The Pokémon Go craze reminded me of this piece of advice–which is the same advice I got from my mother, my grandmothers, and I’m sure they got it from their moms and grandmothers too–STAND UP STRAIGHT!

I see people walking kind of zombielike trying to find little creatures around town. While I appreciate that getting gamers away from in front of the televisions and out in the great outdoors is a great start, it is still staring at a cell phone. I know just looking at my cell phone while walking, riding the elevator, and standing and waiting for something has affected my posture and my neck. My massage therapist confirms this is true. I’m trying to be better about putting my phone away and standing up straight while doing those things to make it less of a problem.

This pain is just from having a cell phone for the last 10ish years. I can only imagine what children who get cell phones at 6, 7, 8 years old will look and feel like once they get to be 60.

It is really important to take care of your posture. As you get older, the results of consistent bad posture become more and more apparent. Hips need to be adjusted, back needs to be adjusted, and massages become a necessity, not a luxury.

In addition, there is a possibility of running into people or things, falling down steps, falling into fountains or pools, even getting hit by a car because you’re not paying attention to where you’re going because you’ve got your head buried in your phone. It really is dangerous and it really is preventable.

So put your phone away, sit up straight, and have a conversation with someone while actually looking them in the eye! Interesting concept, I know, but you might be surprised at how much better the conversation will be.