Good posture is the most important thing anybody can do now to look and feel better- Helen Gurley Brown
WHAT IS A POSTURE?
Posture is the position in which a person holds the body when standing, sitting, lying down, or doing any physical activity.
There are two types of posture-
• Static posture is one that considers how a person holds his/her body when not moving. like sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Dynamic posture is one that considers how a person holds his/her body when moving, like running, walking, or doing any physical activity.
To achieve the attractive physique you need to have a good static and dynamic posture.
WHAT IS GOOD POSTURE?
Good posture involves training your body such that it could naturally sit, stand, walk, and lie in positions where it generates the least strain on supporting muscles and ligaments during these activities.
PROVEN BENEFITS OF GOOD POSTURE YOU NEED TO KNOW
Good posture benefits your body way more than just providing an appealing appearance. Moreover, it helps to improve the overall health and well- being of a person. Being aware of your posture can have numerous health benefits including-
- Providing your joints a full range of motion.
- Making sure every muscle of your body is engaging efficiently and effectively. Moreover, it can be a great help to increase muscle size.
- Maintaining proper alignment of your joints and bones, which further helps in decreasing the abnormal wear and tear on the joints.
- Minimizing the risk of injuries due to strain or sprain.
- Delaying the muscle fatigue, further increasing endurance.
- Minimizing the risk of back pain.
- Providing symmetrical and appealing body structure.
MOST COMMON BAD POSTURE PROBLEMS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Muscle imbalances, resulting in the asymmetric physique.
- Asymmetric face structure.
- More wear and tear of the joints, making them vulnerable to injury.
- Restricted range of motion, resulting in decreased flexibility.
- Excessive pain in shoulders, back, and neck muscles.
- Awkward interference of muscles while walking, running, or doing any physical activity.
- Bad digestive system.
- Improper breathing.
TYPES OF BAD POSTURES
The bad posture is mainly categorized into 4 types –
1. KYPHOSIS
Kyphosis is a spinal disorder condition in which the person experiences excessive forward rounding of the back than usual. The mild curve in the upper back is known as “Rounded Back,” and the severe curve in the upper back is known as “Hunched Back.”
SYMPTOMS
- Mild kyphosis causes no noticeable signs in most of the people, but some are showing symptoms of back stiffness and little pain.
- Consult a doctor when there is severe pain in the back or enhanced curve in the upper back.
CAUSES
- Fractures
- Bone Thinning Disorder
- Birth Defects
- Syndromes in Children
2. LORDOSIS
Lordosis is a spinal disorder condition in which the person experiences an excessive inward curve in the spine.
SYMPTOMS
- A person diagnosed with lordosis is having bad posture and excess arching of the spine.
- Hip muscle shape becomes more prominent.
- A large gap is found between the floor and spine when laying on flat ground.
CAUSES
- Bad Posture
- Obesity
- Low Bone Density or Fragile Bones
- Discitis
- Pelvic injury
- Genetics
3. SWAY BACK
Sway Back is a disorder in which the person experiences an excessive forward tilt in the pelvis. It can be considered the opposite condition of Lordosis.
SYMPTOMS
- Posterior pelvic tilt.
- The reduced curve in the lumbar spine, making your back flat.
- Hips pushed forward in front and upper body leaning backward.
- Include the symptoms of thoracic Kyphosis such as rounded back
CAUSES
- Weak hip flexors and tight hip extensors.
- Weak lower abdominal and mid-back muscles and tight upper abdominal muscles.
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
4. FLAT BACK
Flat Back is a spinal disorder condition in which the person loses its natural lower back curves and becomes flat.
SYMPTOMS
- Loss of natural curve along with problem in standing up straight.
- It really affects the straight posture of the body and makes the body lean forward by time.
- Bad body alignment which causes a restriction in smooth daily activities.
- Neck and upper back lean forward which causes major posture problems
CAUSES
- Inflammation in the spine which is an arthritis problem.
- Spine injury
- By birth or genetically present.
DAILY HABITS THAT YOU SHOULD FOLLOW TO IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE
Our daily habits have a huge impact on how our posture will look. So by adopting good daily practices, you can easily improve your posture to a great extent. We have mentioned below the top 10 daily habits that you can follow to improve your posture.
Check out – THE BENEFITS OF SAFE SUN GAZING on mental, physical and spiritual health.
1. STRAIGHTEN UP
Straightening up your body every time possible is the best thing you can do to improve your posture. Always imagine a string is attached to your head, and some force is pulling you upwards, making you straight and tall.
Straight posture will help in generating the least strain on your body while performing physical activities like sitting, standing, walking, etc, and provide you a good posture. However, you should avoid slouching every time possible as it adds stress to the spine, resulting in the wear of bones, muscles, and joints during any physical activity.
Also, it sometimes makes it harder for lungs and intestines to work, as our internal organs collapse during slouching. Further, it will eventually make it hard to digest food and inhale enough oxygen.
