ARE YOU SITTING “TOO STRAIGHT”

When we tell people to “sit straight!”, they will tend to over exaggerate and hyper arch their backs to straighten up from the hunching posture.
This hyper-arched posture is similar to someone wearing high heels where the lower back is pushed forward and upper back backwards to keep the center of gravity in balance from the tilt of the high heels.

Long term adoption of this posture will only strain the spine and create problems like muscle tension and back pain.
As much as we try not to hunch forward when seated, sitting “too straight” will have negative effects on one’s health too.

So, what’s the best sitting back posture? Be neutral.
Keep the neck straight, shoulders pushed back but relaxed, feel the tummy tucked-in and sit tall. You shouldn’t be using extra force to maintain this posture.

Last but not least, this might be the ideal posture for the back when seated but it’s always best to change sitting position for short periods to relax the body and get up to stretch and move.
Maybe we might also want to switch to telling people, especially kids to “Sit tall” instead of “Sit straight”.