This is familiar to all of us: the neck and back pain that comes with sitting far too long in front of our PC at work or at home. Those are signs of holding our body in a poor posture. Unfortunately, concerning our health and wellness, we don’t think about our posture that much. We know that we need to eat well and work out regularly but what about having good posture? Why is it as important? Good posture is so much more than sitting up straight to look good.
Well, you will be surprised about all the health benefits you can reap from practicing good posture!
What is good posture?
Posture is how we hold our bodies. There are 2 types: static and dynamic posture.
Static posture is how you hold yourself when you are not moving, like when you are sitting or sleeping.
Dynamic posture is how you hold yourself when you are moving, like when you are walking or running.
Our body is symmetrical and we should use our muscles equally and proportionally both on the left and right sides. Unluckily, that is way too often not the case. We sit too much on the couch or slouch on our work desk. As mentioned earlier, we all have experienced body pains caused by poor posture.
A good posture is when we stack our spine and keep our heads high. Also called “neutral spine”, proper posture enables the muscles surrounding the spine to be balanced and support the body evenly.
Therefore, aiming to correct your posture has great rewards!
Here are 16 healthy reasons why you should practice good posture!
1. Rise up your energy!
When you slouch, your muscles are in an unnatural position, not letting them be used efficiently and as they’re intended. Good posture allows for less fatigue as your muscles don’t have to work harder. You support your energy levels.
Read here the related article: “how to speed up your metabolism naturally?”
2. Breathe better!
Good posture increases your lungs’ capacity because they have more space to expand. Slouching reduces your ability to breathe deeply and fully, shortening the muscles at the front of your body and compressing your lungs. So stand up tall and fill your lungs with good oxygen as much as 30%!
3. Relieve your back!
If you feel constant neck and back pain, it’s probably because you slump at your desk too much. Improper alignment of the spine puts stress on the muscles that support it. Over time, this tension causes chronic back and neck pain. Especially in the lower back.
On one hand, when you slouch forward sitting down, the posterior structures of your spine (discs, ligaments, joints) get pulled and stretched out which makes the back muscles grow weaker. On the other hand, your front side muscles (chest, hips) grow shorter and tighter.
4. Get fewer headaches!
When you drop your head and droop your shoulders, it creates tension in the back of the neck. This strain can contribute to tension headaches. Consequently, correcting our posture and reducing the forward head position can help improve headaches.
5. Improve your blood circulation!
Slouching compresses vital organs like the stomach, intestines, and liver and it cramps the blood flow. Having healthy circulation is crucial to ensure our organs get all the oxygen and nutrients they need to function efficiently.
Read here the related article “The awesome health benefits of the legs-up-the-wall stretch pose!”
6. Optimize your digestion!
Good posture optimizes your blood circulation and digestion because all your organs align well. This facilitates the free course of digestive juices.
7. Boost up your brain health!
Optimum circulation of nutrients and oxygenation of the connective tissues greatly affect the brain. When the brain’s neurons are well-fed, you think sharply and the overall health of your brain is actively supported.
Having good posture improves your concentration and keeps you on task!
8. Increase your self-confidence!
According to a study in 2009, having good posture gives you more confidence in yourself and your own thoughts.
Moreover, standing up tall communicates good self-esteem that gets noticed also by others.
The results show how our body posture can affect not only what others think about us, but also how we think about ourselves, said Richard Petty, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at Ohio State University.
9. Lift up your mood!
Not only can proper posture boost your energy and self-confidence, but it can also improve your mood. The simple action of standing up straight, shoulders back and head lifted can affect the way you feel. So whenever you’re feeling down, depressed, think about standing tall. That will relax you and perk up your mood.
10. Protect your joints!
Have you ever felt your wrists hurt after using your keyboard? Needless pressure on your wrists’ joints tends to occur when you constantly bend over your keyboard.
Furthermore, uneven posture like standing on one side of your body or leg causes hip pain and over time your joints wear out.
11. Enhance your flexibility!
Bad posture speeds us the process of aging, especially at your joints. As you get older, it can make you feel stiff and it also affects your range of motion. Good posture greatly benefits your mobility and flexibility.
Read here the related article “how to get more flexible?” Best 6 tips!
12. Strengthen your core!
A muscular effort is needed to stay erect. In fact, it’s your core and upper back muscles that support your spine when you hold a good posture. It won’t result in six-pack abs but it will surely strengthen and keep your core engaged.
13. Burn more calories!
As you work to stay upward, you simultaneously engage your core and burn more calories. Walking around with good posture allows your big postural muscles (shoulders, hip, pelvis, knees, and ankles) to engage and burn more calories.
14. Work out better!
You optimize your performance when you exercise in a proper upright position. You minimize the pressure on your body and your joints move normally. As a consequence, you work out more efficiently.
15. Prevent injury!
While you exercise, having a neutral spine and engaged core helps prevent injuries. Not only when you are working out! Hunching over your screen can contribute to workstation-related injuries such as elbow tendonitis, shoulder, and wrist strain.
