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The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USA) states the term “posture” refers to the position in which we hold our bodies. We rely on our postural muscles to maintain balance, prevent the forces of gravity from pushing us forward, and move in ways that place the least strain on supporting muscles and ligaments. Many of us spend a large part of our work day in a relatively static position, so it’s important that our bodies are positioned correctly. In this post, we highlight the benefits of correct posture.  Numerous factors can contribute to poor posture, including tight or weak muscles, stress, obesity, and wearing unsupportive shoes. Poor posture can lead to back pain, breathing problems, and headaches—and it can even impact mood. (Harvard Health Publishing.)
It’s important to recognise that posture can have a profound impact on your health and well-being, as well as your ability to thrive at work. Improving your posture may provide the following benefits: 1. Increased Confidence Correcting your posture can impact the way you feel about yourself. One study found that students who held an upright, confident posture were much more likely to have confidence in their thinking—and performed better on math tests. Feeling more confident in your ideas at work will ultimately help you succeed. 2. More Energy Poor posture can negatively affect energy levels, resulting in fatigue. Practicing good body alignment may help you remain focused and energized at work. Whether you’re delivering packages or caring for patients, correct posture can allow you to power through the day more easily. 3. Greater Self-Esteem and Better Mood In addition to giving you more energy, better posture can also reduce depressive feelings and improve your self-esteem and mood. Feeling good about your professional life often starts with feeling positive about yourself. 4. Easier Breathing When the body is aligned correctly, it’s easier to breathe. Slouching can reduce lung capacity, leading to shortness of breath. Having difficulty breathing can impact your ability to do your best work. To breathe more life into your lungs, try altering your posture. 5. Less frequent headaches Bad posture creates tension in the upper back, neck, and shoulders, leading to headaches that manifest as throbbing pain in the base of the skull and sometimes the forehead. Headaches are no fun, so this is an incentive to have good posture. 6. Reduced Risk of Injury Proper posture can help you avoid injury, especially to your back, shoulders, arms, and wrists. One of the most common reasons people see a doctor or miss days of work is back pain. It’s particularly important to have good standing posture, as standing for long periods of time is associated with short-term adverse health issues, such as back pain, fatigue, and leg cramps. 7. Boosted Productivity Research shows that posture impacts productivity. If you’re in pain, injured, or fatigued, or if you lack self-confidence, you will likely have trouble staying focused and productive at work. Because improving your posture can positively impact your mental and physical health, it enables you to be a more productive member of the team.
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In a medically reviewed article from 2021, the website WebMD has listed commonly accepted benefits of having better posture. These are listed below. It also notes... "Our modern lifestyles may contribute to poor posture. Looking down at our phones or sitting at a desk for several hours a day working on a computer changes the way we hold ourselves. You may notice that you are slumped forward when performing these activities, rather than sitting or standing up straight."  Benefits of Good Posture
Good posture isn’t just about how you present yourself. Having poor posture can actually affect your physical and mental health. 1. Better mood and energy. One of the best benefits of good posture is the way that you feel about yourself. Improving your posture can help you stay focused and more energized throughout the day. This can help improve your mood too. Research also suggests that good posture can lead to more self-confidence. When you carry yourself well and feel good about yourself, you’re less likely to experience depressive thoughts. This can give you more self-esteem and a better feeling of pride and confidence in yourself. 2. Bone, joint, and muscle health. As mentioned, your posture depends on your muscles and bones. When you align your spine correctly, you put less stress on your joints and bones. This can lead to less overall pain or reduced chances of developing problems like osteoarthritis. Even though there are tons of exercises out there to help you improve your core muscle strength, doctors say that practicing proper posture is one of the best ways to help tone this muscle group. 3. Better breathing and fewer headaches. When you sit or stand up straight with your shoulders back, you’ll find that it’s easier to breathe. There’s more room to open up your chest for deeper breaths. Practicing poor posture, such as when you’re slouching over, can cause tension in your shoulders and neck. This can lead to headaches in your forehead or the back of your skull. 4. Improved spine and neck health. By practicing proper posture, you help reduce the risk of back and neck pain. Slouching or hunching at a desk can affect the way your spine grows. Back pain is actually one of the most common reasons why people miss work. If your job requires you to stand for long periods of time, standing properly can help you fight back against fatigue and leg pain or cramps. It has been said that on average, it takes 7 seconds to make a first impression. If you think that’s not a long time, some psychologists have suggested that it only takes one tenth of a second to make a judgement of somebody from their face. Whatever the figure, it doesn’t take long at all to make up our minds about someone. This is because, before we even open our mouths, our bodies are speaking on our behalf. This is why correct posture and body language are so important.  So, what does YOUR posture say about YOU?
