stagnant cycle. In the FitBit app, it is recommended that you walk 250 steps every hour so you can allow your organs to relax and get the oxygen that they need.
Exercise: Are you too busy and don’t have time for exercise? What if I tell you that 1 hour is only 4% of your day? Surely you can afford to spare 4% or even 2% of your day to exercise, right? That’s a few minutes off of Facebook, a few steps on the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. Little things that when you put together can take a lot of time.
Yoga: Yoga is a kind of exercise that encourages good posture. When you do yoga regularly, you will be forced to maintain proper posture that will in turn let your organs breathe.
Wear a Back Brace: A back brace can correct bad posture easily. By wearing best back brace for a required number of hours, you can fix your posture gradually. Moreover, back braces will allow you to do your works when you use it.
Best Back Brace For Posture
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** Below, you'll find more detailed reviews, but you can click links above to see current prices and read customer's review on Amazon
Posture Back Brace Reviews
StabilityAce Upper Back Posture Corrector Brace
Key Features:
- Soft Padding: Provides soft padding that is ideal for clavicular fractures and posture corrections.
- Thicker Straps: The straps are thicker so it can provide a strong hold and maintain the proper positioning.
- Easy Application: Only takes seconds to wear.
Via Amazon.com
PROS
- No metal parts, won’t set off metal detectors.
- Tell the difference only hours after wearing it.
CONS
- The brackets on the side may warp. It does not affect the performance of the product though.
- Might give you rashes in your armpits. For this, you can wear it above a shirt.
ComfyMed® Premium Quality Back Brace
Key Features:
- Comfortable: Most comfortable back support brace in the market.
- Removable Lumbar Pad: Can remove pad to wash and clean it.
- Stays in Place: Does not slip, bunch or roll.
Via Amazon.com
PROS
- Comes with easy grip handle.
- Can be worn inside shirt without showing.
CONS
- It might move at the back.
- D rings on both front sides can be distracting.
Perfect Posture Lumbar Back Brace
Key Features:
- Doctor Approved: The design is approved by doctors to help with posture correction or numbness at the back.
- Honeycomb Technology: The brace uses a patented honeycomb technology to let you wear it comfortably while letting your skin breathe.
- Nicely Constructed: Velcros easily fit without ugly bulges.
Via Amazon.com
PROS
- Lightweight and comfortable.
- Stays in place with any activities.
CONS
- Not for sitting down.
- Might be too stiff in the beginning.
Posture Brace and Back Corrector with Shoulder Straps
Key Features:
- Smart Device: It's not just a back brace. It is a Bluetooth-connected device that alerts you when your posture is bad.
- Accurate Bad Posture Detection: Other devices measure bad posture by angles, which may not be accurate. SBB measures how hard your body pulls from the shoulder straps.
- Easy to Set Up: Comes with a training and tracking app that can aid you with your posture recovery.
Via Amazon.com
PROS
- Get better posture just by wearing it.
- It’s accurate in determining slouching positions.
CONS
- Expensive.
- Take time to install at the beginning.
StabilityAce Upper Back Posture Corrector Brace
Key Features:
- Additional Support: Unique removable lumbar support for additional comfort and support.
- Breathable Backing: The mesh used is breathable vented mesh to make sure your skin can breathe.
- Tighter Tension: This brace has double side straps for tighter tension.
Via Amazon.com
PROS
- Supports lower back well.
- Comfortable and breathable
CONS
- Bit costlier.
- The shoulder strap is not useful for some.
Posture corrector and back brace for posture are quite similar, posture corrector is also usually needed by people who have been injured, or have scoliosis and other posture related condition.
Posture corrector usually works by forcing your body into the correct posture. It has a firm fir and support that will improve your bad posture. It is worn several hours a day, just to get used to it.
Back Brace For Posture: What To Consider?
Before buying a back brace for posture, there are some things that you should consider:
There are two kinds of back brace:
Rigid brace: This is the kind of brace that has a plastic or steel support that has shoulder straps to fully support your back.
