There is a general saying that your shoes tell a lot about you, but much more important is the volumes your posture tells about you. It could be an absolute turn on or turn off for people. Everyone wants to be around a person that had good hygiene and believe it or not, a good posture is a huge part of great hygiene.
People have neglected the proper care of their bodies. The narrative that what is on the outside doesn’t matter has caused lots of middle-aged people not see the reasons why they need to work on their posture. The importance of a good posture cannot be overemphasized and a few of them would be mentioned.
Hopefully, it will prompt you to seek out ways to fix your posture. The basic reasons why your posture is important are balance, flexible muscles, reduced pain, proper breathing, and healthy self-confidence.
Five(5) Reasons Why Your Posture Is Important
To avoid injuries or muscle sprain, balance is very important in the body. Balance affects athletes most especially. The ideal way to stand is to make sure that the weight of the body is evenly distributed between the two feet.
If this is not properly done, certain parts of the body become affected. Asides from being an athlete, balance is important for every other activity done by the body, activities as simple as walking, sitting at the table, jogging, squatting, and doing basic exercises.
Therefore, developing good posture habits helps to maintain the needed balance for the body.
2. Flexible Muscles And Muscle Strength:
One of the pros of a good posture is muscle flexibility. You can move certain muscles without the fear of pain because they are in proper use. The muscles also become stronger because they are used the way they ought to be used.
Fatigue and stress considerably reduce as well when the body parts are in proper alignment. Of course, when there is an absence of fatigue, your energy level rises, and there would invariably be more productivity in your everyday life.
3. Reduced Pain:
While to a reasonable level, pain is unavoidable. There are measures which we can take to make it as minimal as possible. Cultivating and maintaining good body posture saves you a great deal of pain.
Pain on the lower back, pain around the neck, pan on the legs, headaches, etc. All these pains are largely caused by bad posture. So do yourself a favor and save yourself the cost of spending money on pain relievers.
4. Proper Breathing:
Breathing is, of course, essential to life. A fun fact is that good posture does affect breathing. As unrealistic as it might sound, it is true. While slouching, the lungs reduce in size, causing a reduction in the amount of oxygen inhaled.
There are various adverse effects that companies poor breathing. Meanwhile, standing straight causes the exact opposite.
5. Healthy Self-Confidence:
Studies have shown that one of the reasons why people have low self-esteem is due to their lack of confidence. Lack of confidence in themselves, in their dress sense, and even in their posture. Bad posture can make you look unhealthy and unkempt.
While having a good posture makes you appear even taller than you are, thereby making you look and feel very confident. While this might not seem health-related, it is just as important because social norms matter as well.
Four Simple Ways To Fix Bad Posture
All of the aforementioned benefits should pique your interest in getting in shape. The good news is that bad posture can be fixed without having to spend so much money or a lot of time at the gym. Here are a few easy and simple steps you can take to fix your posture.
1. Look In The Mirror:
This activity is not strange for ladies as they do it all the time, but this time, the reason for checking the mirror is different. You are doing it this time to monitor yourself. Basically, to catch yourself and see if you are unconsciously slouching and correct the posture.
It is pretty easy to tell if you are slouching; shoulders bent and head forward, it’s not rocket science. Regular checking would help you to correct yourself until you become used to it.
2. Have A Proper Sitting Position:
If your job requires you sitting you a lot, do yourself a favor and get a good chair that allows you to sit properly. A good sitting position is that in which you sit into the chair. Not too forward and certainly not too backward.
With your feet flat on the floor and your knees at even height. Your hips evenly bearing the weight of the body. If you are in the car, a good way of helping yourself is to get a pillow and fix it around your lower back to avoid pain.
3. Be Flexible:
Flexibility is key. Keep your muscles busy to avoid stiffness. Get regular exercise, visit the gym, walk frequently, just make sure you are doing something. Add stretching to your routine, it helps to make the muscles very flexible.
Thereby, making good posture possible. Staying in a particular position for too long is also dangerous if you have to, do well to stretch at intervals. If dogs and cats stretch when they get up, what’s stopping you from doing the same.
4. Sleep Properly:
Your sleeping posture is very key. Have you ever woken up to find a part or parts of your body sore? It is most likely due to the kind of posture you assumed while sleeping.
Before going to bed, do well to take a good sleeping position and you could as well wake up regularly at night to watch your current posture and correct it if need be. Some rules you need to strictly follow when good posture is concerned.
Such rules are even shoulders, paralleled chins, no slouching, straight elbows and arms at the side, evenly distributed body weight on both feet, straight spine without any form of bending or curving, straight knees, even hips, braced abdomen muscles.