Why Posture Is Steadily Becoming Associated with Good Health and Why It Needs to Be
Social media is ripe
with all manner of advertisements. I’m particularly drawn to the ones
about upcoming fitness products. I saw a video with self-lacing shoes a
few days ago and it mentioned something in its advertising about
supporting posture. What really caught my attention was the part about
posture. It seems we’re finally beginning to catch on about posture, but
why has it taken so long?
Posture isn’t
something you’ll see mentioned on your insurance, nor is it a huge
concern for most people. They tend to think it’s all about standing up
straight; keep your shoulders back, pump your chest out, and walk
upright they’ll say as they struggle to maintain it for all 5 minutes.
They then forget all about it and go back to their usual, it just
doesn’t stick.
One of the major
reasons posture doesn’t stick is because too many people don’t know much
about it. They aren’t aware of how poor postural habits lead to serious
spinal related maladies. From the neck down to the toes, if alignment
is off due to poor postural habits and activities done incorrectly, a
visit to the surgery table could be in order.
Yes, I said surgery
table, it’s that serious. It’s hard for people to make that connection
because, once again, posture just doesn’t seem like a big deal until
something is wrong. That seems like it’s changing these days. With all
the talk about sitting disease, lower back pain, and head and neck
related problems, to name a few, people are becoming more conscious. In
combination to the physical dilemmas, good posture has been linked to
mood and a sense of confidence.
There are more and
more reasons why posture is becoming a serious topic and it needs to be.
Remember how I just mentioned lower back pain? How many people with
lower back pain are aware that part of the problem could have been
caused by excessive sitting in poor posture? What would happen to the
millions of Americans and people across the globe if they knew how to
fix their posture for longer than 5 minutes?
Personally, I’m not
fully convinced it’s caught enough steam. Too many are still waiting for
small problems like a hunched neck to become consistent neck pain that
could lead to migraines and possible nerve damage. We have to push
further and faster if we want these issues to really come to light.
What’s also interesting is the focus on the word “posture” and not about
the problems that cause the body to go awry.
Excessive sitting
isn’t the only cause of lower back pain. Some people don’t know how to
lift with their knees instead of leaning their torso over to grab or
pick something up. They exercise and their alignment is off and they’re
causing more harm to their body this way. Who’s going to stop them when
the issue isn’t being properly addressed? Who’s going to teach them that
“posture” is more than just about standing up straight and poking your
chest out, but it’s also behavioral modifications and body awareness?
You probably see
where this is going, but I can’t help but say it’s got to be us. We, the
trained professionals, who care about making a difference in the lives
of everyone around us have to do this. We have to become more educated
and spread awareness. We have to build the bridge that connects the word
“posture” and it’s negligence with health problems if we really want to
hit it big.
If you’re already a
posture specialist or focus on posture, then you’re doing the right
thing. Posture, and the health concerns that arise from its neglect, is
not a thing of the past it’s here and now and it’s going to continue
being a major concern in the future. I wouldn’t be shocked if more
devices and clothing will cater toward improving posture. While they see
an opportunity to capitalize on this, it needs to be accompanied with
the right education so in the product’s absence one can still make last
changes.
In our Beginner’s Guide to Posture Analysis and Correction,
we discuss posture and the reasons for poor postural alignment. We also
discuss how to analyze and correct it. You can pick up a copy of our
free posture e-book below.
Click here for the free E-book >> |