16. Look taller!
On top of all the health benefits you get from standing straight, you look taller and more slender when you have good posture! Up to 10 pounds skinnier. Slouching makes your belly appear bigger.
“Sit up straight!”
So here are the 16 significant reasons why good posture will enhance your life. Convinced? This optimum position is the key to using your muscles and supporting your spine properly. Plus, your joints, ligaments, and bones all cooperate to keep you away from any pain.
The extra bonus: you feel happier and look more attractive to others!
Here’s a great workout that will help you improve your posture. Read here the related article “what is floor barre fitness? It’s awesome benefits!
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Hi Anne-Caroline. I can attest to the reasons for making sure that you always maintain good posture. I’m Sixty seven years old and have Chronic back injuries. My wife told me for years to do something about my posture, I always walked hunched forward , and I sat poorly at my desk. I didn’t listen to her and now I require surgery on both my lower and upper spine. If I had of had access to your fabulous article some forty years ago ,and had of adhered to the list you provide on keeping a good posture, I would not be suffering now. Thanks. Jim
Hi Jim! So sorry to hear about your back!!! That is aweful. Hope you will be fine. Thank you for sharing your story!
This is so true I am a little older and have started to have back pain. I find myself slouching over at my desk. So I started to sit up straight and walk with my head up. This is one of the best things I have done to lessen my back pain and it is a great help for my hips. Thank you for a great article.
Thank you Walt! Glad to hear you are maintaining good posture. It is so important, especially as you get older.
Excellent health tips for me, it is so funny! while reading this article, It so happens that I was humped over at my desk and leaning on one side of my body, I suddenly straighten up and applied these postural actions.
I find it hurts when I sit up straight, but now I know it is caused by years of hunching over or being too relaxed while sitting in a chair or couched.
This topic gave me and many who read this lot of benefits and will be more mindful in the way we walk, sit, or even lay down, not that we have much control while sleeping. However, excellent article.
Thank you for your comment. Yes isn’t funny that we don’t even realize we don’t stand straight? That is the danger! The body gets used to holding bad posture. That is why the more you practice good posture, the more it becomes automatic!
I learned to have good posture when I was in junior high. Ever since then, if I am not using good posture, I actually start to have pain from that! I knew that there were some benefits to having good posture, but not as many as you had listed in your article! I also ventured to some of your other articles as well and found them very interesting!
Thank you so much for your comment ! So good to hear that you’ve learned how to stand straight! That will help you grow older being healthy !!!
Hi, Anne, great informative article. To prevent injuries, it is important to understand how posture can impact our daily life. There are so many benefits of good posture. It can boost our energy and we look skinnier as well.
Good posture can increase our mental alertness from improving blood flow and oxygen supply to our brain. If we stand and sit with our good posture, all our organs can function as intended and we can live our life healthily. We can achieve perfect posture while standing, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles should line up in one straight line.
Hello Bushra! Thank you for your comment! Yes, it is so impressive how much we can benefit from having good posture!
Thank you for this great article. I am very faithful to my cardio, resistance training and yoga, but honestly, I have not been paying attention to my posture. I am a musician, a keyboard player and I work in front of the instrument and the computer all day, with a few breaks. I always start out sitting correctly but somewhere in the action I forget about posture. That’s why I have so many neck pains. Wow! I find that explanation about static and dynamic posture. I need to improve my flexibility and core strength. These tips are very helpful.
Yes, that is the problem, we start sitting up straight but quickly slouch! Glad you found the tips so helpful!
Thank you for sharing this useful article. Since working from home, I experience neck and back pain more often. I realized now it was caused by my bad posture, especially when sitting. I also tend to stand on one side of my body. After reading your article here, I instantly practice good posture 🙂 I want my back and joint to be healthy when I’m older. Thank you very much for the article.
Thank you for your comment and I am so happy you found this article so helpful!
Hi Anne-Caroline. I found your post very useful. I knew our posture had repercussions on self-confidence, looking taller, and relieving our back. But I didn’t know that a bad posture could affect our blood circulation and digestion.
During the pandemic, I have been paying more attention to my posture. And your post has encouraged me to do so even more. Thank you very much!
Hi Ann! I was surprised too how much holding good posture benefits my health!
Hi Anne-Caroline
what a great article. It’s amazing how we forget about simple things that can improve the quality of our lives. I remember my mother and teachers always prompting us to sit up straight and pay attention. Your article is a great reminder of sixteen reasons why being mindful of our posture can have a positive impact on our overall health. While I am writing this comment, I am sitting up straighter in the chair that I have had in years. Thanks for the simple reminder that good posture creates good health.
That’s right! There are 16 great reasons why our mother and teachers told us to sit up straight!
Hi Anne-Caroline, I love your website. I kept going from page to page, learning more and more about your French-Italian culture. How lovely it would be not to worry about weight issues! But on to posture. When I was young, weight was not a problem, and i always took pride in my posture. I agree, good posture gives you a positive attitude toward yourself. There are so many physical benefits. I like the idea you have of it just giving us more room to breathe. Better circulation is also something we don’t always think about. Keep more posts like this one coming! All the best!
Thank you Carolyn for your comment!