While a visit to a Phuket spa will certainly give you some relief from a stiff neck and aching shoulders, bad posture is commonly the root cause of such pain. You’ll find much greater and more lasting relief from improving your posture to prevent the pain in the first place, though there’s no doubting that the massage is a lot quicker. To help you get the relief you need, here are a few tips on how to improve the way you stand and sit.

Lift your chest

You’ve heard the drill instructor in the army movie shouting at his charges to “stand up straight, shoulders back, stomachs in, chests out”? Well, it’s actually good advice! Well, bits of it. Pulling your shoulders back and down is certainly the most common advice, but it’s exhausting because it puts a lot of strain on your muscles. By contrast, simply lifting your chest straightens your thoracic spine and brings your head, neck and shoulders into a more comfortable position without it being a whole workout.

Strengthen your lower body

You can’t build a house with a weak foundation and you can’t hope to balance your spine properly without a similarly strong foundation. In this case, we mean your hips and legs. If these are weak, you will struggle to hold your body upright throughout the day and will naturally allow your muscles to go slack, collapsing your body into a slouch. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, box jumps and running all help to improve your lower body strength which will, in time, help you to maintain good posture throughout the day, reducing the need to visit a Phuket spa.

Stretch your front

Standing and sitting with bad posture continuous will lead to certain muscles becoming used to that position, resulting in short and tight pectoral muscles and hip flexors. If you’re going to improve your posture, you’re going to need to get those muscles used to the idea of stretching. Check online or ask a training about exactly which muscles you’ll need to work on and how to do it. It’s best to ask a professional since getting this wrong could be painful and harmful.

Chill

Virtually all illness and discomfort comes down to stress, one way or another. In the case of improving your posture, it causes lack of sleep, leading to your muscles being unable to maintain good posture all day, leading to slouching. You should find a way to regularly destress – a Phuket massage is certainly a good start!