Body

Is Your Posture Wreaking Havoc on Your Body?

Signs your posture isn't ideal and what to do about it.

by Wendy Rose Gould | COMMENT

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What Your Standing Posture Should Look Like It's important to note that all bodies are different and that we each assume our own "natural posture," which varies from person to person. Still, there are some rough guidelines that everyone can follow.

"Your feet should be pointed straight forward and hip width apart. The arches of your feet should be sitting off of the ground, and your kneecaps should be pointing slightly outward. This means your hip external rotators are actively maintaining lower extremity posture," notes Joyce. "Your glutes should be holding tension to ensure your hips do not tilt forward and that your lumbar spine is not in an extended position."

In addition, he notes that your core should be holding tension, which helps further brace your lumbar spine and anchors down your ribs. This helps build a strong foundation for your torso to sit on.

Moving up your body, Joyce says your shoulder blades should be relaxed down (away from your ears) and slightly inward (toward your spine). Lastly, your chin should be slightly tucked with eyes facing forward with your line of sight parallel to the ground.

"In a perfect world, from a lateral view you would be able to draw a vertical line through the ear, dissecting the shoulder joint, through the lumbar spine, slightly anterior to the midline of the knee, and just anterior to the ankle joint," he says.

Image via fizkes/Getty

SEE NEXT PAGE: What Your Posture Should Look Like When Sitting

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