"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

Why Good Posture Matters

Posted by admin August 17, 2024

“Stand up straight.” This is timeless advice that we've probably all heard at one time or one other. It's price listening to. Good posture is important for balance: By standing up straight, you focus your weight in your feet. It also helps you maintain proper form during exercise, leading to fewer injuries and greater advantages. And working on balance can improve your skills in tennis, golf, running, dancing, skiing, and some other sport or activity.

Not a player? It still pays to have a very good balance. Just walking under a floor or block requires good balance. So get out of a chair, walk up and down stairs, tote packages, and even turn to look behind you.

Poor posture isn’t necessarily a nasty habit. Physical causes of poor posture include:

  • Flexor muscles that reduce range of motion (how far a joint can move in any direction). For example, excessively tight, small hip muscles are likely to push your upper body forward and disrupt your posture. Overly tight chest muscles can pull your shoulders forward.
  • Muscle strength affects balance in quite a lot of ways. The “core muscles” of the back, sides, pelvis and hips form a powerful core connection between your upper and lower body. Weak core muscles encourage collapsing, which suggestions your body forward and thus throws you off balance. Strong lower leg muscles also help keep you stable when standing.

The excellent news: You can improve your posture with just a few easy exercises. Balance-specific exercises address posture and balance issues with exercises that construct strength where they count and stretches that loosen tight muscles. A fast posture check within the mirror before and through balance exercises may enable you get essentially the most out of your regular exercise routine. And increasing your core strength and suppleness can enable you significantly improve your posture in only just a few weeks.

Good posture means:

  • Chin parallel to floor
  • Shoulders too (Roll your shoulders up, back and right down to help achieve this)
  • A neutral spine (no flexion or arching to intensify the curve in your lower back)
  • Arms straight and level with elbows at your sides
  • Abdominal muscles clenched
  • Hips too
  • Knees level and pointing straight ahead.
  • Body weight is distributed equally on each feet.

When sitting, keep your chin parallel to the ground. Your shoulders, hips, and knees at equal height; And your knees and feet point straight ahead.

Photo: DeathtoStockPhoto