5 Benefits of Improving Your Posture
Let’s face it, we spend a good deal of our lives bent over a computer, a smart phone, a steering wheel, our dinner plates, etc. This posture results in a rounded lower back, rounded shoulders, and a forward head position. A forward head position puts a lot of undue stress on the neck and shoulders. Whether you’re sitting, standing, or walking think about incorporating these steps throughout your day. Move your bottom to the back of your chair. Pull your shoulders back and down. Tighten your tummy. Tuck your chin so that your neck and spine are in alignment. Feel better? Here are the benefits you will receive once you make these changes a part of your daily life. Start today!
1. Stand Taller: Pull your shoulders back and your head in line with your spine and you may actually gain 1-2 inches! Whether or not you actually GET taller, you will look taller, and who doesn’t want that?
2. Look Thinner: When you slouch forward, your belly tends to pooch out a bit more. When you pull your body into a good posture, your belly flattens out more and does not look as large.
3. Be More Confident: Studies prove that standing in a more upright posture improves your confidence and makes you look and act in a more powerful, confident way. This also results in people perceiving you as more confident and knowledgable, whether you really are or not!
4. Improve Pain Levels: Poor posture can result in low back pain, upper back pain, pain between your shoulder blades, neck pain, and/or headaches. By pulling your body into proper alignment, you will start yourself on the path to more pain-free days.
5. Have More Energy: When you incorporate these changes, you will also put your respiratory path in proper alignment. Starting at your nose and mouth, oxygen will encounter fewer restrictions on the path toward your lungs. Also, your lungs have more capacity to expand in an open chest cavity, created by your newly found posture!
Check back next week for exercises that will help you improve your posture.
