Our ears are the balancing pivot of your body. And you may be surprised to know when we maintain a good posture it helps to align our ears evenly with our shoulders. For that our shoulders should be back and relaxed. This in turn helps to align your spine. If look into your body structure, our spine has three curves: one at the neck, one in the middle of our back, and one in our lower back. With a good posture, we are able to maintain these natural curves. But what are the good postures in standing and sitting positions? And what all we can expect from all these good postures? Good posture is also known as a neutral spine. When we have good posture, the muscles surrounding the spine are balanced and support the body equally.
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Different postures and their benefits
Posture #1: Generic rule
If you are willing to know the proper sitting posture then you must know that during sitting, your feet should rest flat on the floor, which will evenly distribute your weight on both hips. You must sit back straight that will maintain the natural curves in your lumbar, thoracic, and cervical areas. Your shoulders should be back but relaxed and your ears should line up over your collarbones. On the other hand, when standing, your knee should be slightly bent so you’re not hyperextending or locking your knee joints.
Posture #2 : Lowers back pain
When you are sitting or standing in a slouched position for prolonged periods of time it stresses your lower back. In these postures mostly the posterior structures of the spine is stressed. This includes the intervertebral discs, ligaments, facet joints, and muscles.
Posture tip: To avoid health hazards from this position move around every 20 to 30 minutes. It is not realistic to consider a person should sit with perfect posture all of the time. If at all that is possible it takes a lot of strength to do so. However, you must be alert about your posture. So, when you feel your muscles are tiring, or you are slowly slouching, get up and move around.
What to look for: While maintaining the above posture you can expect a slow improvement of your back pain. But you should remember that posture is something that you need to maintain lifelong.
Posture #3. Reduce the chances of headaches
There are different types of headaches and tension headache is one of the common forms of that. This often triggers due to poor posture, which is caused by increased muscle tension in the back of the neck. By correcting our posture, we can reduce muscle tension and improve our headaches.
Posture tip: You should be aware of your body which is also essential for good posture. We often compress ourselves in poor postures during working at computers or during eating meals. You can post a note on your computer screen or near the dining table to remind you to get yourself in proper alignment.
What to look for: Everyone’s physique is not the same, so as the headache prevention. So, if the above-mentioned posture tips do not work for you incorporate more core exercises and pectoral stretches into your routine.
Posture #4 . Increased energy levels
We feel tired when our muscles get tired. To regain the energy it is necessary to relax from time to time.
Posture tip: Give your postural muscles a break once in a while. If these are overworked, they can cause pain as well.
What to look for: How much you will be energetic that depends on your physique as well on your personality. For physique, it is related to your muscle and depends on how poor your posture is. And from a personality perspective, it depends on how strong you are, and how aware you remain off your posture.
Posture #5. Releives stress from your shoulders and neck
When you are in a forward head posture you feel more strain on your upper back, shoulder, and neck areas. But if you maintain proper alignment with posture then your joints and ligaments are less stressed and less subject to chronic overuse.
Posture tip: It is systematic to check in with yourself by setting reminders on your calendar several times throughout the day. In this case, your ears will remain above your shoulders and you will use your front neck muscles and not just your posterior muscles to hold your head up.
What to look for: You’ll likely notice reduced tension in your shoulders and neck within the first week or two. Applying heat or ice may provide additional relief.
Posture #6. Decreased risk of wearing of the joint surfaces
Our joints decrease their natural strength over time, especially with aging. Furthermore, improper sitting and standing, such as resting on one leg or side of your body, deteriorate more with an elevated hip strain. With an even posture not many problems arise. But if you’re uneven, more pain and issues tend to occur.
Posture tip: When sitting, utilize a lumbar roll or rolled towel to support your natural lumbar curve. That way, you’ll have support for a straighter posture, allowing it to be more sustainable.
What to look for: The longer you work at strengthening your core and straightening your posture, the more natural and less challenging it will be.
Posture #7. Increased lung capacity
When you are at a slouched position your lungs are being compressed. On the contrary, when you’re sitting and standing taller, your lungs have more space to expand. So, in a nutshell, good posture improves breathing.
Posture tip: In a sitting position, rock your pelvis back and forth to determine how much available motion you have in your spine. Your ideal spinal posture will be in the middle of those ranges. Another easy trick is to make sure most of the pressure is on your “sit bones” not your tailbone or the back of your thighs.
What to look for: If we’re sitting slouched, it’s difficult for our diaphragm to fully contract and our lungs to fully expand. For faster improvement, lengthen your seated position and open your lungs with three deep breaths several times a day.
Posture #8. Improved circulation and digestion
When you compress vital organs, your circulation is poor, and those organs aren’t going to work as well. On the other hand, healthy blood flow requires proper alignment. At the same time, you need to avoid positions that cramp circulation, like crossing your legs.
Posture tip: When sitting, scoot your hips all the way back into the chair. Your feet must be on the ground to improve support. You may use a lumbar roll along your low back to assist with maintaining this posture. Shoulders should be back and your neck muscles relaxed.
Posture #9. Reduced temporomandibular joint pain
When we have a forward head position, our mandibular joint and jaw muscles experience stress and tension. AS a result, you may experience pain with eating, talking, yawning, as well as clicking with opening, and headaches.
Posture tip: Adjust the ergonomics at work and home to support a better posture. Find a more supportive chair, use a sit-to-stand desk, and purchase a lumbar roll that you can take wherever you go.
What to look for: Releasing the tension in your neck and upper shoulders should reduce the effects of TMJ pain. Focus on relaxing your jaw throughout the day, especially in high-stress situations like driving during rush hour or focusing on a difficult work project.