Is Your Posture Affecting Your Health?

Standing or sitting correctly has some serious health benefits. This is how you can get good posture (and why you should)

You’re doing it now, even though you’re probably not paying attention. “For most of us, posture is a subconscious habit, instead of something we actively pay attention to,” says physiotherapist Marcus Dripps. And it’s more than just standing up straight. “There are two types of posture – your static posture: how you hold yourself when you’re sitting or standing, and your dynamic posture: the posture you use when you’re doing something active, like walking.”

THE BENEFITS OF GOOD POSTURE

Lower Stress Levels

Sit upright when you’re faced with a stressful situation, and you’ll automatically be more resilient to the effects of stress. New Zealand researchers who made the discovery say it’s because, when compared to slouching, sitting up straight helps to instantly boost self-esteem and improve mood.

More Energy

Make an effort to walk with a spring in your step and an upright, open chest, and you’ll feel like you’ve got more energy. Walking that way helps to open up the same biological pathways that exercise works on to increase happiness.

More Confidence

Adopting a posture that opens up the body, so you seem to take up more physical space. This has a psychological knock-on effect. It helps you behave in a way that makes you look like you’re in charge. US researchers say the tactic also convinces the people around you that you’re worthy of their respect.

Fewer Headaches

Research has linked the degree to which you sit with “forward head posture” (that hunched-over, head-out posture you slip into when you’re struggling to read something on a computer screen) with more frequent, longer-lasting headaches.

Less Neck And Lower Back Pain