2. NEVER SIT FOR LONG HOURS
Sitting for long hours can be very hazardous that you may not have imagined. According to researches, sitting for long hours results in obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist, and many other problems along with cardiovascular activities. So you should always consider breaks after every 30 min, and stretch your body to release all the stresses from the body.
3. USE PHONES EFFICIENTLY
Slouching your neck while using the phone strains the spine and neck muscles. Continuous practice of which can result in forward head posture. According to researches, for every 1 inch, forward head tilt, an additional 10 pounds load on the cervical spine is exerted.
This can further lead to pain that stems from joints, discs, nerve roots, and other nearby structures.
So, the best thing you can do while using a phone is to keep your head in the standard position. Either move your eyes or just lift the phone parallel to your eyes, such that the load on the spine decreases.
4. MAKE STRETCHING YOUR COMPANION
Stretching is very useful to improve your body posture. Regular stretching results in strengthening your muscles, which results in making your body align with a good posture. It also helps in increasing your flexibility, further increasing range of motion. So, it is always preferable to stretch your body continuously during the way after some intervals to reduce tension from your muscles.
Check out BEST POSTURE TO PERFORM PULL-UPS
5. SAVE HEELS FOR RIGHT OCCASSION
Wearing heels can result in misaligning the balance of your body, as most of the weight concentrate towards the ball of the feet. This concentration of weight on the balls of feet results in
- Making your lower back move forward, resulting in the misalignment of hips and spine.
- Excessive pressure on the knees.
- Bulging out of the chest in the forward direction.
- Increasing pressure on the balls of the feet.
Therefore, we’ll suggest limiting the use of heels as it can be the main factor contributing to your bad posture.
6. EXERCISE REGULARLY
Regular exercise has numerous amount of advantages for your overall health. In case of maintaining a good posture, the main thing you require is body stability exercise provides you with that stability. It strengthens your core, which includes the abdominal and lower back, which are the main muscles stabilizing your whole body. So, if you want to get good posture, the first thing you should do is to work on your core. Good posture while performing any exercise is the first thing you should work on.
Check out BEST POSTURE TO PERFORM PUSH-UPS.
7. DON'T SLOUCH NECK WHILE EATING
Almost every person has a habit of bending their neck to reach the food, instead of making their hand reach the mouth. You may not realize this, but you are straining your neck while doing this movement, which sometimes results in difficulty in swallowing food. It also results in making your face asymmetrical. So, you should always try to keep your neck straight and make your hands do the work.
8. DON'T RECLINE YOUR CAR SEATS
Maintaining a good posture while driving a car will also help reduce lots of strain from your body. Some car seats do not accompany the natural curve of our body, and we make it even worse by reclining it. Bad driving posture can lead to discomfort in the neck, spine, hips, shoulders, feet, and arms, which eventually become vulnerable with time if not corrected. We have mentioned below all the rules that you need to look at while driving a car.
9. KEEP SHOULDERS DOWN AND BACK
The shoulder is one of the major muscles in determining the overall physique of a person. However, continuous sitting and slouching results in bending of the shoulder internally, causing rounded shoulders, which is not the comfortable position of the shoulder. So, you should try to externally rotate your shoulder whenever possible and let your shoulder free under the action of gravity.
10. KEEP CHIN TUCKED IN AND PARALLEL TO THE GROUND
Tucking your chin in and keeping it parallel to the ground every day can help your neck by saving it from all the strains. While performing any activity, always try to tuck your chin in and keep it parallel to the ground, and let your body move accordingly. When you tuck your chin, you will experience an automatic back movement of the shoulder, which is good for the posture.
11. STICK YOUR TOUNGE TO THE ROOF
Most people don’t notice it, but correct tongue posture has a great impact on your posture, especially Face Posture. People who rest their tongue at the bottom may see changes in their facial appearance gradually. Their face will become flatter and longer, and their chin and forehead will start coming forward. Moreover, it will increase the aging process on your face making you look dull and old.
So it is always advised to stick your tongue to the roof of your mouth with your teeth slightly open. The best thing you can do to correct your tongue posture is to perform a very easy practice.
The first step you need to do is to bring your tongue to the back of your middle tooth and slide your tongue back. As you slide, you will feel a place where the roof of your mouth moves upwards. The spot right before that is where the front tip of your tongue should rest. After you find your tip resting position, start sticking the rest of your tongue to the roof.
HOW TO SIT WITH GOOD POSTURE?
- Always keep your feet on the ground while sitting or use a footrest if your feet couldn’t reach the ground.
- Never cross your legs and always keep your ankles in front of your knees.
- Always keep your knees on the same level or slightly below the level of hips.
- Maintain a small gap between the front of your chair and the back of your knees.
- Relax your shoulders and try to keep arms parallel to the ground.
- Adjust the backrest of your chair to support the lower and mid-back or use back cushion.
- Avoid sitting in the same position for more than 30 minutes. Take a break and stretch your body after every 30 min.
HOW TO STAND WITH GOOD POSTURE?
- Distribute your weight primarily in the balls of your feet.
