According to Anthony Carey of Function First Inc. in San Diego, healthy posture occurs when your body's joints are aligned properly to maintain a balanced center of gravity. From the front view, the tops of your pelvis and shoulders should be even and your toes and knees should point forward. From a side view, your ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, and ear should be in alignment. If you draw an imaginary straight line down your body, the line should bisect those parts.
Significance
Good posture does not occur only when sitting or standing. You must maintain your center of gravity while moving. If you walk down a flight of stairs, your hips and spine must be stabilized as you move. If you have poor posture, such as hunching your shoulders and jutting your neck forward, you have to expend more effort and stress in your body to maintain your center of gravity, which will increase the risk of stumbling. This is also known as dynamic posture.
Benefits
Your body uses less energy when you maintain a healthy posture. Good posture allows you to maintain a strong core, which keeps your body upright and able to perform activities with reduced risks of injury. A healthy posture also helps you reduce your risks of arthritis, bursitis, and other degenerative joint diseases.
Prevention/Solution
Avoid sitting or standing too long in any position. This causes many posture muscles and fascia (deep spinal muscles, hips) to weaken and tighten. Move every 10 to 15 minutes if you work at a desk to minimize or prevent stiffness. Take a walk around the office and stretch any areas that feel stiff.
Sample Exercises
Hip swings loosen the connective tissues around your hip joints and legs. In a standing position, swing one leg forward and back while keeping both knees slightly bent. Put one hand on a wall or chair for balance if needed. Start with small swings and gradually increase the range of motion and speed. Continue until the hips and legs feel loose.
For lateral and rotational movements, swing your leg across your body and out to the side, keeping your knees slightly bent. Do not hunch or flex your spine as you do so.
Another exercise that loosens your upper spine and shoulders is the lateral stretch with twist. This strengthens your hips and abdominals while you move one shoulder and your upper spine. Stand arm-distance away from a doorjamb or sturdy support and bend sideways to grab it with both hands. As you push your hip away from the support, keep your chest and chin up. Reach the lower arm across the body without moving your hips and legs to twist. Return to the start position and repeat until you feel looser.
Expert Insight
When you exercise at the gym, minimize or avoid the amount of exercises that require you to sit because it does not maintain or strengthen your core muscles, which keeps your body strong and upright. Free weights, medicine balls, parallel bars and standing cable columns are some of the gym tools that you can use to exercise without sitting.
Also, strengthening your buttocks, pelvic floor muscles, and back will help you improve or maintain your good posture because they get weak from extended periods of sitting.
References
- "Pain-Free Program"; Anthony Carey; 2005
- "Office Workout"; Michael Greenhouse; 2009
- "Stretch to Win"; Ann and Chris Frederick; 2006
