Posture refers to the alignment of various parts of your body in relation to each other. Proper posture helps prevent fatigue, headaches, eye strain and muscle tension. Good posture can help improve your quality of life by making exercise more comfortable, boosting self-image and enhancing sleep. Many people might not be aware that they have bad posture. It can take some time and patience, but bad posture can be improved and corrected.
Signs
When standing, your hips and pelvis should be level. Your shoulders should be even and your back should be straight and relaxed. If your shoulders are rounded or you have a curvature in your spine, your muscles are imbalanced. Some other signs of bad posture are a protruding abdomen, sunken chest or your chin thrusts out and your head thrusts foward.
Causes
One of the main causes of poor posture is your skeletal bones being misaligned. When your skeletal structure is misaligned, your muscles try to counteract the deviations. This can result in muscular tightness and strains. Muscular imbalances are also a cause of bad posture. For example, you can have an imbalance between your abdominal muscles and your hip flexors. Both are needed to provide support to your lower back. If a strength imbalance exists, it can cause strain and lead to postural deviations. If you sit for long periods at a desk, you can cause postural deviations if you aren't mindful of proper posture. It is easy to slouch and allow your shoulders to roll forward while using a computer.
Exercises
According to the American Council on Exercise, these exercises will help strengthen your core and improve your posture. Do these exercises two to three times per week. Starting on your hands and knees, maintain a neutral spine position and slide one hand in front of you six to 12 inches. Hold for five seconds and return to the starting position. Do two to four repetitions on each side. Next, while lying on your back with your hands at your side, exhale and push your hips up to the ceiling and hold for two counts, them slowly return to the start at a four-count pace. Next, while still on your back, lift your arms above your head to form an I and hold for 15 to 30 seconds, return to the starting position then make a Y shape and hold and continue with a T and a W.
Prevention
Once you correct your posture, you have ways to prevent the deviations and imbalances from returning. It is important to be conscious of your body's positioning at all times, especially while sitting and to recognize when you are engaging in improper movements. When working on increasing your strength, it is vital that you use proper posture before, during and after the exercise to ensure you maintain proper form and avoid injury. If you continue to improve your flexibility, you can avoid the shortening and tightening of your muscles, which causes bad posture. You should stretch after each workout to correct any alignment issues that might have occurred during exercise.
