Walking, sitting and standing with good posture has lasting benefits on your health, your outlook and your image. Bad posture causes back pain, saps your energy and can result in a permanent hump. Take time to practice putting your shoulders back and straightening your neck and spine and reap long-term rewards.
Hello, my name is Sandra and I’m a chronic sloucher. My mom frequently told me throughout my adolescence to “Stand up straight!” Now, about 40 years later, I’m finally following her advice. Thanks, Mom!
I just completed my 30 Day Posture Challenge. After a month, my posture isn’t perfect but it’s better. Instead of thinking about my posture every once in a while, I’m thinking about it MANY times a day.
For 30 days, I worked on my posture. Most days I completed a 10 to 20 minute workout. When I didn’t take time for a workout, I performed a few moves to maintain my focus.
While my posture isn’t perfect, I’m feeling some improvement on the effort it takes for me to stand up straight, like my mom told me. I don’t think a month is adequate to eliminate my slouch, but it brought posture to the forefront of my mind.
Right now, writing this blog post, I’m not slumped in my chair. I’m sitting all the way on the rear of the cushion, keeping my back straight and my chin level while casting my eyes down at the screen of my laptop. If I had an elevated screen, it would be even better.
Take a minute to check your posture. How are you holding your back, shoulders, neck and head?
In case you missed the blog post kicking off the 30 Day Posture Challenge, you can find it here. To recap, correcting your posture is good for you!
Why work to improve your posture?
- A healthy back: People with good posture have fewer problems with back pain. Good posture also distributes your weight more evenly over your muscles and bones so you don’t put too much stress on any one part.
- Improve breathing and digestion: Standing and sitting up straight makes proper breathing easier. You can’t take full breaths slumped over. Slouching also can slow digestion because the abdomen is compressed.
- Decreased fatigue, better energy: You can feel more energetic and less depressed just by standing or sitting up straighter.
- More confidence: If you stand up straight, others perceive you as more confident AND you feel more confident. Win-win.
- Look better in your clothes: You look taller and slimmer when you use good posture.
- Improving your back strength and the flexibility of the muscles in your back, shoulders, arms and neck will pay off big time as you age.
My top YouTube videos for posture correction
Michelle Joyce is definitely a posture guru. She has her own Posture Makeover video series, which I may decide to purchase sometime soon. She addresses different aspects of good posture, including how to sit and drive, and I watched many of her videos available on YouTube. Here are my two favorites:
This one on correcting forward head position:
And this one to get rid of the annoying neck hump:
I also enjoyed “Bob and Brad, the two most famous physical therapists on the Internet.” Watch the video, and you’ll understand. They have loads of videos addressing different sources of body pain, including many with posture-related exercises and advice:
If you look them up on YouTube, you’ll also find more helpful videos, including seven exercises to do everyday so you stay strong and healthy as you age.
While 30 days didn’t automatically make good posture second nature, it did get me in the habit of checking and correcting multiple times a day. I DO feel more positive and energetic when I follow my mom’s advice and stand up straight!
I plan to continue working on practicing good posture in the months ahead to continue to reap the benefits. The keys are to focus on literally straightening up several times a day, along with dedicated exercise to strengthening those muscles and gaining needed flexibility.
If you could focus on one aspect of your physical health for 30 days, what would it be?