Approximately 10% of adults at any given time are experiencing neck pain. I have personally had neck pain for about 3 years now, since a whiplash incident. There are many things that can help with neck pain (and also back pain) but one major factor is posture.

There are so many activities in our daily lives that promote bad posture that it can be hard to even think of what activities to do if you are trying to maintain good posture. So I’ve been making a list. These activities do not in themselves guarantee good posture. You still need to make sure you are maintaining it. But they are activities that are just as easy to do with good posture as bad.

1. Sit on an exercise ball while watching TV. The exercise ball encourages sitting upright and assuming your TV isn’t super high or super low your neck should be in a fairly neutral position. This also allows you to get yourself directly in front of the TV so you aren’t turning your head for long periods of time to see.

2. Go for a walk. Look at the surroundings. Humans are designed for walking and for observing our surroundings. Don’t fight the evolution.

3. Go to a sports match. You can slouch for sure at a baseball game or whatever but it’s just as easy to sit with good posture as bad. You have something in front of you to watch that keeps you from staring down at your phone or a book for long periods of time. It’s also a great way to catch up with friends, since it’s very easy to talk while still enjoying the game.

4. Kiss someone slightly taller than you. This is kind of a joke between my husband and I but seriously, good posture has a slight bend in your neck and kissing someone just a couple inches taller than you is pretty perfect for keeping that bend there. It is less helpful for the taller person in this scenario.

5. See a movie somewhere with the nice chairs. Be sure to sit near the middle of the theater. So I guess see an unpopular movie. Or go to a matinee. Whatever lets you have your pick of the seats will do. Movie seats don’t do much to help low back problems but if neck is the main issue you can keep your neck in a pretty healthy position.

6. Sit around a campfire. Also a great way to catch up with friends. Or just to have some peace and quiet in nature.

7. Cook something. Make sure whatever surfaces you are chopping at are at a comfortable height so you don’t have to adjust too much. Cooking provides for a pretty wide range of motions. Gentle movements are often very helpful for mild-moderate pain. Just try not to do one thing for too long, break up tasks into smaller parts. Don’t spend an hour just chopping vegetables. Chop something, then stir something, check your recipe, wash off your produce, yell at your spouse or kids. Whatever works to break things up.

8. Call a friend on speaker phone or with headphones. We all know that holding a phone up to your ear, either with your hand or you shoulder, can be pretty taxing after awhile. Using headphones is my favorite because I can just stick my phone in my pocket and forget about it. Speaker phone will also work but you do have to keep better track of where your phone is.

9. Play a musical instrument. The thing about playing instruments correctly is that you are supposed to sit with good posture. No music teacher puts up with slouching. If you are new to playing consider getting lessons. Having lessons motivates you to want to practice (because if you don’t someone will know), and it ensures that you will learn things right the first time (such as proper posture). If you already know an instrument pick it back up!

10. Host an afternoon tea or meet a friend at a coffee shop. Americans have really gotten away from afternoon tea times. But that can be a delightful way to catch up with friends while maintaining good posture. The trick here is not to go someplace too loud, since that would mean you need to lean forward to hear each other.

What would you add to my list?