Tall girls' help on standing up straight?

Hello

I'm a 16 year old girl and I'm 5'10" (which btw is taller than the average UK man) so I'm one of the tallest in my group of friends, by far taller than most of my girl friends. Anyway, because I'm so tall I tend to slouch when I'm not thinking about it, but I don't like the way I look when I'm slouching and it's also becoming quite bad for my back. :frown:

I've stopped growing and now I think my muscles are permanently in the position they are in now but as with all muscles I'm assuming it's possible to train them to naturally be straight, so does anyone have any tips on how to get myself to stand up straighter? Or possibly even exercises/stretches to help the muscles so it's easier?

Thank you! :smile:

Reply 1

Reptilian

I highly doubt you're able to change your muscle shape by slouching permanently but if you want, you can do stretching exercises at night and in the morning. Just stretch your whole body or train your back muscles for better posture.

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Reply 2

Devonshire-Delight

Original post by bethanyaldridge

Hello

I think the best thing to do would be to accept yourself for who you are. Being comfortable in your own skin and don't conform to people's views on how everyone must be. Walk tall and be confident. Don't worry about bad posture since it takes a long period of time for it to set in.

The spine is essentially a stack of discs with cartilage sandwiched between the gaps; the shape of the spine depending on the direction of pressure applied to the discs and the length of time the pressure has been applied. (e.g. If you lean left, the pressure on the discs of the spine is mainly on the left compressing the space in between the discs.) I would first visit your GP and see what s/he has to say about exercising being qualified and all.

To straighten the back, you got to equalise the pressure on the discs. For your case, since you've been slouching, you have been tilting your spine forwards/downwards. Try some exercises which make you tilt your back backwards. As a precautionary warning, don't overdo it and if you start to feel pain then STOP!

1) When you get out of bed, stand straight with a relatively wide stance (for stability) and lean back as far as you can comfortably without falling over.
2) Neck stretches - Stand normally and look upwards for 10 seconds and return to normal. Repeat looking to the left, down and right. Don't move your neck in a circular fashion; just in a horizontal/vertical fashion.
3) Lie on your bed on your stomach with your head resting on your pillows.

Sorry for the long-winded answer. Hope these tips helped you! Thanks.

Reply 3

bethanyaldridge

Wow thank you so much that's exactly what I wanted :smile:

)

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Reply 4

DropkickSmurfy

Devonshire-Delight's advice was brilliant.

I'm also a tall girl, I'm a little over 6ft, and I used to slouch too. I think I did it subconsciously, thinking it would help me blend in, when I suspect the reality is, it made me stand out even more.

I was suffering from backache though, which I knew was related to my slouching, and I did go to the GP about it. I was actually given a sheet of exercises to do, which I had to do gradually, so I do think Devonshire's suggestion of going to see your GP first is spot on.

Over the past year, I've learnt to embrace my height, and I now walk tall with pride. And no backaches.

Tall girls' help on standing up straight?

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