The population is living longer so it’s important that we’re living better. Chronic back pain is one of the top 3 causes of disability in Australia. Over a quarter of Australians are forced into early retirement due to back or arthritic pain. Forced early retirement can be devastating not only financially, but also on the quality of your retirement years due to experiencing chronic pain.
Retiring too early due to pain may be prevented by seeing a chiropractor and maintaining good postural fitness throughout your life. Below are some tips for improving your postural fitness.
General Tips for Postural Fitness:
- Avoid sitting for too long
- Sit correctly
- Use proper techniques when bending or lifting
- Incorporate an exercise plan that strengthens your core muscles
Postural Fitness at Work – stand up and move around as much as possible:
- Park or get off transport further away from work
- Take the stairs where possible
- Stand up while on the phone for long periods
- Take regular breaks from sitting to stretch and walk around
- Introduce walking meetings instead of sitting around a table
- Check and adjust your sitting posture regularly
Postural fitness for Kids:
- Get children to think about how they’re sitting, and teach them to sit correctly
- Incorporate games that get kids out of their seats and moving around
- Place time limits on non-motion games such as on computers, phones and tablets and encourage kids to take breaks and get up and stretch
For information on improving your postural fitness speak to one of our chiropractors Sarah, Ryan or Eve.