Do you ever catch yourself scrunched over when you are sitting at the table and realise your back is killing you? Good posture is crucial to overall health and balance: By sitting or standing up straight, you effectively centre your weight perfectly over your feet.
Perfecting your posture has a vast amount of benefits, but it is not nearly as recognised or spoken about when it comes to improving your health. Where office jobs are popular and everyone is bending their necks to look at their phone screens, posture is being left behind.
You don’t just need good form and posture for sports and exercise but for everyday life and a lot of us aren’t always taught how to stand or sit properly, and this can cause health issues in the future if not rectified.
Within this article, we will discuss the health benefits of posture and why it matters.
What is Good Posture?
Before getting into its benefits, it is important to understand what distinguishes good posture from poor posture. Your posture is the position your body takes when you’re standing, sitting or lying down.
Proper posture is in full swing when your body aligns with your other body parts, taking any strain off particular muscle groups. Your ears are aligned evenly over your shoulders, your shoulders are back and relaxed, and there is no leaning or shrugging involved.
Your spine naturally has three curves: at your neck, middle and lower back. Perfecting your posture keeps your spine healthy and maintains these natural curves.
It happens to the best of us when we’re engulfed in a conversation or have a laser focus on something. We forget to keep our backs straight so we have poor posture unconsciously. Certain muscle groups can help hold your body up and maintain this posture, so it comes with training your body and mind.
There are two types of posture: static and dynamic. Static posture is how your body stays when you’re not in motion, like when you’re asleep, standing, or sitting still. On the other hand, dynamic posture refers to how you carry yourself while you’re moving, such as when walking, stretching, or running.
What is bad for posture?
Slouching is your posture’s worst enemy and isn’t just a bad habit you need to shake off. There can be some other things that contribute to poor posture, whether it is tight muscles, scoliosis, or your job.
The strengths of your legs and core can also affect your posture and they affect how you carry yourself. For example, if you have weak core muscles, then you are likely to subconsciously slouch or move forward to lean on something.
Also, our modern lifestyles are where everyone is burying their faces in their phones and surveys found that people think recent generations are lazier than they ever used to be. You may notice people are slumping forward, ignoring the effects of poor posture and not doing anything to fix it.
How Do You Achieve Good Posture?
Yoga
This practise is linked to a vast array of benefits, including spinal strength, flexibility and creating a strong core. All of which can contribute to good posture. By incorporating yoga into your daily or general routine, you will improve your overall wellness, which is needed to combat some of the effects that come with modern-day structure.
To help you get into the routine, find a comfortable gym set, bite the bullet and attend a class that can help teach you the ropes.
Walking
Nowadays, a lot of people are either office workers or remote workers, so sitting down takes up most of your time and isn’t good for your back. With schedules getting busier all the time, it can be hard to fit in a workout, but if you try and set some time aside for a daily walk, it will make all the difference for your physical and mental wellbeing.
General Exercise
These exercises are great to do before or after your workout, or even after a long day sitting at your desk. Here are seven exercises you should try to incorporate into your daily routine.
- Childs pose
- Forward fold
- Cat-cow
- Chest opener
- High plank
- Side plank
All of these exercises won’t take much of your time and are a great way to start your day off by keeping your posture and muscles in top form.
Benefits of Good Posture
You might be wondering what all of this is good for and whether it will actually help your wellbeing. The answer is yes, and here are three reasons why that hasn’t already been mentioned.
Reduces Headaches
Because of the heightened muscle tension in the back of the neck, poor posture can aggravate tension headaches. Correcting our posture can frequently ease headaches and reduce muscle tension.
Increase in Energy Levels
Your muscles can be used as they are meant to be when your bones and joints are properly aligned, which will increase your energy and reduce fatigue. Put simply, the muscles are not required to use as much energy to perform their intended function.
Increased Lung Capacity
When you’re not slouching, you are giving your lungs the chance to expand to their full potential. This will help you with everyday tasks and more physical activities. Try sitting up straight and opening your lungs with three deep breaths several times a day.