Your mother probably stressed the relevance of good posture to you while growing up. But at that time you let it go in one ear and out the other. There are important consequences of good posture for your physical health and hopefully this time, you are willing to listen. Here are some of the ways sitting right, walking tall and adopting other posture perfect stances can benefit your overall physical health.
Improves your Mood
Good posture has been shown to contribute to the alleviation of depression, according to a study carried out recently. The subjects were told to either walk down a hall way in slouch or a skip. The skippers were reported to have higher energy and lower feelings of depression than those who were asked to slouch.
Alleviates Serious Pain
All kinds of pain can result from the wrong posture. From chronic neck pain to waist pain and back pain. The most common posture that leads to neck pain is hanging head and shoulder posture. This occurs when your neck slants forward and places the head in front of the shoulders. When you find yourself sitting like this, perhaps unconsciously, take steps to correct your posture to reduce the chances of developing neck pain.
However, care should be taken not to over correct your posture. Overcorrecting your posture could cause you to pull back your shoulders too far back, causing muscles to become tense and creating back pain and stiffness.
Strengthens your core
Standing or sitting in the proper posture encourages proper positioning of the parts of your body, inside and out. Unlike when you sit in a crouched position, and your intestines get all folded up, slowing things down. Standing with the correct posture, head high, back straight leads to the tightening and strengthening of your core. You can learn to achieve good posture by practicing yoga or Pilates, two forms of exercises where a lot of focus in placed on the right posture of the human form.
One particular pose that can contribute to core strength is the Cobra. To do it, lie on your front and place your head on your forearms. Lift your forehead and face upwards, allowing your body weight to rest on your chest. Let your had fall backwards a bit, then move your belly up off the mat, just like you would if someone were pulling your arms.
Reduces Risk of Disease and Early Death
Slouching while on the couch in front of the TV has been linked to a reduced life expectancy. For people with poor posture, this is sad news indeed. Conversely, consistently maintaining good posture will contribute to higher life expectancy and lower rates of sickness. When the health outcomes of sitting were measured, it was discovered that people who sat the most had a higher risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, whether they exercised or not. If you have to sit for long periods of time, occasionally getting up to stretch and engage in some proper movement can be of immense help.
Improves Circulation
With good posture, fluids and gases can easily move back and forth, circulating more effectively round the body. Lengthy sitting, especially with legs crossed at the knees can obstruct the free flow in the body, leading to higher pressure and in certain cases, spider veins. When standing, employ a good posture that would encourage the flow of blood to your lower body. While it is a myth that crossing your legs will cause varicose veins to pop up, it dies have some negative consequences. Still, if your vein systems are closer to the surface, the pressure placed on them by crossing could cause them to show up more prominently.
Oftentime good posture cannot be achieved due to pain issues. Times like these, be sure to consult a professional right away.
