In a society where we spend hours on end sitting at a desk, looking at our phones, driving in our car, and slumped over on the couch, it is no surprise our back and shoulders ache, our necks are stiff, and we lack the energy to get through the week. Good posture is just as important as eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep.

When your bones are properly aligned, your muscles, joints, and ligaments can work as nature intended them to. Your organs are in the correct position and can function at full capacity. Good posture also improves your nervous system, circulatory system, respiratory system, endocrine, and digestive system. As a result, you feel better, and look better!

Here are some simple tips for improving posture.

1. Just open up: Every half hour or so stretch, walk, or stand. By opening up and doing movements opposite of those we often find ourselves in for 8 hours a day can really help balance things out.
2. When you do have to sit, sit up straight: Whether you are in your car, at work, or at the dinner table sit up with good, tall posture with your shoulders relaxed away from your ears. It takes practice and some getting used to, but your body will thank you.
3. Add a little OM in your life: Poor posture is the result of an accumulation of chemical, physical, AND emotional factors. Taking time to relax, unwind, and breathe throughout your day will not only improve your mood but also your posture.

When focusing on our posture you will also want to check in with your gait. Gait is the way in which we move our entire body from one point to another. Gait analysis is not just for runners and athletes. It is for everyone who moves and wants to move better, with more ease. Gait plays an incredibly important part in our everyday lives. If your joints are stiff, muscles are weak, or you have limited range of motion your body finds a way of compensating for the problem, leading to biomechanical abnormalities. Gait analysis is a method used to assess the way we walk or run and can highlight these abnormalities. Once properly assessed, a treatment protocol can help correct these dysfunctional postural and movement patterns.