Why do we need good posture?
Good Posture: everyone knows we need it, but do you know why we need it? What causes us to have bad posture anyway? The second question is easier to answer, it’s gravity.
From the moment we are born we have this force pressing down on us, compressing our joints and increasing the curves of your spine making you slouch and predisposing you to all sorts of pain and problems. All you need to do is look at many older people who have been suffering under gravity for much longer to see the negative effects!
So why is it we need good posture? Well our entire body is a complex system of muscles, bones, joints, fascia and organs, each element has its place and each element effects the functioning of the entire system. Everything in the body is co-dependent and works synergistically, certainly not like I learnt anatomy at school or even university. When the body has poor alignment and posture it compresses and impairs the function of the entire body.
Maintenance of posture is critical for long term health and vitality, so here is a few pointers on why posture is essential:
- Poor posture, relies on passive stability of joints which means your muscles aren’t active to support your joints, and your ligaments and joints bear all the weight and therefore we have a greater destructive force going into the joints and tissues. Good posture uses active stability which are your muscles, which can absorb a lot of force and energy as they are highly elastic.
- Poor posture reinforces muscle imbalance leading to aches and pains from your head all the way to your feet.
- Poor posture, reduces the range of motion of your joints (like decreased flexibility). This means more of our daily movements are close to what we call end range of motion (the end of your joint movement), and this is where injuries occur.
- Poor posture compresses your organs, effecting there natural functioning and blood supply. All you have to do to try this is slouch in your chair and try and take a deep breath, you can’t take a complete breath right?
- I’m also convinced that that ‘pouch’ that so many of us have in the lower abdomen is not all to do with body fat. It is also the lack of tone and strength of your deep abdominals. Stand in front of a mirror, let your tummy hang out, then try drawing your lower abdominals in while you breath out. Voila! Looks like you just lost 3kgs doesn’t it?
In an ideal environment for our bodies we wouldn’t be stuck in front of computers for hours on end and we would be a lot more active in general. As it is unlikely that your boss will let you reduce your work hours, we need to condition your joints and muscles In the right way. All exercise is not created equal in this respect and actually certain types of exercise can make your posture worse! You need an exercise which has a high degree of focus and attention to alignment and body awareness. Improving your body awareness is key to making sure you carry the benefits from the Pilates class out to the street or back to the office. Pilates is positioned to be probably one of the most effective forms of exercises to achieve this. You still need to compliment Pilates with your chosen cardiovascular sport or activity though to make sure your exercise regime is well rounded.
Tags: core strength, posture
Written by: Daniel Dittmar
