Secret to Good Posture? Exercise.
How many times have you been told to stand up straight and not to slouch? Have you experienced neck or back strain after sitting for long periods? Well as it turns out, good posture is as important as your mother said it was.
Good posture can do wonders for your appearance and can help you make a great first impression. When you stand tall, you feel more confident and you look more attractive. What’s more, you walk taller, and you look slimmer. These are all things that boost self-confidence.
Good posture also has many health benefits including:
- Improving digestion and circulation
- Preventing osteoporosis
- Lowering the risk of stroke and heart attack
Bad posture on the other hand can be downright dangerous for your health. The ligament and muscle imbalances as a result of poor alignment can lead to a range of problems such as:
- Chronic shoulder, neck, and back pain
- Muscle weakness and atrophy
- Knee, hip, and back injuries
Not to worry though. You can improve your posture in a few weeks’ time by doing some simple exercises and stretching.
What is good posture?
Good posture aligns your body and distributes stress to the intended ligaments and muscles. As a result, your muscles can work efficiently, decreasing wear and tear on your joints.
Weightlifting can help to improve posture and keep chronic back pain away.
Here’s what proper posture will look like whether you’re sitting or standing:
- Sitting: Good sitting posture means that your back is straight and your buttocks are at the back of your chair.
- Standing: When standing with good posture, you should be able to draw an imaginary straight line from your earlobe through your shoulder, hip, knee and the middle of your ankle.
How to Improve Your Posture
In order to achieve less back pain and better posture, you’ll need to strengthen your entire body. For best results, you should incorporate a mixture of weightlifting movements and strengthening exercises to keep your spine aligned.
Strengthen your core – The core refers to the entire area from under the rib cage to mid-thigh, not just the abs. All of these muscles work together to help you sit and stand tall. Planks, Bridges and Abdominal Press exercises can strengthen your core.
Lift Weights – One of the best methods to reduce back pain is weightlifting. The muscles in your back keep the spine moving the way it should. If you have a weak back or abdominal muscles, you’re more prone to back strain, and therefore poor alignment. What’s more, chronic back pain is often the result of poor posture. Here are a few exercises that will help:
Get flexible
When you’re stuck in one position too long—whether it’s in an office chair, a car or on a plane—your muscles become fatigued. A lack of flexibility can lead to muscle imbalances and poor alignment. Stretch daily to relieve specific points of discomfort.
Sit properly
If you have a job where you’re sitting a lot, you probably sit in a pretty flexed position for long periods of time. Make sure you get up every 20 minutes or so and stretch out. Sit all the way back in your chair. If you sit too far forward, there’s pressure placed on the pubic bone; too far back, there’s pressure on the tailbone. In the car, it’s important to support your lower back to prevent pain. You can adjust the seat or use a small pillow behind your lower back.
Watch your sleep posture
If you’re a side sleeper, use a pillow that keeps your spine aligned by supporting your head so that your neck isn’t held at an awkward angle. Back sleepers can place a pillow under the knees to open up the joint spaces in the spine. If possible, avoid sleeping on your stomach because it creates neck strain.
How to Begin a Program to Improve Your Posture
If you need help getting started, one of our expert personal trainers can teach you simple exercises to improve your posture and overall strength. They can also develop an ongoing custom program to help you achieve your health goals.