Good posture has many benefits. With good posture, you will experience improved physical, emotional, and mental health. Here are 5 reasons to have good posture.
Good posture contributes to the health of your spine. If you have a healthy spine, you will decrease the likelihood of back pain. A lot of neck and back pain and brittleness come from years of uneven stresses on your spinal column or from misaligned vertebrae constantly grinding against each other. Poor posture can also cause stretched out or shortened ligaments around the vertebrae, which can lead to discomfort and increase the risk of injuries, headaches and TMJ.
Your posture affects the health of your organs. Poor posture can constrict or put pressure on organs, restricting blood flow to them and inhibiting their proper functioning. It can also lead to tension in the body, which could prevent the smooth muscles of the digestive system and respiratory tract from working as they should. Those muscles need to be relaxed to do their work.
Posture influences confidence and sense of overall well-being. Feeling well-balanced and comfortable affects the way you feel about yourself and the way others perceive you. You feel more powerful when your body feels strong and stable. When you stand up tall and have your shoulders back, your body is naturally more relaxed and your breathing is easier. Yoga master BKS Iyengar told his students, “Always keep your armpit chest open and you’ll never be depressed.”
Good posture leads to better body mechanics. This means that your athleticism will improve, so you’ll perform better in physical activities and also enjoy them more. You will tire less easily, feel less sore after you exercise, and also be less prone to injuries.
Proper posture will enhance cognitive function because a properly aligned spinal cord will be able to send and receive messages to the brain unimpeded. All of the factors mentioned above will also aid your cognitive function. You will be less distracted by pain and fatigue, and you will sleep better. You’ll feel more confident and relaxed, and improved organ function will mean more nutrients and energy are available to nourish your brain.
November 15, 2008
I totally agree. I’ve been consciously working on my posture (I’ve had bad posture for years) and the difference is incredible. I think people look at me a little differently (better) and I feel much healthier when I’m standing (and even sitting) with better posture. Great post
November 15, 2008
While I certainly agree with everything that’s said here, if you try to improve your posture without help from someone who knows what they’re doing, you may end up causing more problems. If you have real posture problems, my advice would be to find someone with some qualification or accreditation in something relevant (”deportment teacher” being a dwindling category in the phone book, I’m guessing!)
Personally, I’ve been taking lessons in the Alexander Technique for about a year. In the early stages, I found out the hard way that if, say, you just try to “sit up straighter”, then you generally end up turning extra muscles on to fight the ones that are already dragging you down. You can end up with more aches and pains than you started with.
Someone who knows what they’re doing can make you aware enough of what’s going on in your own body that you find the tension that’s already there and relax it, unwinding yourself into better, more natural “posture”.
November 15, 2008
ok so how can I get this good posture? i’m told i have mild scoliosis and it should improve on its own yet i feel slouchy.