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Having a good posture is more important than ever. Our lives have become very sedentary and static and we often spend lots of time watching TV, and using our phones, laptops and other wireless devices. We need to spend a little more effort thinking about our posture to make sure we don’t cause any other aches and pains on top of what we are dealing with. This is even more important when you suffer from chronic pain or illness and often the need to get comfy takes priority over your posture. In this blog post I look at the benefits of good posture and share 3 simple things you can to improves yours.

What is good posture?

They say that your good posture is your next posture, which basically means keep as active as you can and don’t stay in the same position for too long. We all know this isn’t feasible to do all the time, especially when you live with chronic pain or illness, and you often spend longer periods of time resting, sitting and lying down.

Good posture means you maintain an upright spine and everything is aligned as it should be. Your shoulders are back, your head is upright, and you feel taller (sitting or standing) than you normally do.

This image is taken from this website and the two images on the right are a good visual image of what good posture looks like when using a computer at a desk

What is bad posture?

Bad posture can be described as slouching, text neck, and rounded shoulders. You can see in the image above on the left that the chap is slouched forward, with rounded shoulders, and text neck.

The benefits of good posture

Having a good posture can be beneficial in so many ways. It can:

Prevent neck, shoulder and back pain

Proper alignment of the neck and spine means that there is less stress on the ligaments and joints.

Reduce headaches and migraines

When you have poor posture it can strain the muscles in the neck and this can cause tension headaches. But when your posture is good, it keeps the muscles more relaxed and this can prevent those headaches kicking in.

Strengthen your core

This can work both ways: good posture can improve your core strength, but a strong core can also improve your posture. If you are in a good posture, your core muscles will be active and engaged, which over time will make them stronger.

Help you breathe easier

Good posture means we can breathe easier. When we are in a bad posture – hunched forward or slouched – it prevents our lungs working as they should. As a result, our breathing isn’t as effective. This can lead to feeling more fatigued.

Improve digestion

This sounds a bit extreme, but it actually makes a lot of sense. When you sit in a slumped position and your back is rounded and not straight, it causes extra pressure across your body. This then makes it much harder for your digestive system to work as it should.

Make you feel more energised

When your body is working as it should, you automatically feel more energised. So when your body is in the correct posture, isn’t compressed, and you can breathe easier, then you will have more energy.

I also think that psychologically we feel more energised when we are in the right posture. Lifting your shoulders back and making yourself feel taller can give you an automatic energy boost.

The impacts of poor posture

Thinking about our posture now means that we can hopefully prevent further injury or pain later on. Sitting correctly and using devices in the right way means we can help prevent muscles and joints from becoming sore and causing extra pain.  

Pin this post for later and help others learn more about improving their posture

Times when you need to think about your posture

You could say that we need to be thinking about our posture all the time, but in reality that won’t happen. Instead, think about the times when it is easier for you to do something about making your posture better than what it currently is. How about when you are:

• Using a laptop, phone or other device
• Watching TV
• Driving, or sitting in a car as a passenger
• Walking

Most of these we do on a daily basis, so it will be easy for you to start improving your posture.

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3 easy ways to improve your posture

Keep your screen at eye level

When using a phone, laptop or other device, make sure the top of your screen is at eye level as often as you can. This will help keep your neck upright. When you are looking down, it can cause pain and damage in your neck, and this can easily spread across your shoulders and upper back, and can often cause headaches.

Have regular breaks from using your devices

Make sure you have regular breaks from using your devices too. It is so easy to spend hours on your phone or laptop and not realise. Stand up, stretch, and move about every 20 or 30 minutes. This will help keep the good flowing and the muscles moving.

Stand up tall when you walk

Don’t look down all the time, keep your head and eyes up. Stand up tall and keep your shoulders back.

Your thoughts

What one change can you make to improve your posture?

Resources used to help me write this blog post and further reading

8 surprising benefits of good posture

These 12 Exercises Will Help You Reap the Health Benefits of Good Posture

Common posture mistakes and fixes

What is good posture?