Poor posture and the side effects of having poor posture have proven to create a wide varying degree of health problems, ranging from simply pain, headache, neck pain, low back pain, to lifestyle disease, fatigue, anxiety, super low energy levels, and disruption of our sleep. Having good posture is vitally important, but it is not only to feel well, but also for you to function well.
My top three reasons why people should maintain proper posture would simply be:
- 1. To have less tension on joints and muscles within our bodies: This is going to allow for healthy and pain free movement.
- 2. To breathe properly: When we have poor posture, we classically see those heads shift forward and our shoulders round. It creates a maximum amount of compensation in our chest and our back actually sits kind of right in our belly and that essentially controls breathing. So, having good posture is going to provide our bodies with the appropriate oxygen levels to again function optimally.
- 3. To maximize energy levels: When we have poor posture, we are essentially in a consistent state of stress, particularly repetitive stress. So, when we are constantly under stress, it raises our cortisol levels. When the cortisol level is raised it affects hormone reception. That is why we see those lifestyle diseases that we commonly get with stress. And again, poor posture is stress so we will see fatigue, poor sleep, low energy levels and anxiety.