Dr. Richard dives into a topic at Glow that we are passionate about, posture:
“Stand up straight,” scolded my grandmother.
“He looks lazy,” the job interviewer whispered judgingly to her business partner.
“I feel so lost, ” my depressed friend moaned as he slouched over his morning coffee.
“My neck is killing me, and I have had a headache for the last three days,” whines my colleague in the workspace next door.
Our posture indeed manifests all kinds of things. Outside, it determines the way we present to the world and how others feel about us. Inside, our posture affects how we feel physically and emotionally.
We can clearly see that our posture reflects our health when we look at some of the positive and negative effects. Historically, the focus on poor or proper posture has been mostly physical. Good posture looks good, feels good and helps people move better. Poor posture…just the opposite. We now understand the emotional connections as well.
The Benefits of Proper Posture:
- Contributes to good appearance
- Prevent neck pain, backaches, headaches and general muscular pain
- Prevents body wear and tear (arthritis) by keeping joints and bones aligned
- Allows for better and more efficient use of muscles
- Optimizes breathing and circulation
- Prevents strain/sprain and overuse injuries
- Improves organ function
- Increased self-esteem
- Enhance energy due to efficiency and body balance
Consequences of Poor Posture:
- Constant joint and muscular pain prevents the ability to perform even basic activities of daily living
- Being predisposed to easy injury of muscles and joints
- Decreased flexibility and mobility
- Compromise the function of internal organs, including the heart, lungs and digestive system.
- Poor self-esteem and feelings of depression
Science is constantly discovering even deeper and profound ways that how we hold our body affects our health and life. For example, social psychologist Amy Cuddy, Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, published a study that shows clearly how our posture and body positioning directly influences either the production of cortisol (stress hormone) or testosterone (growth hormone) within minutes. How amazing is that?
https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en
To learn more about your posture and benefit from some tips on good posture, please visit the exercise page on our website, with some informative videos on supporting your posture! You can also contact one of our experts in postural assessment and correction.