Are you tired of having constant back pain?
Poor posture will leave you feeling pain in all parts of your body. But do you know the true effects you will be experiencing internally and externally?
The importance of posture on our health is often overshadowed by healthy diets and physical activity. Your posture plays a key role in your physical health and can have a significant impact on your mental health too!
Here you will find out why your posture contributes to your breathing, digestion and even fat levels.
What posture means
In simple terms, posture is the way that your body is held.
Posture can be affected by, and affect how your body functions physically and mentally.
You will find your posture changing depending on the activity you are doing, your energy levels and even your mood.
Think about how different your posture is when you are sat at a desk compared to when you are sleeping.
There is no single perfect posture.
Posture is not about sitting up straight or putting your shoulders back. This is what people understand ‘good posture’ to be.
Remember, posture is simply the position that your body naturally falls into.
What posture says about you
Posture says so much about who we are, how we live and what we think.
Increased stress influences your posture negatively, which further ingrains the stress and pain in your body, and it becomes a vicious cycle.
In modern society, poor posture quite often relates to a lack of physical activity or damaging physical activity.
Functional activity is essential in developing good posture and muscle strength for proper balance.
Read more about why you should train functionally here.
Without sufficient physical activity, bone tissue can degenerate. Excessive weight is also associated with poor posture as it places extra weight on the lower back muscles which are used to maintain posture.
Understanding the importance of posture is your first step to undoing unhealthy habits to build healthy habits so you can Build Your Prime Posture.
Why posture matters
Many of us would like to improve our posture, but why?
The list of benefits related to good posture for our internal organs and system, mood, energy is almost endless. Your internal environment relies on the efficiency of the flow of your blood, oxygen, hormones, and nutrients, as well as the interaction between nerves and the brain.
Your spine is the foundation and support of your body.
Your neutral position will improve your movement, mood, and overall health. And because all your internal organs run alongside your spine, they depend on its correct positioning to function optimally.
That is why you will find that, any prolonged restriction from the natural position will result in some or partial dysfunction or pain over time.
How posture affects breathing
One of the factors that all living things have in common is the need for oxygen.
Good oxygen intake will contribute to good health.
So often we think of the importance of hydration, nutrition and physical activity for good health and miss out the need for oxygen, our lifeforce.
Would it be possible to eat or drink without the presence of oxygen?
Would it be possible for food to grow, or water to flow without the presence of oxygen?
Good posture naturally promotes healthy intake of oxygen and poor posture will restrict the healthy intake and flow of oxygen.
When you experience your prime posture, you will feel your body’s natural mechanisms for correct and efficient breathing.
Will posture affect digestion?
Nutrient deficiencies come from problems with digestion. When discussing treatment for nutritional deficiencies diet and hormones are often the topic of discussion without proper analysis of digestion.
Even if you eat the most nutritious food, if there is a problem with your digestion, your body will not be able to absorb the nutrition effectively.
Structurally speaking, poor posture will reduce the intake of nutrients from your diet. This is because if your posture is out of alignment, the digestive tract may also be misaligned.
Stress and digestion
Since stress also affects digestion, it becomes much clearer how a dysfunctional posture will have multiple negative effects on the body.
When we are in a constant state of stress, our parasympathetic nervous system is suppressed. This leads to shutting down our digestive system and sending blood and energy to the muscular system.
How posture contributes to pain
The majority of the Western world experience some kind of back or joint pain as a result of poor posture.
Pain is the number one clinical complaint, and it does not necessarily go after medical care. This stresses the importance of proper postural care to eliminate pain.
When your body is misaligned the relationship between the core and spine muscles have pressure placed on them.
By aligning your posture to be in its prime state you will reduce dysfunctions and pressure placed on your discs which lead to muscular pain.
The effect on fat levels
Body fat percentage and levels are hot topic in the fitness industry.
We now understand that it is not just the scales that are important, but also the fat level percentage in dictating how toned we look.
The problem with the fitness industry is that they do not go deep enough. When fat increases, in undesirable areas, it is often a sign of a structural or physiological problem.
An inefficient body will not burn fat in the correct way.
Yes, it is possible that training hard, and eating healthy will gain the results most people are looking for, but can it be sustained?
For people who struggle with losing fat, it is important to assess how the body is communicating normal fat levels. If it is not communicating effectively this is a sign of a neurological deficiency.
Excessive body fat is a modern problem and was never a priority for millions of years.
So why now?
Think about your lifestyle, the food chain, and even your relationships.
How can they contribute to increased fat levels being a modern day problem?
Poor posture
In simple terms, poor posture results from an imbalance that results from some muscles tightening or shortening while other muscles become weak and lengthen.
This can be because of family genetics or it can be developed in adulthood. While poor posture can occur through injuries, simply standing or sitting incorrectly can cause it.
Most of us have imperfect biomechanics, and that is why we must train those unhealthy habits out of us through strength training, myofascial release, and an awareness of our posture. Because our bodies are constantly responding to various forces in the environment around us, such as gravity.
It is important to note that some postural deformities are hereditary or acquired over our lifetime, for instance lordosis, scoliosis, winged scapulae, over-pronation, kyphosis along with many more.
It is well known that there is a correlation between poor posture and poor health.
That does not necessarily mean it is the cause of poor health but it is important to be aware of what it is related too and how it may be influencing our health.
Problems you will experience
Poor posture will result in a downward pressure being placed on your internal organs leading to potential problems such as;
- fatigue
- breathlessness
- palpitations
- kidney and bladder problems
- constipation
- abdominal pain
Causes
- Slouching while sitting
- Curving your lower spine as a result of wearing high heels
- Placing more weight on one hip while standing
- Hunching your back while working
- Bending your neck to look down at your phone
- Tilting your head back because your computer screen is too high
- Holding your phone between your ear and shoulder
You can fix your bad posture
Remember, it is your responsibility to keep your body in good health. Medication and treatment will only mask the pain.
It is in your power to eliminate your pain so you can live pain-free, and stronger.
By Building Your Prime Posture you will experience more energy, better circulation, less stress, and much more!
If you are interested in learning more about why posture is important, download a free copy of ‘Build your Prime Posture’ here.