- Don’t stretch your knees, try to keep them slightly bent.
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Let your arms naturally hang down at the side of the body.
- Try to keep your upper chest upwards that would help in keeping your shoulders back.
- Stand straight and tall with your stomach tucked in.
- Keep your head level and your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders.
- Keep on shifting your weight from one foot to another or toes to heels, if you have to stand for a long time.
HOW TO SLEEP WITH GOOD POSTURE?
- Avoid sleeping on your stomach. Sleeping on your stomach can worsen the quality of your posture.
- Sleep with a good neck support pillow that could blend with the natural curve between the neck and head.
- Sleeping on your back and sides are more often preferable.
- Whenever sleeping on a back position try to keep a pillow below your knees.
- Whenever sleeping on a side position try to keep a pillow in between your knees.
HOW TO WALK WITH GOOD POSTURE?
- While walking transfer the momentum of foot from heel to toe. Always make sure your heel comes in contact with the ground first and then push it with your toe.
- Always look forward while walking, focus on the area around 10 to 20 feet ahead.
- Straighten up your body, imagine a string is attached to it and pulling you upwards.
- Keep your shoulder down and back, in a relaxed position. Try to avoid forward shoulder to reduce tension.
- Tighten your core inwards towards the spine to provide stability while walking.
- As you walk, try to swing your arms back and forth from your shoulders and not from the elbows.
HOW TO DRIVE WITH GOOD POSTURE?
- While driving car try to slide your tailbone as close to the seat back as possible.
- The angle of your seat should be few degrees greater than 90 degree. Seat angle around 100 to 110 degree will put the least strain on your back.
- Try to maintain a gap of 2-3 fingers between the back of your knees and front of the seat
- Don’t lean you head towards the steering, make your spine straight and align with the seat.
- Make sure your seat raises your eye level at least three inches above the stearing, but there should be sufficient clearance between the head and the roof.
BEST EXERCISES TO IMPROVE POSTURE
Perform these exercises regularly to improve your posture.
CHIN TUCKS
STEPS TO PERFORM
- Firstly, lie down on your back, on a bench keeping your face parallel to the ceiling.
- Secondly, tuck your chin in, such that it touches your chest. But keep the back of the head in touch with the bench. Do not lift it.
- Hold this position for three counts and get back to the initial position.
BENEFITS
- Cure muscle cramps in the neck area
- Ease the neck pain
- Posture correction
- Keep your head align to your shoulders and relax the neck muscles.
GLUTE BRIDGE
STEPS TO PERFORM
- Lie on the ground with your face facing the roof, and bend your knees perpendicular to the ground while your arms remain at the side with palm down.
- Further, lift your hips off the ground making a straight line between the shoulders, hips, and knees.
- Clench your glutes hard and strengthen your abdomen inwards such that you don’t overextend your back.
- Hold the position for 2-3 seconds and come back to the standard position.
BENEFITS
- Enhances good posture
- Builds core strength and stability
- Engages butt muscles and sharpen them
- Provides relief from lower back pain
- It will surely enhance your daily activities performance
- It also strengthens the leg and back muscle that allows the body to perform better.
W-Y EXERCISE
STEPS TO PERFORM
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder feet apart.
- Raise your hands such it forms Y and open your arm completely.
- Hold at the Y position, then slowly bring your arms down and bend it such that it forms a W position.
- Hold at the W position and continue shifting the arm position from Y to W.
BENEFITS
- It is a great treatment for frozen shoulders.
- It also enhances the shoulder mobility and range of motion.
- It also acts as the best warmup exercise before shoulder exercise.
PLANK HOLD
STEPS TO PERFORM
- Start the exercise being in an elbow plank position, keeping your elbows just below or slightly wider than your shoulders.
- Either place your palms down or clench according to your comfort.
- Clench your abs and glutes.
- Always keep your head and neck in a neutral position. Look towards the ground.
- Your body should form a straight line from head to toe.
- Try to hold this position for at least 30s.
BENEFITS
- Building great strength in the core area
- Plank results in good posture
- The plank can help to strengthen up the posterior chain.
- It improves the stability of the lower back and reduces pain in that region.
- It results in better coordination of body parts in our daily activities.
SUPERMAN HOLD
STEPS TO PERFORM
- Lie down on the ground with your stomach facing downwards.
- Stretch your arms straight in forward direction.
- Now raise both legs and arms off the ground so that they are 10-15cm above the ground, forming a bowl like shape.
- Hold this postion for few seconds and come back to the standard position.
BENEFITS
- This exercise relieves the lower back pain gradually.
- This can also help people having desk job to get good posture and relieves the spine tension.
- It will also enhance core stability
- This exercise results in strengthen the posterior chain and glute muscle which gives our body good stability.
Thank You So Much For This…
It was very helpful for me as it improved my posture Quite well in no time.
Amazing Work ??
Thanks Bro keep it up you doing great work
Great piece of knowledge ☺️
It really helped me nice work man !!
Really important message there. Good job