It’s a parent’s prerogative to nag their children about their posture. We’ve all been told at one time or another to straighten our backs or stop slouching, but has anyone ever told you why your posture matters? There are a number of ways that poor posture will negatively impact your body, many of which you might not already be aware of.
Back Pain
The most obvious contender is back pain. It might feel much more comfortable to slouch now, but in reality, this behaviour is putting extra pressure on the muscles, ligaments, and disks in your back. After years of extra stress on these structures, you’ll find yourself with chronic lower back pain. It’s believed that poor posture contributes to at least 25% of lower back pain complaints in the elderly. Aged care equipment suppliers are dedicated to providing special devices designed to alleviate this pain and pressure.
Energy Levels
We don’t often think of our posture when we notice a dip in our energy levels. We generally expect this to be caused by viruses, diseases, poor sleep patterns, and stress rather than how we hold our bodies. As you’re likely well aware, our bodies transport oxygen around via our blood. When we slouch or hold ourselves in positions that limit or obstruct this journey, we’re slowly depriving our organs of oxygen. Thankfully this one is unlikely to leave any lasting damage. Once you fix your posture, you’ll likely notice an improvement in energy levels fairly quickly.
Headaches
The two most common types of headaches are dehydration headaches and tension headaches. Since barely any of us consume enough water each day, it’s much more likely you’re familiar with a dehydration headache. This type is easily remedied with a proper drink of water and a bit of rest. Its counterpart, the tension headache, can be a little bit harder to shake. Generally associated with stress and anxiety, many people overlook the impacts their posture might be having. When we slouch, we tend to bend our necks, creating a hump-like arch at the base of our heads. Prolonged amounts of time in this position put pressure on our nerves and lead to ongoing tension headaches. If this is a problem you suffer with, engaging in yoga stretches is a known way to provide instant relief, but in order to keep this at bay, your posture will need to be corrected.
Restricted Lungs
Incorrect posture usually involves an inward bending of our abdomens which forces our organs close together. The more we put this pressure on our lungs, the harder it is for them to expand and contract to their fullest. This results in laboured breathing and increases the likelihood of lowered energy as there is less oxygen in your blood to start with.
Reduced Capacity for Exercise
Due to a combination of the above, those of us with poor posture will struggle to engage in frequent exercise. Getting out and moving our bodies is important in maintaining overall health and well-being. Not only is it ideal for promoting the production of all the good hormones, but it is also imperative for the function and maintenance of your entire physicality. Keeping active promotes a healthy blood supply and helps keep obesity at bay so that you do not have to rely on bariatric equipment to stay healthy. Prolonged poor posture will not only decrease your stamina for physical exercise, but it will also make holding the correct form more challenging. Over time our muscles start to seize and require more than a simple stretch to release. Being unable to hold our bodies in a healthy way when engaging in activities such as weightlifting can result in serious injury.
Social Experience
Often overlooked when thinking of posture is the impact it has on the perception of who we are in social settings. Non-verbal social cues are a large part of the way we communicate with each other. While they’re largely processed by the subconscious, we can certainly make changes to actively change how we’re perceived. It is widely accepted that those of us who look or are confident tend to attract good things to us. When perceiving the body language of those around us, our subconscious minds tend to associate someone who is slouching or hunched over as lacking confidence and looking to take up less room. When we maintain good posture, we are instead perceived as being strong and confident, which can have a notable positive impact on our social interactions.
There are plenty of simple ways to help improve your posture. Increasing your awareness of your body and being conscious of the decisions you make to impact your posture is the best place to start. Rather than just looking for office chairs in Australia, search online for the best ergonomic office chairs in Australia. Ensure your mattress is of good quality and designed to help promote posture-friendly sleeping positions. Bring a cushion out to the car to pop behind your back for long drives. Make sure to stand up on regular occasions and move your body around. Is your boss talking about their office fit out ideas? Make sure to have your input on the posture-friendly boardroom chairs. These little changes have the power to make a big difference.
There are a number of easy yoga poses or stretches that will help reverse the damage of your poor posture and also promote better posture in the future. The most commonly used and effective examples include the child’s pose, the forward fold, cat-cow, standing cat cow, high plank, side plank, down-facing dog, and pigeon pose. If you’re not familiar with these exercises, popular online platforms are overflowing with videos to provide you with guidance.
Regular practice of yoga or a similar soft exercise is the simplest and fastest way to see improvements in your posture and well-being. Taking 10 minutes each day to run through a variety of these poses will also provide you with the ideal opportunity to practise some meditation or mindfulness. It’s easy to lose focus and fall back into old patterns, so why not set yourself a challenge to engage in one of them each day?
Before you know it, you’ll be sleeping like a baby, your headaches will be cleared up, and you’ll be energised for life.