I Tried That Posture-Correcting Device You Might Have Seen On Instagram

    2019 is the year we lose our hunchbacks!

    Jemima Skelley
    by Jemima Skelley

    Lifestyle Editor

    Like a lot of other people who spend 8+ hours a day hunched over a computer at my desk, then 3+ hours a night slumped over my laptop in my bed, my posture is...not great.

    Becky Barnicoat / BuzzFeed

    I also like hunching over my phone, which is where I saw an Instagram sponsored post for Upright, a device which is supposed to help correct bad posture.

    Instagram: @upright. trainer

    I then made the mistake of clicking on it, so it really showed up in ads EVERYWHERE.

    I decided I'd give it a crack, as it had heaps of promising reviews and I kinda want to take all the help I can get.

    BuzzFeed

    It's pretty straighforward – you stick this little plastic thing between your shoulder blades, and then sync it to an app on your phone.

    BuzzFeed

    The device recognises when you're sitting straight and when you're slumping.

    Upright Go

    You can have it in training mode, where it vibrates every time you slouch, reminding you to sit up straight. Or you can just have it in tracking mode, and at the end of the day it'll let you know how often you had bad posture.

    I personally liked it to constantly remind me every time I was slumping. It got it in my head to sit up straight, so then even on days when I'm not wearing it I remember.

    It's a bit of an investment ($120AUD) but it's actually hella effective. In the past I've tried just putting Post-Its on my computer to remind me to sit up straight – but after a day or two I just stop noticing them.

    BuzzFeed

    Before using the device I was slouching pretty much constantly. Maybe once a day I'd remember and sit upright, but within 10 minutes I was hunched again.

    While I'm wearing the trainer, I'm upright pretty much 100% of the time. On the days I don't wear it, I'm still not perfect, but I'd say that I'm sitting upright for about half of the day.

    BuzzFeed

    So there you have it. I definitely recommend it for anyone else who is walking around feeling like Gollum.

    Disney

    You can buy them at Apple stores or online.

    FYI, BuzzFeed was supplied the Upright Go device free of charge but without any guarantee of a review.