Good postures vs bad posture

Poor posture looks bad – slouching conveys a lack of interest, energy and vitality. Most people know that we should practice good posture, but did you know that having good posture can actually help you get in shape and live a healthier lifestyle?
Practicing good posture allows your bones, ligaments, and muscles to align properly. This leads to better productivity and more energy. For kids it is vital that they learn good posture from a young age. Trying to fix bad posture is not difficult from early age.


Health effects of poor posture:

• Suffering from chronic pain in the hands, neck and shoulders
•  Repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome 
• Poor posture is unhealthy – bad habits can cause problems with joints, muscles, the spine and internal organs.
• Poor posture can also cause bones to grow abnormally.                 

Good posture

• Good Posture ensures that the least strain is placed on muscles and ligaments. Having good posture prevents muscle fatigue and backaches, decreases wear on joints, ligaments, and bones, and contribute to a good appearance.
• Good posture facilitates breathing. It naturally enables you to breathe properly. If you breathe properly, your body circulation will improve. Your metabolism will speed up, your body’s energy creating capacity is greater and your body is able to eliminate free radicals and waste materials fast. 
• Good posture increases your concentration and thinking ability. When you are breathing properly, you increase your thinking ability too. Remember that our brain requires 20% of oxygen to do its job properly. Thus, our brain functions efficiently when we observe good posture. 
• Good posture improves your image. Observe people who have good postures. They look good. They look smarter and attractive. They feel confident and give out a certain appeal and aura around them.                                                                     
• Your posture reflects your self confidence. If you lack self confidence, you are not healthy emotionally. Good posture makes you feel good about yourself. 
• Good posture also makes you avoid health complications. A bad posture results in several complications over time, such as increased risks of slipped disc, back aches, back pain, pressure inside your chest, poor blood circulation. 

 Does posture really matter? 
"Yes," says Jeffrey Bergin Dean of Clinics at the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard. "Many children are suffering from chronic pain in the hands, neck and shoulders, as well as repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Many of these ailments can be prevented and eliminated with proper attention to posture, correct backpack use and attention to how and how long children sit at computer stations. "Poor posture can also cause bones to grow abnormally.

Good posture ensures that the least strain is placed on muscles and ligaments. According to Spine Universe.com having good posture prevents muscle fatigue and backaches, decreases wear on joints, ligaments, and bones, and contributes to a good appearance.

 Deborah Saint-Phard, a physiatrist at CU Sports Medicine says good posture is crucial for optimal performance in sports. "Oftentimes, I'll walk into a room and see teenage kids slumped over, with rounded shoulders and head slumped over. They'll have shoulder pains (when they) play tennis," she says. Saint-Phard says poor posture is exacerbated by weak back muscles that are elongated and stretched out.

She says children can learn good posture in a positive way. "I counsel my (5-year-old daughter): 'Sit up proud. Be proud of who you are.'" she says.

More links:

Read more :How teachers can teach children good posture?
 * 'Parenting good posture' 
* 'Stand tall'

* Good posture vital for kids and teens

* Good posture (pdf)

Health effects of a poor or bad posture

Posture is the position in which you hold your body upright against gravity while standing, sitting or lying down. Good posture involves training your body to stand, walk, sit and lie in positions where the least strain is placed on supporting muscles and ligaments during movement or weight-bearing activities.

Poor posture can easily become second nature, causing or aggravating episodes of back pain and damaging spinal structures. Back pain may be the result of poor ergonomics and posture if the back pain is worse at certain times of day or week (such as after a long day of sitting in an office chair in front of a computer, but not during the weekends); pain that starts in the neck and moves downwards into the upper back, lower back and extremities; pain that goes away after switching positions while sitting or standing; sudden back pain that is experienced with a new job, a new office chair, or a new car; and/or back pain that comes and goes for months.

Health effects of bad or poor posture:                            

• With bad posture, your rib cage starts pressing down on the major organs – giving them less space to function. 
• Your waistline gains a few inches because of that And you lose a few inches from your height 
• Your stomach will jut out and dieting won’t help 
• You’ll suffer from back aches which won’t go away easily 
• Flexibility is reduced and one shoulder tends to be higher than the other 
• You’ll become injury prone because of poor posture. According to some science, bad posture also leads to having more negative thoughts. 
• Worst of all, you’ll never feel fresh and rested even after you wake up from a good nights sleep

How does posture affect health? 

Deborah Saint-Phard, a physiatrist at CU Sports Medicine, says the most common complaints among the people she sees are back, neck and shoulder pain, all of which can relate to posture. "Posture is all I talk about," she says. "It's very important." Saint-Phard says good posture is crucial for optimal performance in sports. "Oftentimes, I'll walk into a room and see teenage kids slumped over, with rounded shoulders and head slumped over. They'll have shoulder pains (when they) play tennis," she says.
Saint-Phard says poor posture is exacerbated by weak back muscles that are elongated and stretched out.

Douglas Wisoff, a Boulder physical therapist says: posture also can affect breathing. "If your shoulders are rounded and chest back, the result is that the chest cavity is smaller. ... You're talking about ventilation being quite a bit less. Then you have ... lower energy levels. Because your ventilation is so compromised, you get used to those lower energy levels. It has (an effect on) clarity, ability to focus, ability to concentrate, ability to excel in sports." Wisoff says stress can be a big contributor to poor posture.

Useful links:

* http://radiantrunning.com/article_stand_tall.html

* Health Problems Leading to Bad Posture

* 7 EFFECTS OF POOR POSTURE