Good posture is essential for your confidence and overall well-being. Sure, standing up straight looks so much better than slouching, but it’s much more than aesthetics. It helps to spread your body weight equally, lowering joint and muscle stress. Surprisingly, standing tall also helps you breathe and digest better, too. How can you tell if the way you walk is wrecking your posture? We spoke with Dr. David J. Jacob, DC, owner of Back in Line OC in Orange, California, to learn the answer.
If You Walk Like This, You’re Wrecking Your Posture
“The worst way to walk is head down (looking at a phone, for example), or head jutted forward with the head out of alignment with the neck, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles, shoulders rounded, weak core, rounded back,” Dr. Jacob explains. “This posture puts added weight pressure on the spine by 27lbs when the head is forward just 15 degrees; 40lbs at 30 degrees; and 49lbs at 30 degrees.”
You’re doing your body a total disservice if you walk with bad form.
“This most definitely can lead to chronic pain, imbalances, or mobility issues,” Dr. Jacob warns. “Under this continuous strain, the musculature becomes rigid and reduces function. The body must adapt to the forward weight, which leads to even poorer posture and decreased functionality. I strongly recommend people with poor posture find an expert who can evaluate their posture and give them practical steps to improve their posture daily.”
Visible Signs You Might Be Walking in a Way That’s Hurting Your Posture
- Your head reaches your destination before the rest of your body
- Curved shoulders
- Rounded, weak core
- Protruding stomach
- Tucked hips
- Slouched when seated, resembling the letter “C”
Physical Signs You Have Bad Posture
- Upper, middle, or lower back ache
- Tight obliques and hip flexors
- Indigestion
This Is Correct Walking Posture, From Head-To-Toe
Good posture looks confident. Picture a tall head, as though a string is pulling you at the center of your head toward the sky. This will line up your ears with shoulders, hips, knee-sides, and ankles.
“You should be in a straight line but not rigid. It should be comfortable,” Dr. Jacob says. “If it’s not, you likely have muscle imbalances that are throwing off your skeletal alignment.”
Tips To Improve Your Walking Posture
1. Consider seeing a chiropractor, stretching, or performing muscle release.
“This can put the body back into alignment; muscle strengthening can help to hold it in place,” Dr. Jacob says.
2. Work on your head.
Dr. Jacob suggests, “Stand against a wall with the heels of your feet touching the wall, along with your upper shoulders and glutes to see if your head touches. If it doesn’t, you’re taxing your body and shedding years and quality of life from your life. Put one hand on the back of your head, and one hand on your forehead. Take turns pushing your head back and forth—nearly no movement but all muscle engaging strength. Not a lot, just enough to engage the muscles. Repeat left to right and back to front.”
3. Stretch your neck forward and backward.
When stretching, don’t roll your neck. Instead, nod yes in a very gradual, exaggerated motion, holding your chin to your chest and the back of your head to the back of your neck while gazing toward the sky.
“This should be followed by slow movements to the side where you tilt the head bringing the right ear closer to the right shoulder, then the left ear closer to the left shoulder. Repeat,” Dr. Jacob instructs.
4. Reset your vagus nerve.
“Move just your head and look right, hold, come back to center, look left, hold, come back to center, (and) repeat,” Dr. Jacob tells us. “Then hold your head steady and use ONLY YOUR EYES. Look right, hold, back to center, look left, hold, back to center. Repeat. Then repeat the head turn and see how much more mobility you’ve gotten.”
5. Fix rounded shoulders.
Stretching your pecs can help address rounded shoulders.
“Stretch your pecs by placing one arm in an L shape at shoulder height against a door or wall and walking in a circle away from the wall til you feel a stretch,” says Dr. Jacob. “Repeat [on the] other side. Then strengthen the inner upper back muscles with bands in pull down and pull back exercises.”
Alexa Mellardo