3 Reasons Good Posture Should Be On Your Mind

We’re sure you’ve heard it all before. Good posture can improve overall health, boost brain function and make you feel better about yourself in five seconds flat – big talk for one seemingly simple quick-fix. Cultivating and maintaining a good posture isn’t as easy as it sounds, as more and more people give into the work station slouch, a habit that most of us adopt without meaning to.

Maybe you’re coping with added pressure at work, the bills at home are closing in and your shoulders seem to stoop over – at Paddington Physiotherapy and Podiatry, we actually understand. We treat people like you every day, who suffer from similar burdens, but never the same pressures, as everybody is different. The benefits of a sitting up and standing tall can’t be ignored however, as we’ll highlight below, explaining HOW one decision can affect all the above and more.

A Good Posture Can Tap Into How Others Perceive You

It may surprise you, but posture is actually related to the signals your body communicates, also known as body language. This subconscious communication can influence how others see you, how powerful you appear and how you feel about yourself – for something so important, body language rarely gets a mention. A basic example? If you find your head sometimes shakes in the negative of its own accord, this is actually affecting your opinion (nodding has the opposite effect), adding a physical justification for our feelings. It’s bit of chicken and egg thing, but before you start disagreeing or agreeing, keep your head neutral and listen actively, deliberate carefully and then react. Similarly, a good posture can make you appear more confident and present, lending your physicality more gravitas in a situation – people will naturally hear you out, notice you and pay attention to what you have to say.

A Good Posture Can Boost Leadership Abilities

Wait, what? Before you click away, it has been documented those with a good posture are more likely to have a low cortisol count (the stress hormone) and a higher testosterone level (the hormone related to confidence), supporting the theory those who boast a fine spinal alignment may actually be more effective leaders due to low stress levels and an audiences natural reaction to self-assured body language.

A Good Posture Can Kick Back Pain For Good

Back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and lower back pain are all symptomatic of one over-arching fact of life – bad postures caused by too much time in front of the computer. Our bodies were built to move, whether it’s feasible or not, working towards a healthy posture alignment, integrating physical exercise into our daily routine and focusing on form (and not speed) during those work out can be a great way to reduce those issues that keep you awake at night. Although you may love having an excuse to demand a daily massage for your partner, long term back, neck and shoulder issues can take years off your life. Trade those tender rubs for real therapy.

Straighten out your act and sort out your posture so you can live life at it’s best further down the track. You won’t regret it.