If you tend to slouch and worry about the right body posture, you should first understand what a body posture is and why many people suffer from bad posture. Posture translates to the relationship that your skeleton has with the earth's gravitational pull and how to use muscles to hold your body upright. In most cases, when working out, you might be thinking of how to gain some muscles or good body shape. However, people often ignore the critical role of body posture, which is one elemental aspect of a healthy body. Below are some easy steps to follow to improve your body posture in order to look and feel better.
We all know that practice makes perfect and posture is no different. Therefore, one of the best ways to improve your posture is to practice every day. This is because a bad body posture develops as a habit time after time. As such, to develop a good posture, you need to begin exercising the muscles that are meant to keep your body in proper shape. Though it might come as a surprise, the hamstrings and large lower back muscles are usually the weakest in this respect, and people tend to exercise them less. After figuring out the problem areas and strengthening them, you should engage your body in activities that keep the core working while utilizing the right muscles. More importantly, try to notice when you’re slouching or leaning and pull yourself upright to get used to what it feels like to have good posture. This exercise, of engaging your body and mind in conjunction, will become a staple in the journey towards better posture.
If your posture seems to be returning to its old habits, you can always take a break and begin the steps again. Another option is practicing exercises such as yoga, or martial arts which emphasize body alignment and balance, thus allowing you to notice bad posture and change it accordingly. As discussed in more detail below, it’s best if you perform exercises while engaging your core as it helps you get the right body posture. It is essential to note that if you ignore a good body posture, your body might have some serious health challenges. For instance, you might experience backaches, stress in your joints, poor digestion, and breathing difficulties.
To develop a good posture, core strength is crucial. This is because the core is known to be the foundation of your body "tree trunk." As such, if your core is not strong enough to maintain a healthy position, your body posture might not develop in the right manner since you’re overworking some muscles to compensate for others. If you do not love core exercises, it is high time you make them part of your life. Working out your core goes beyond making muscles stronger, however. By using these muscles in a repetitive manner, you develop a mind-body connection that will allow you to notice and correct bad posture as a habit. As such, frequent workouts are a must as they activate the key muscle groups that will promote good posture. Also, you get an added advantage of stability for your body while making your midsection look better.
When doing core exercises, you mainly target the inner core muscles that are part of your foundation. These muscles help you sit and stand comfortably, and more exercises increase their flexibility. At times, you might feel uncomfortable with your rounded shoulders and may need a chance. In such a case, glute activation exercises will play an important role along with back exercises that target the upper back. They include movements such as scapular retraction and bridges that help correct the condition. Overall, there is no better way to help your body maintain a healthy position than strengthening these muscles and training your mind to notice when you’re slouching. This might be a great challenge for stability when working out and just going about your day, and especially when sitting.
While many people experience bad posture due to obesity or arthritis, many otherwise healthy people also have bad posture with equally unhealthy symptoms. If you have been experiencing shoulder and neck pains, they might have something to do with your body posture, for example. According to Echiroplus, a chiropractor in Forest Park GA, back alignment problems can present themselves in many different ways including bad sleep, aches, and nerve issues. Before the chiropractor even examines your body to know the kind of problem you have with your posture, they might ask questions about your daily habits and practices. The examination part is crucial as it helps the specialist conclude the source of your pain. A chiropractor will conduct your postural assignment from the front and side view of your body. This will help them understand how bad the problem might be.
If your body posture may have affected your spine, the chiropractor might run a series of x-rays to get a clear picture of what he or she will work on. After establishing a problem, the chiropractor may start with adjustments as well as soft tissue work. If that is not enough, the specialist may consider employing the stretches technique. This stage is known as rehabilitation and chiropractors ensure that they run the stretches in a hospital before they can let you go home and do them by yourself.
If you are having body posture problems, you might need to see a body posture specialist but don’t defer the responsibility of strengthening your body. Especially if your problem is not too serious, there are a lot of ways that you can begin changing your posture over time. Take the initiative to take control of the problem and solve it yourself. We hope this guide has been helpful in creating an outline of why and how body posture can change with a little bit of effort and motivation.
Katie earned a BA in English from WWU and loves to write. She also adores hiking in redwood forests and photography. She feels happiest around a campfire surrounded by friends and family.