ORLANDO, Fla. – Whether it was your mother or your drill instructor in the military, you’ve heard the order for years: “Sit up straight!” From the looks of things, a lot of us didn’t pay much attention. Wherever you look, people are slumping.
A man invented an app aimed at straightening us up, especially when we are likely to slump over our phones.
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If you’re like most American workers, you slouch about two-thirds of every hour you’re awake.
“The body is meant to be in an upright ideal position. That’s where muscles function the best,” said
Trent Nessler a physical therapist at Champion Sports Medicine.
Trying to sit or stand with your head and shoulders back and erect all day is tough, to say the least.
After studying posture for years, posture expert Steven Weiniger developed an app aimed at straightening us up. It’s called PostureZone.
“It lets people take a picture of their posture and measure it by seeing how is your head balancing over where you are standing,” Weiniger said.
The app also has exercises to improve our sitting and standing. He says an important rule to follow for good posture is ACE. Be aware of your posture. Take steps to control your posture and be in control of your posture environment.
“Your posture is your external expression of your body’s physicality and how you look,” Weiniger said.
It’s not just how you look, it’s also how you feel. One university study found that even a half-hour of slouching can be downright unhealthy -- boosting stress levels, depression and even fear -- while facing the world upright can enhance your confidence. Weiniger hopes the app’s photos will be worth a thousand words.
PostureZone works with both iPhones and Android phones. There is a free version and there’s also a professional version that costs $29.99.