Poor deportment or posture can cause back pain and neck problems. In the morning, you will often sit much straighter in the car driving to work whereas in the evening, driving home you will often be slouched down due to tiredness.

A tense person will often have raised shoulders and tension can cause contraction of the muscles and back pain. If you’re feeling tense during the day, take yourself for a walk, hold your head up high and your shoulders back and practice good deportment.

Many of us spend most of the day sitting in front of a computer, or sitting in the car, or sitting in front of the television. Today, deportment seems such an old-fashioned word, but it is important for the young to learn about deportment because they spend so much time curled over their laptops and phones. They are growing it’s important they don’t grow up with a curled spine. People in Africa can walk for miles with water jugs on their heads. This is because they have good posture. Their muscles are all aligned in the right way and they can carry heavy loads without stress. It is never a good look to round your shoulders and put your head down. I am always telling my tall sons to put their shoulders back and heads up. It is never too late to improve your posture.
 

The correct way to walk is to shorten your step, and as you walk, slightly pick your knees up. This may seem strange at first but this way of walking keeps your body aligned so that you are not leaning forward. This may seem odd to power walkers who walk leaning forward to walk as quickly as they can. Try it and you will notice a real difference. You will find that when your body is moving in the correct way, with your muscles all aligned, you enjoy walking much more and feel much more comfortable. Give it a try. There are huge benefits to walking well. Try and include a walk every morning and at lunchtimes. Walking is great for regulating your heartbeat and also gives you some personal space and that is something we need to reclaim in our busy day. If you walk well, you exercise all your muscles in a balanced way. Good posture helps you to stay looking young and to age with elegance.
 

It is important if you are sitting for long periods at a desk that you sit forward on your sitting bones and sit up straight not curved around the desk. It really is quite amazing when you change your posture: you feel calmer and more confident. Instead of sitting back on your bottom, you should be sitting forward on your sitting bones; that way, you do not need to lean over your desk in a curled position. It is important if you are sitting for long hours at a desk to get up and stretch occasionally.

Shoulder lifts help strengthen the upper back and release tension in the shoulders. Raise and lower your shoulders five times and then take five slow deep breaths and you will feel much more relaxed. When you change your posture you feel calmer and more confident, so occasionally, give your muscles a holiday and let them relax too. If you would like a copy of my office exercises you can e-mail me at: [email protected].

Practicing keeping your posture good is very important especially as we grow older: it is all too easy to slump and give in to gravity. The more we bend forward, the more likely we are to end up with a permanently hunched spine and loss of height. So, remember what your mother told you and put your shoulders back and your head up. For more healthy tips and recipes, sign up for my newsletter at [email protected].
 
I am a busy working lady and I have no time to go to the gym, as when I am off work I want to spend the time with my two children. I need to lose weight as I weigh 80 kilos and I feel dissatisfied with my figure. I eat more because I am feeling so tired in the evening. 
 
You do not need to go to the gym for an hour. Studies show that it is better to do some exercise every day rather than for one hour once a week. I always recommend mornings as the best time to exercise, as it gives you energy for the day ahead. With just 10 minutes of exercise, you can boost your levels of endorphins to the brain, which lifts your mood and makes you feel bright, happy and confident for your day ahead. Taking some exercise will actually make you feel less tired. My mini-morning workout can be done in 10 few minutes and is an ideal way to work exercise into your day. Just email me at [email protected] for a free copy. For a daily healthy tip, follow me on Twitter “@AlvaCarpenter.”