Corset Brace: These are braces that are elastic and can be wrapped around the waist to support the lower back.
What you always do?
What do you do at work? Do you sit down all day ar are you always walking around lifting things? Your activities will greatly influence the kind of brace you should buy. When you buy back braces, it will be indicated in the product if it can be used for other activities.
Lower or Upper Back?
Do you need support on your upper back? Or just the lower back? There are back braces that concentrate on the lower back. These usually come as an elastic brace/belt that you can wrap around your waist. It is usually secured by Velcro.
For the whole back, there are braces that come with plastic or metal support that is pressed firm on your back and pulled across the shoulders. This will ensure that you maintain good posture and are far from slouching.
Metal or Plastic Brace?
There are braces that are supported by metal strips or plastic strips. Metals are more sturdy and firm, but it is hard to wash. Whereas, plastics may be a bit softer, but it usually comes with removable support to be able to wash it easier.
Mistakes Affects Your Posture
In our daily lives, sometimes, some habits are endangering health with or without knowledge. There are things that we do every day hurt our posture or give us bad posture.
1. Sitting all day with the computer: If your job requires you to sit in front of the computer and you are not making conscious efforts to sit straight or keep your shoulders straight, then there is a chance that you are hurting your posture and your shoulder.
2. Talking on the phone and texting: What you might not know is that when you are texting or talking on the phone, you are tilting your head in a way that may endanger your posture.
3. Bending forward using your back – When you bend to get something or while you are brushing your teeth, you making your body prone to bad posture.
4. Weak feet: If your feet are weak, you will most likely need more support in the hip region and your feet will roll inwards to support your weight, this can result to bad posture.
5. Stress: Stress is another factor why your posture is failing. You may not feel bouncy and happy, and your posture may be affected.
Why Should We Correct Bad Posture
Aside from what we talked about above that your posture may say something negative about you, there are also some health risk that you might be stirring yourself close to if you don’t correct your posture.
Depression & Stress
According to a study that was conducted in San Francisco State University, when the body is constricted and slouched, it prevents the body from working on its optimal capacity.
They asked students to walk in a hallway, some of them they instructed to slouch while walking and some of them they asked to skip. The results were that those who were asked to slouched turned out to have lower moods and less energy levels.
It turned out, that slouching causes the body to be compressed and restricted. When the body is subjected to that position for a long time, the lungs and heart are forced to work double time to be able to supply the body what it needs.Apart from that, this position causes stress to your muscles and internal organs.
Digestive Issues
Another health danger that you may be imposing to your body when you slouch are digestive issues. Because your lungs and heart are constricted, as well as the other organs, they will have a hard time functioning properly.
According to studies, slouching has long been attributed to acid reflux, hernias and other digestive issues.
Another thing is that not only are you endangering your health when you slouch, you are also helping your body develop a belly pouch, which is a nightmare for more people.
Breathing Difficultly
Like what I have told you in the above tip, slouching can push your lungs and heart in a position where they can’t function properly. To have proper breathing, your rib cage and your diaphragm must have enough space to expand. This space becomes limited when you slouch, thus making you feel like it is a burden to breathe.
Neck, Shoulder & Back Pain
The most common result of poor posture are neck, shoulder and back pain. This is usually caused when you sit slouched for a long period of time. This is because there is a great deal of stress that you are subjecting your upper body into. The common painful areas are wrists, shoulders, neck and lower back.
Tension Headache
This is very common and you might not be associating it with bad posture at first. But there are studies that suggest that stress and bad posture contribute to tension headaches. Most of the time it is because of a poorly designed workstation.
Final Words
Your posture says a lot about you. Whether you need to correct your posture for medical reason, or you just want to have better posture, a good back brace will be a great investment for you.
If I will recommend a best back brace for posture, I’ll choose Posture Brace and Back Corrector with Shoulder Straps - SBB. This product comes with a bluetooth device to attach to your smartphone to manage your bad posture. It can vibrate to notify you are slouching. In comparison to other back brace, this smart back brace will make you more conscious about posture.