First impressions are important in the workplace, particularly when trying to win clients or impress in an interview situation. From the way you shake somebody’s hand to the way you sit, stand and carry yourself, you are subconsciously giving off signals to other people and they are subconsciously making assumptions about you based on these signals. Let’s take a look at a few postures and the different ways they could be perceived:
I’m sure in an interview situation these are not kind of vibes you want to be giving off to future employers! How can you make sure your posture and body language are saying positive things about you? Bad posture not only affects how you are perceived by others but can also have a huge effect on your health and mood. By correcting bad posture you can feel healthier and happier, which will in turn give off positive vibes to those around you. Being aware of your posture and what it is saying is the easiest way to correct it. By standing tall with your shoulders back and your arms relaxed by your side, you can give off an impression of confidence in an interview situation (even if you are feeling nervous on the inside). The next time you are bored in a meeting but don’t want your boss to realise, sit up straight instead of slouching or resting your head on your hands. This will give the impression of alertness and positivity. Avoid the dangers of bad posture. Good posture will not only benefit your mood and the impression you give off, it can also prevent musculoskeletal injuries. Slouching in your chair can place unnecessary strain on your spine and the surrounding muscles and tissues, which could lead to the development of back or shoulder problems over time. Better posture is an important tool to combat aging. Go to any shopping centre or busy public space and take note of the people there. Other than obvious features like wrinkled skin and grey hair, what most brings attention to how well someone has aged is the way they carry themselves and how upright they are.  Posture impacts the aging process.
Those who stand erect and move smoothly can look much younger than their years, while those who are stooped and have an unsteady gait often look older than they are. Looks may be superficial, but there's no doubt looking better helps our self esteem. Poor posture leads to pain. Poor posture often contributes to back pain, neck pain, and headaches to name a few unpleasant conditions. Our bodies are structures that must conform to the same physical laws as buildings or bridges and work against gravity on a daily basis. Like any other structure there is an ideal alignment of the parts that reduces the stress on your joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons. Unlike buildings or bridges, our bodies can adapt and compensate for poor alignment (posture), but there is a price to pay for that. The price is not only pain, but also the slow deterioration of the entire musculoskeletal framework. Many call this “getting old”. However, if we return to that shopping centre or busy public space, we can see that that is not the case. One 60 year old, for example, may be mistaken for 45, where another may be mistaken for 75. The calendar can be an unreliable way to determine a person’s age and appearance! Posture exercises help you age well. Posture exercises will strengthen key muscle groups that have weakened with injury or inactivity, as well as stretching those muscles which have become overly tight. This helps maintain strong posture and smooth movement. It also ensures full, deep breathing, better circulation, and proper nerve function. So really, posture exercises are a crucial aid to a long, active, healthy life. Here’s a one minute posture break exercise recommended by a posture expert from the USA Dr. Steven Weiniger. Focusing your attention on a single body part at a time can boost mind-body awareness and control, and with these 5 steps you can dial into your posture to start confidently standing taller.
A Mindful Posture Break: The goal is to stand tall and align your head, torso and pelvis over your feet (the 4 PostureZones). As your focus shifts from the ground up, breathe slowly and let your breath guide the motion. 1- Stand Tall and relaxed. Not stiff or rigid. Relax, and pull your head to the ceiling. Breathe in and out, and then… 2- Ground your Feet: Slowly come up onto your toes, then down. Come up onto your heels and spread your toes apart, then back down. Roll your feet out, and then in. Now, press on all four ‘corners’ to ground your feet as you breathe in and out, and then… 3- Centre your Pelvis: Arch your low back and breathe in, then pull your belly in, tuck your pelvis in and breathe out. Keep your spine long and head tall as you roll your pelvis back to centre, half way between these 2 extremes. Repeat for another breath. 4- Open your Torso: Lift shoulders up and back as you breathe in, then keep them back as you lower them down and breathe out. Repeat for another slow breath, and then… 5- Lift and level your Head. Look straight ahead as you breathe in, then breathe out and lift the base of your head up (keep the head level and chin slightly tucked) to lengthen your spine. Repeat for another slow, deep breath. Repeat. Focus on standing taller, aligning each PostureZone as you breathe slowly for each step. Do this 2 or 3 times a day to relieve stress, unfold your posture and brighten your mood. It really is a priority to make time for daily posture breaks. Whether you’re feeling down or optimistically looking up, posture affects (and is affected by) your outlook on life. Improving your posture can improve your mood, while reducing pain and muscle stress to let you breathe easier and feel better in both mind and body. A study done in 2018 by Erik Peper, a professor at San Francisco State University, suggests that when we’re feeling threatened, our natural reaction to fear is to hunch our shoulders down and curl into a defensive crouch. While this posture protects us from any physical threat or danger, it does the opposite when we’re confronted with emotional or social threats like a difficult conversation with your teenager, or being asked to explain why you’re late in handing in your monthly report, again. Not only does this hunched posture not protect you from the threat, research shows it can actually make your negative thoughts and the symptoms of your anxiety worse. A 2017 article in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry found fewer negative thoughts and lower anxiety in participants with erect posture. A 2012 study found that just two or three minutes of slouched walking increased depression and negativity. while two minutes of skipping caused an increase in energy and positive thinking.  Good Posture Changes How You Think
