The Power of Posture
The activities you do daily have a remarkable affect on your posture. Posture is just as important as eating healthy, exercising, and sleeping! Your posture is an essential aspect of your well being. Having good posture decreases your chances for neck and back pain. With the correct positioning of your spine, you are likely to have less stress on your body. With the less pressure on your spine, you are also likely to breathe a lot better!
So what are some everyday things you can improve on? Sitting is one. We are always asked to sit up straight since we were kids, but slouching was just so much more comfortable. Over time we realize the effects it has on us. Sitting at a desk, for example, incorporates the posture of every part of your body. An average human head weighs about 12 pounds! So if you are sitting at a desk looking down at a computer or book, your neck also bends, and the weight on your spine increases! This posture leads to rounded shoulders. To improve this posture, try sitting up straight, with your feet flat on the floor and have what you are working on elevated to eye level!
When poor posture leads to having rounded shoulders, it also decreases your ability to breathe properly. You may not notice this immediately because the change in your posture occurs gradually and your body tries to do its best to adapt to it. Before you know it, restricted breathing becomes part of everyday occurrence without it being evident. If you bring your shoulder blades back together and sit up straight, your ribcage will be able to expand more, giving your lungs a higher capacity to move. Practice this every day and you will be on your way to a better posture!
There are many things that can affect your posture day to day, but improving the way you sit will get you a step closer to a proper posture and a better you.