Bad posture can cause misalignment of your spine and lead to chronic back and neck pain. There are many ways to improve posture. The main thing is to be conscious of how you sit and stand; many of us don't even realize when we are using poor posture.
Whether we are slumped in a chair reading or hunched over watching television, we need to improve posture, as the spine needs to be straight and the back properly supported. Sitting or standing straight is not a natural thing for most people to do, so being aware of your posture is the best way to improve posture. For example, if you realize that your car's bucket seat is not doing your back any favors as your spine does not align with it well, you can use padding or a cushion so that there is no large unsupportive space between the seat and your back.
Computer chairs can also be problematic to posture, so be sure yours is supportive. Making sure that your desk is the right height is a good way to improve posture as many people have their desks too low. If you have to slouch or hunch forward to properly use your keyboard, then your desk is too low and your posture is probably suffering. A desk chair with a supportive back and a desk at a height that allows you to use the keyboard while sitting up straight and having your feet flat on the floor can greatly improve posture.
Good posture is important to physical fitness. Yoga combines both. Stretching movements that gently work the back and shoulders are often helpful in improving posture. Cross-country skiing offers exercise that can improve posture because the arm movements can help your back and shoulders if you stand straight.
You should always be aware of your posture even when exercising. For example, when running or jogging be sure your body is straight. Many runners and joggers lean either too far backward or too far forwards. Not keeping a straight posture is a very common thing to do and most runners, like most readers, television watchers and computer users, don't even realize they're doing it.
