The Top 7 Reasons Why You Have Bad Posture
When I ask about
posture most people ask me to repeat what I just said. They look at me
with a confused look, the word “posture” seems so strange to them. I
usually explain right after that it’s related to sitting up straight or
keeping your body upright to which they understand and make some remark
about needing to work on that.
Many health &
fitness professionals refrain from addressing posture. It’s not
something they’ve been taught and it’s not an area that typically
concerns them. Posture and body alignment are often left to
chiropractors. Little thought is given to the habits that lead to
posture related problems and if professionals would be more open to
learning they’d realize just how serious these issues can be.
While it may seem
difficult to discuss posture and the musculoskeletal issues that can
arise as a result of poor maintenance it’s easier to identify the habits
that lead to them. Here is a list of the top 7 reasons why you might
have bad posture. Keep in mind, injuries and birth related incidents
were left off the list as those aren’t related to behaviors and can’t be
modified like the habits on the list below.
1. You sit too often
If you sit for
breakfast, sit during the ride to work, and continue this trend all the
way to dinner then you’re more likely to have poor posture and lower
back pain. Sitting for hours daily has been linked to higher mortality
rates. The scientific community has also coined the term “sitting
disease” due to all the effects associated with it.
2. You hunch over when you sit or stand
It’s one thing to sit
too often, but it’s even worse when you sit and stand hunched over. The
next time you sit or stand, pay attention to the position of your head
and shoulders. Are your shoulders rounding forward? Is your head and
neck lurching past your body?
3. You stare at your phone or at the ground when you walk
Of course you stare
at your phone; your life might even revolve around it. You need your
phone to do your work and stay in touch. It’s no surprise that so many
have forward head posture or text neck as a result. The excessive
bending of the neck coupled with doing so for long periods puts major
strain on the ligaments in your neck. What’s worse? For every inch your
neck is out of alignment it adds extra weight to your spine.
4. You have tight muscles
All the bending,
moving, and exercising you’re purposely or inadvertently doing whether
in good or bad posture will cause some tightness in your muscles. If you
aren’t stretching and keeping yourself limber it’s no surprise you have
tight muscles. Tight muscles can also be caused by activities you do
consistently. Take sitting for example, your hamstrings me be tight and
shortened as a result of all the sitting. This could then lead to lower
back pain as other muscles groups must compensate.
5. You stretch and exercise in incorrect form
Are you positive that
you’re exercising and stretching with correct form? If not, check.
Exercising and stretching in bad form can place extra stress on your
joints and ligaments. Ligaments will become stretched and prone to
injury if this becomes the norm.
6. Being in poor posture is comfortable
Sometimes, you know
your posture is bad, but you’re so comfortable you’d rather not move.
The fact that you’re comfortable in bad posture means your body has
already maladapted to it. If you catch yourself performing an activity
in poor alignment and it’s more comfortable that way than it’s opposite,
you certainly have poor posture.
7. You perform regular tasks in poor alignment
Let’s say you pick up
an object or lean over to grab something, do you lift with your legs or
your back? What’s your body doing while you wash the dishes or perform
some other task? You may not realize it, but there’s a strong chance you
perform these and many more mundane tasks in poor alignment.
The easy fix for many
of these is to pay closer attention to the position of your body while
you perform your daily tasks. You also want to ensure you’re stretching
and exercising in good form and proper alignment. For many, they don’t
know or understand what that means. If you don’t know about what’s
considered good posture or how to fix it then it’s going to be a
challenge. Many of the posture related problems are the results of poor
habits that can be corrected by forming new habits and diligent effort.
If you’re unsure
about posture, need to learn how to fix it, and need to begin correcting
your habits, you’re in the right place. Check out our NPI-Certified Posture Specialist™ program. All these concerns will be met with the right answers. The
program is designed to help you fix your posture and will teach you how
you can help others do the same.
You can check out the program here >>
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