By Mirvat Ammouri
I once tried to fix a friend’s posture by verbally guiding him to ‘lift the chest’, ‘pinch the shoulder blades’, ‘drop the chin’ and so on… In the end, we both agreed that he looked like a slim GREEN HULK :). It was a joke of course, but the point is, we both weren’t used to seeing him in a healthy, upright and strong stance. If anything, this says much about our new way of life.
According to the clevelandclinic.org “a good posture is the body position where the least strain is placed on supporting muscles and ligaments”.
In addition to factors like age, nutrition, fitness and habits, our modern sedentary lifestyle has allowed us to further rest in our arm chairs while we use technology to navigate through ‘life’.
The surge of health clubs, fitness gadgets, health websites, fitness shows and events, shows that many have started to realize that we must do something to prevent or reverse the effects of our choices. But through my experience, I’ve seen that people generally don’t know where or how to begin. You see, it’s like a building, if the foundations aren’t strong enough, you can’t really build high enough and the structure will always be at risk. A good posture is the foundation from which you begin to build a body that is strong, fit, and appealing.
You’ll be able to:
Look slimmer and taller
Correcting your posture lifts body parts away from each other and away from the floor. This creates more space between your limbs and around your body as a whole. For example, your neck will show its true length if you lift your chin away from the chest. Your belly looks more flat if you lift your chest and gently brace the core. You can only show what you don’t hide. All body shapes are beautiful, and a good posture reveals that beauty more.
Attract people through your body language
The reason celebrities and royals are trained on maintaining a good posture is because of the importance of body language. 80% of our communication is non-verbal. Our bodies usually reflect our thoughts and feelings. Through a lifted torso and complete body alignment, you’ll automatically send out signals of confidence and self awareness, qualities that people admire and want to gravitate around.
Get better fitness results
Whether your goal is improved shape, better performance, or general fitness, without a good base, it is difficult to move forward and to improve. It can be frustrating to be dedicated to your fitness regimen only to find yourself improving at a turtle’s pace. Gaining strength, losing inches and improving performance, all depend on efficiency in movement and function. Whether you’re a regular or just a beginner, a good posture reveals results that would otherwise be hidden. It is essential that you assess your posture with a professional so your efforts are not wasted on fixing the wrong things.
Note: A good posture allows your muscles to be at their strongest starting point. From there, nothing holds you back from seeing the improvements that you’ve worked so hard for.
Avoid pain
Change is hard, and good change is harder; especially as time passes. A bad posture puts unnecessary and avoidable strain on the joints of the body. This causes pain in areas such as the knees, lower back and other parts of the spine as the bones rub harshly against one another.
Decrease chances of injury
As the body tries to compensate for the inefficient body position it has long become used to, some muscles become stronger at the expense of others. As a result of this imbalance, the risk of injury becomes greater in movements that require the body to function as a unit, like running, jumping, or even bending forward.