If you’re trying to fill out forms for a job application or taking a test, the last thing you’re thinking about is your posture. But if you can remember to sit up straight and take a few deep breaths, chances are you’re going to feel more focused and will do a better job in filling in those blanks. In a study done in 2018 by researchers at San Francisco State University, 125 college students were tested to see how well they could do simple maths problems while they were hunched over. They were then tested again while sitting up straight. 56% of those students reported that it was easier to do the maths while sitting upright. They determined that an upright posture gives better access to positive, empowering thoughts and memories. So, when you sit up straight, you’re able to think more clearly, no matter how difficult the task at hand. It Changes How You Feel About Yourself Sitting or standing up straight even for a couple of minutes can help you focus on your strengths, restore your self-confidence and help you speak up for yourself, even in challenging circumstances. In a study done by Pablo Brinol for the European Journal of Social Psychology, 127 students from Ohio State University were asked to list their best and worst qualities while sitting erect, then again while in a slumped posture. Participants sitting upright tended to see themselves in a more favorable light, while those who were hunched were less able to list their strengths. In her famous Ted Talk, Amy Cuddy shares an experiment that studied people asked to go through a simulated job interview. Before the interviews, some participants assumed a high power posture for two minutes while others were asked to take a low power pose for the same two minutes. Those who assumed a confident position were evaluated much more favorably, and were more likely to be hired by the judges than their slouching peers. So there you have it. Any time your boss calls you into his or her office, when you realize you’ve forgotten your notes for the presentation or you’re faced with any kind of “action anxiety,” lift your shoulders, straighten your back, breathe, and take positive action. The correlation between posture and physical health is well known. However, posture also has a link with your mental health. Various research studies around the world have noted the importance of posture in affecting one’s relationship to people and the world. One study (Carney et al, 2010) has postulated that “power poses” lead to increased testosterone and decreased cortisol levels, which is then associated with social dominance and decreased threat perception.  Another study between Columbia and Harvard Universities argues that stress is increased by bad posture. The study showed that people who adopted powerful postures, open shoulders, and straight spines had a 20% increase in testosterone levels and a 25% decrease in cortisol levels, resulting in a lower feeling of stress. Those who slouched had a 10% decrease in testosterone and a 15% increase in cortisol, resulting in a higher feeling of stress.
As the brain-body connection rightly continues to permeate the wellness industry, more studies show the correlation between poor posture and a poor state of mind. So, if you spend increased periods of time sitting with your shoulders slouched (like looking at a computer) it's important to take note of the side effects of this as well as how to counteract them. Strong evidence points to poor posture as an exacerbating factor in various states of negative mood. Indeed, we now know that a slumped or collapsed posture increases people's feelings of anxiety or depression, while a straightened spine helps them feel more alert. Furthermore, the shoulders back position lowers the levels of anxiety as well. This phenomenon is also responsible for an increase in energy. With less compression, your muscles are better able to perform vital functions without the extra work. The science behind this connection may be surprising but sitting or standing in better alignment really can make a difference. If you’ve ever tried yoga, you may have heard of “power poses”, which are upright positions that help boost energy and confidence. If you haven’t done yoga, you’ve probably noticed how you feel more positive mentally when in a more upright posture. Turning again to science, a San Francisco State University study examined how students recalled and thought about past experiences, both good and bad. The group was told to recall both negative and positive experiences twice – once while sitting up straight, the other while slouching over. The results showed that 86% of the students who were in a slumped position found it easier to recall negative emotions or experiences. On the contrary, 87% of the students found it much easier to recall positive experiences when sitting up straight. These same principles can be applied to your everyday life. Remember, being slumped over can cause issues you may not be consciously aware of. Additionally, slouching is seen as a position of defeat. Sitting or standing up straighter can help positive feelings and memories emerge instead of more unmotivated/hopeless feelings. Anxiety, depression, and stress can all become serious issues. Being more aware of your posture can help. Making small changes like consistently sitting taller with your back straight can make a difference. Consider how you may be sitting right now, is your back straight and your head upright? We often spend hours slouching without even realizing it. Changing this is a process that takes practice and discipline but in the end, it’s worth it. I’ll leave you with a quote from Psychology Today… “If you have depression that’s causing serious distress and interfering with your daily life, good posture is no substitute for professional treatment. But as an addition to treatment, reminding yourself to sit or stand up straight can help you feel more upbeat and energetic.” |