Every kid has likely heard the order to “stand up straight,” but as adults, we don’t get that directive very often. Maybe we should: Posture is often an overlooked part of wellness, but it can certainly be connected to health in many ways.
Being able to maintain good posture can bring a wealth of benefits, from a lower incidence of back pain to better sleep. This is just a handful of advantages you may find from taking the time to stand and sit better:
1. FEWER HEADACHES
When posture is off, the neck is often straining, especially when you hold your head forward for a large chunk of the day — as many people do by looking down at their phones. Cue the tension headaches.
“Poor posture places an increased strain on the muscles, ligaments, discs and joints in your neck,” says Devin Christman, DPT, of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation in Pennsylvania. He adds that the strain can not only lead to chronic headaches but also create inflammation that may irritate the nerves in the neck and head, possibly causing eye strain, runny nose and even dizziness.
2. BETTER JOINT HEALTH
Poor posture can put quite a bit of strain on your joints, and depending on how you’re standing or sitting frequently, this can become chronic. For example, slumping your shoulders forward and keeping hips tilted back can strain the lower spine, hip joints and even your knees and ankles when you walk.
Working on better alignment takes the pressure off these joints because they’re lined up correctly and can work in concert, rather than a small number of joints taking up most of the work when it comes to keeping you stabilized.
3. LESS MUSCLE STRAIN
Just as your joints work more efficiently with good posture, your muscles do, too. You’re not “loading up” the same muscles over and over, which means they don’t have to be in constant contraction.
That gives your body the opportunity to fire numerous muscles as you move, stand and sit, reducing the chances you’ll be overworking just a few of them.
4. BETTER DIGESTION
Can how you hold yourself really influence your digestion? Yes, if your usual sitting and standing postures include crunching forward to some degree. When your shoulders slump and your back rounds, it can create compression in your midsection, making it more challenging for your digestive system to work.
Basically, you’re reducing the amount of space in the abdomen, and even that small amount can make a difference when it comes to digestion. According to Meghan Markowski, a physical therapist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, the result can be constipation, heartburn and pelvic floor problems.
5. MORE ENERGY
When your joints and muscles operate effectively, and you’re not compressing your organs, you tend to be able to breathe better and have better circulation. That leads to more oxygen getting into your system, and more relaxation overall.
The result? Your energy can skyrocket. It’s like letting your body be in constant vacation mode instead of overworked-and-overstressed mode. With more energy, you tend to sleep better and have less fatigue during the day, which improves your overall energy even more.
In general, it can take time to reset your posture, and a good deal of awareness — after all, if you’re like many people, you’ve created unconscious movement, sitting and standing patterns that you will probably slip back into if you’re not paying attention. But with so many benefits, it’s worth making the effort.
