Posture is important because it keeps our body in alignment; this promotes good health as poor posture can actually affect things like breathing and lead to severe back pain. Here at The Healthy Living and Fitness, we want all of our readers to benefit from a healthy posture which is why we have decided to go through three simple things that can have a negative effect over time. Read on to find out more…
Excessive Sitting
Humans did not evolve in order to spend 12 hours a day sitting down, however most 21st century jobs require just this. As a result, we develop bad habits overtime that can cause our muscles to tighten in places they shouldn’t and affect our posture. In fact, sitting is not the best thing for our spine because our body is constantly trying to balance on the pelvis. In order to maintain good posture whilst sitting you should invest in a high-quality chair and ensure that you stretch your hip flexors regularly.
Technology
In a world fuelled by technology, there are dozens of different contraptions that can affect our posture. After all, we spend hours every day hunched over computers, smartphones and game consoles whilst paying very little attention to our posture. Over time, it is not uncommon to develop neck pain as the muscles struggle to balance the head properly, leading to both neck and back pain. In order to prevent technology related posture, it is important to actively correct bad habits when you notice them.
Sleeping Position
It is surprising how many people are unaware how important it is to invest in a high-quality mattress and pillow. After all, incorrect sleeping positions can affect your posture and lead to poor quality sleep. In fact, sleeping on your stomach can cause a pronounced curvature to develop in your spine as well as neck pain because your head is turned at a 90-degree angle away from your body and elevated by your pillow. In order to prevent sleeping related posture problems, you should pay attention to where the pain is coming from and make changes to the thickness of your pillow or sleeping position in order to tackle it. After all, the experts say that the back is the most supportive sleeping position.
Many people are unaware that we should be breathing with our diaphragm, a thin muscle that sits at the bottom of the chest, instead of chest breathing. Unfortunately, a poor or slumped posture can cause the muscles in the chest to tighten which limits the expanding ability of the chest and causes people to take shallow breathes instead of deep ones. Luckily, your posture can be improved by paying close attention to your alignment and making changes throughout the day. To find out more information, get in contact with a member of The Healthy Living and Fitness team today!