Posture is the way you hold your body overall. There is Dynamic posture and then Static Posture. Dynamic posture is when you are moving and the way you hold your body eg during walking, running, bending, etc. Static posture is the way you hold your body when you are sitting or in a static position. It is very important to improve posture as a bad posture can affect your health in the longer run. Apart from issues with the spine, some neurological issues also arise due to bad posture.
There are exercises to fix your posture if you think it is bad. However, it is better to take care of it before it gets bad. You can also improve it naturally in case of minimal damage. The easiest way to know if you are in the correct posture is to remember the curves of the spine. There are three curves of the spine starting from the neck, then mid-back, and then lower back. The key is to keep these curves in a curved position without under or overdoing it. Your head should be in alignment with your shoulders, and the shoulders should be in alignment with the hips.
Health issues caused by bad posture
Slouching or slumping is just not a sign of laziness rather a could be a reason of much serious health issues including:
- Misalignment of musculoskeletal system.
- Worn out spine, making it more fragile and prone to injury.
- Chronic neck, shoulder, and back pain.
- Reduces flexibility.
- Affects functionality of joints movement.
- Affects ability to balance and increases risk of falling.
- Affects digestion of food.
- Breathing problems.
How to improve posture generally in everyday life?
Following are some simple ways which will help you to correct your posture with some general practices in daily life.
- Stay mindful: The top most important thing to improve your posture is to be mindful about it. Make sure you are not slouching during daily chores like washing dishes, watching TV, reading a book, etc.
- Exercise: Exercise like Yoga and Pilates are great to fix your posture. Similarly, strengthening exercises targeting muscles around pelvis, abdomen, and back are also great.
- Work surfaces at the right height: Make sure that your work surfaces at the right and you dont have to bend. It includes surface of working on computer, cooking, or writing something.
- Comfortable shoes: Low-heeled comfortable shoes are important for a good posture. High heels put a lot of stress on the muscles and affect the posture.
- Maintain weight: Weight more than the body’s ability to hold affects muscles and puts burden on the spine. It causes backache as well as bad posture.
How to correct posture in a sitting job?
Most of the jobs in the current era are of sitting in front of a computer. Even though the work efficiency has increased, but the physique of most people is gone bad. Following are some simple ways you can fix your posture while sitting.
- Keep switching positions.
- Take small walks around.
- Occasionally stretch muscles to release tension.
- Keep the feet on the floor or footrest.
- Relax the shoulders.
- Keep the elbows close to body.
- Have proper back support.
- Thighs and hips should be fully supported.
How to improve posture while standing?
Here are how you can make sure you are in the correct posture while standing.
- Stand up in an upright position.
- Make sure the shoulders not dropping.
- The stomach should be in.
- Keep your head in proper level.
- Put most of the weight on the balls of your feet.
- The hands should be hanging down naturally.
- Feet should be shoulder-level apart.
Improve your posture and keep it in check to avoid serious health issues later in life.