Spending eight-plus hours a day staring at a screen is basically a one-way ticket to bad posture (as well as the back pain that comes along with it). And yet, for most (read: all??) of us, the screen-time is pretty much non-negotiable.
With this in mind, Gelcream, a photography and creative direction company based out of Los Angeles, used Instagram’s question sticker to ask their 100,000 followers to share their very best tricks for practicing A+ posture. The tips range from instructive to inspirational, and almost every single is totally free.
So if you’re ready to perk up, try these 15 super-simple good posture tips and put a stop to your slouching.
1. “I used to keep a sticky note on my computer that said ‘posture!!’ Surprisingly effective.”
2. “Set a daily phone alarm during a time you find yourself [getting] sleepy and slouching the most.”
3. “Don’t look at your phone all the time. Adjust level of computer to eye.”
4. “Make sure you have good bras! That helped me a lot.”
5. “Hold your chest high. It automatically straightens your back and adjusts your shoulders.”
6. “Hang off a high bar (arms overhead, body dangling) for a few minutes every day.”
7. “In ballet, we were told to pretend like you have a beautiful necklace on and you’re showing it off!!”
8. “Set your lock screen as a picture of the words ‘good posture.'”
9. “[I] wear high-waisted jeans, because they dig in if I slouch.”
10. “Sitting on an exercise ball at your desk!”
11. “Stretch briefly, but often. It’s easy to be stagnant throughout a workday, but if you take even 30 seconds to stretch, it helps.”
12. “Sit at the edge of your chair, place your feet behind you on the ground. It forces balance!”
13. “I was told by my doctor to put a small rolled towel under my back while I sleep at night.”
14. “Put a water bottle or ball between your shoulder blades and hold it against your chair.”
15. “Just imagine that Beyoncé is offering you a job interview. Adjust your posture accordingly.”
Here’s what happened when one writer tried at-home exercises for better posture, and the 10-minute warmup ballerinas rely on for their A+ form.