Your posture is important because: 1) it directly affects your health and fitness, 2) it sends a message about how you feel about yourself, and 3) good posture can make you appear taller, thinner and more at ease. Indeed, the term "slouch" refers to someone who is weak, indifferent or irresponsible. "Chin up!" is meant as a phrase of encouragement, but if taken literally it is also good advice about posture.
Identifying Poor Posture
Before you can correct bad posture, you must first identify it. Some of the causes of poor posture include obesity, pregnancy, poor sitting and standing postures, inflexibility or weakness in joints and muscles and an ergonomically incorrect workplace. Signs of poor posture include holding your head and neck too far forward or down, slouching and rolling (or hunching) your shoulders, cradling a phone receiver between your shoulder and neck, slouching forward while sitting, arching your lower back too much and sitting on your wallet in your hip pants pocket.
Benefits of Good Posture
By adopting good posture, you can prevent or eliminate low back pain, neck strain and carpal tunnel syndrome. These conditions result from chronic muscle strain caused by holding your body in an unnatural position. Poor posture also can accelerate wear and tear on your joints, which can then lead to arthritis.
Good posture allows you to use your postural muscles more efficiently because they are in correct alignment. Correct use of the muscles not only relieves pain but also gives you an energy boost because your muscles don't have to strain themselves and your fatigue decreases.
Complications of Poor Posture
When you achieve good posture, you will prevent your spine from becoming fixed. One example of this is seen in people who must bend forward for long periods of time at work. Not only are these people at risk for developing a permanent spinal abnormality, but their postural muscles become imbalanced making it progressively more difficult for them to stand up straight.
Some of the problems from a fixed spine include constricted nerves and blood vessels, muscle pain as well as sore discs and joints. By assuming normal posture, you can also prevent the headaches, breathing problems, fatigue and damage to internal organs that can result from spinal maladjustment.
Considerations
Other benefits of good posture include improvement in breathing as well as better circulation and digestion that result from relieving the bodily stress on the torso and allowing your lungs, digestive system and other organs more room to function. As an added benefit, better posture also will improve the quality of your voice if you do not allow your chest to totally deflate when you exhale.
Tips for Good Posture
When seated, place both feet on the floor or on a foot rest if they do not reach the floor, keep your knees level with your hips and sit with your back firmly against the chair. If necessary, adjust the chair so it supports your mid and lower back; or place a small cushion or rolled towel behind the curve of your lower back. Don't lean forward or slouch in your chair.
Do not cross your legs, and keep your ankles in front of your knees; keep your shoulders straight and relaxed, with your forearms parallel to the floor. Maintain a slight gap between the back of your knees and the front edge of your seat. Don't sit in the same position for long periods; stand up and stretch often. Remember to stretch your head upwards with chin pulled in slightly.
The key to good standing posture is the same as sitting: maintain a neutral spine, or one that is not stressed by twists or turns that fatigue spinal muscles and put extra pressure on spinal disks. Hold your chest high, with your shoulders back and relaxed; support your weight on the balls of your feet instead of your heels. Keep your feet parallel and spaced at about shoulder-width apart, with knees slightly bent.
