Since our adolescent age, we have been told to always stand up straight.
People have done all sorts of things just to enable them to improve their posture but the question is why do they have certain postures?
Taking cognizant of the fact that certain postures especially by models have their own unique flamboyance, we are advised to follow the ways of models because they know better how to strike the posture.
There have been debates of a sort on various platforms by experts and professionals on whether having a good posture positively impacts the human.
What is a good posture?
A spine surgeon at UConn Health, Dr Scott Mallozi makes us understand that your head anchored above your pelvis and your feet is deemed a perfect posture.
Your head and neck must not be slanting and lurching forward or backwards, rather, you would want to stand straight with your head, pelvis and feet in harmony and coordination.
With that in mind, one posture is not a standard for all or applicable is all. As a result of conditions such as arthritis of the spine, drooping over is a perfect fit for some individuals, especially for adults.
Significantly, a good posture for John will not necessarily have to be a good posture for Samuel. Moreover, ageing affects the way our body responds to its moves.
It is totally normal for one’s spine to transcend the times of life and stages of the human body and it will demand certain postures as time goes on.
The subject of standing up straight and its positive and negative impacts varies from person to person.
A Spine surgery stalwart, Dr Amit Jain has opined that a good posture leads to minimized wear and tear of the spine.
The National Institutes of Health reveals that slouching can result in your spine being very delicate and susceptible to injury.
Also bear in mind that maintaining a good posture does not mean you will not suffer back problems or conditions, however, having apt spinal capacity could assist you manage if you have to tackle these conditions in the future.
Mallozi reveals the major chunk of your work is that your muscles will have to grow bigger and put in hard work if your posture causes an imbalanced sharing of weight or unbridled stress on your body.
A skilled Chiropractor based in California intimated that the human head alone has a weight of 10 pounds and for every inch your head tilts forward, your neck has several tasks to perform as it has to carry twice of that weight.
Therefore, the posture of bending your head or tilting your head whilst texting on your phone is strenuous and apparently detrimental to the muscles of your neck.
However, standing up straight may not be the ultimate solution to correcting various health conditions either and it will not also significantly save you from any underlying issues at your back.
Queralt claims there isn’t proof to support posture either by a decrease in the present agony or avoiding pain in the future.
He rather showed a study that states that the practice of generic public health messages to sit up straight to overcome or avoid neck pain needs re-evaluation.
Rather than continuously reminding yourself to stand up straight you would want to channel a particular muscle group. Whilst engaging in workouts, you have the approval to better anchor your spine and assist your body to stand up straight with convenience without force.
According to Mallozi, you can achieve a good posture when you stand up straight with the help of two muscle groups.
The first group he reveals is the paraspinal muscles which are the muscles that surround your spine from your neck to lower your back.
If the spine is anchored or supported by a strong group of muscles, your discs and joints would not have to do much work because of the support.
Mallozi recommends carrying out yoga, pilates or any activities geared toward strengthening your muscles. Such activities include planks, shoulder-blade squeezes, brides etc.
He cites some variables that have the influence on your poster and some postures cannot be fixed even with exercise.
Conditions such as stiffness of the hips, and arthritis won’t disappear but if you make it strength training a priority very early in life, you will be on the safer side.
Moreso, fortifying your spine by engaging in some exercises improves your cardiovascular health and it is recommended for preventing osteoporosis and participants of exercise have their mental health intact.
It is not necessary if you sit up straight in this position or slough but it is about being consistent in a static position for 8 hours daily.
For instance, you will be more fixated by sitting the entire day in front of your computer and it is highly possible you will be hunched forward nudging forward as you do so.
Note that hunching whilst in high school does not mean that you will develop a hunch back for the remaining years of your life but making muscle strength by engaging in fitness and movement can assist take away some pressure your spine has to deal with sometimes.
Why Is Standing Up Straight Important?
Keeping the right posture is very beneficial to prevent unnecessary conditions like headaches and pain in your back, neck and shoulders.
Whilst engaging in some exercises or strength-training activities, a more secure posture ensures that you are free from sports injuries and minimizes the wear and tear of your joints.
What does it mean to stand up straight?
You would reckon that you have been advised severally to straight straight always.
To stand up straight only means you ensure that your weight is centered on your feet or legs.
