How To Fix Bad Posture For A Healthy Back

Good posture is not just about appearance. It’s also about how you feel, your mood, and your memory.

Take for example this recent study by professors at the Institute for Holistic Health Studies.

Students were asked to recall both positive and negative memories when sitting in a slouched position and an erect position.

It turned out that 86 percent of the students found it easier to recall negative memories when they sat in a slouched position than in the erect position.

In the same way, when they sat erect, 87 percent of the students were able to access positive images than when they were slouched.

So here’s the point:

The way you sit, stand, jog, squat, run, and bend all go a long way to affect both your health and mood. If you want a better mood, memory, and appearance, it might be helpful to fix bad posture.

Here’s something else:

Maintaining good posture ensures that your body bones are perfectly aligned with the rest of the body, while tension in muscles and ligaments is correctly distributed. 

Additionally, it also keeps body parts in correct positions with minimal stress. So yes, you need to fix bad posture to enjoy good health.

What are the benefits of a good posture?

A good posture:

1) Enables your body muscles to coordinate effectively, ensuring it utilizes less energy and thus eliminates fatigue. 

2) Holds the spinal joints in position with less stress on ligaments that align with spinal joints. 

3) Aids to prevent severe muscular pain, which is a sign of a poorly postured body. 

4) Also, it decreases the abdominal tiring of joints by keeping them and bones appropriately aligned. When no wear or tear occurs, chronic risks such as arthritis duly eliminates.

What are the causes of bad posture?

There may be various causes of bad posture, but according to Nick Sinfield (Physiotherapist), there’re some common posture mistakes we all often do.

Slouching in a chair

Though it feels good to slouch in a chair as it doesn’t always cause discomfort, but over time this position can put a strain on muscles and soft tissues.

Sticking bottom out

If you feel that you have a pronounced curve in the lower back, then maybe you’ve hyperlordosis. This is an exaggerated inward curve of a lower end which created a ‘Donald duck’ posture, especially in the females.

Standing With Flat Back

If you stand flat back, then probably you can experience a bad posture. A flat back means pelvis is tucked and the lower back is straight instead of naturally curved; it can cause one to stoop forward.

Leaning in 1 leg

Standing this way can feel comfortable, but instead of using core muscles to keep yourself straight, you put a lot of stress on one side of your hip and lower back.

Poking A Chin

Poking your chin can result in spinal pain. It can be caused by sitting too low, keeping the screen set too high, or hunched back.

“Correcting your posture may feel awkward at first because your body has become so used to sitting and standing in a particular way. But by making simple adjustments good posture will become second nature.”

Physiotherapist Nick Sinfield

How to correct or fix bad posture

It’s no secret that good posture affects the way you perceive yourself. It can greatly affect your feelings, attitude, and most importantly, fitness goals. 

Good posture is essential to achieve because it improves mood, reduces back pain, and also decrease stress. Here’re some of the tips you can follow to correct or fix bad posture. 

1. Chest up

Just lift your chest as you inhale deeply. Keep your shoulder relaxed and avoid arching your back. You may imagine you are pulling a rope from the ceiling. Once you lift, hold the same position as exhale slowly.

2. Chin Tuck

Chin tuck works well to strengthen neck muscles. Start with shoulders rolled back and down. Just look straight ahead. Now place your two fingers on chin and push gently to tuck chin and move your head back.

3. Snow Angel

Lie down straight on your back, keeping your legs straight. Reach arms overhead and move them up and down. Movement should be thorough, breathe in when taking arms up and out as slowly moves down.

4. Cat-Cow

Simply get on your hands and knees. Your wrists should be right underneath shoulders and knees right underneath shoulders.

Now move your head slowly down and rounding your neck just like a cat. Then move the head to look up and arch our neck. These are some tips that you can follow to fix bad posture.