In the past few days, I happened to notice unhealthy body posture in my daily activities. After catching myself plenty of times, I decided to research this topic, and get back to the basics.
Picture the human body like a structure made of toothpicks. If you push against the backbone, can it bend? Slightly, to some extent. This is what most of us do to our spines everyday. What if you apply pressure beyond that? Let's just say that's not gonna happen....
Quite often we find ourselves slouching on the couch, at times on the bed against the headboard, chair in the study or at work. We've been sitting, standing, and laying in all different positions since we were babies or toddlers. Since this is a vast topic, with every body position requiring individual attention, I will discuss them in separate blog posts.
We'll start with a good standing posture today, the primary focus of which is the spine. It is the most dominant part here because it has a long span, extending from the neck to the hip bones, supporting the chest, abs, and overall body structure.
For most of our postures, the spine has a major role, so take a look at this diagram here to understand the natural shape and how to maintain it. For those of you who aren't very familiar with the human biology and hear, "keep your back straight" from your elders...you'll see that our spines are naturally curvy. Keeping it 'straight' is more of a figurative term here, meaning to maintain a straight posture to keep your spine curvy. Ironic, isn't it?
Standing Checklist:
ü Make sure that your back stays straight at all times, no hunching or arching. Some of us, especially the taller folks, have a tendency to hunch their bodies (gravity, maybe?).
ü Chin should be perpendicular from the ground. Tipping it towards the chest or backwards can hurt your neck in the long run.
ü Your shoulders will help in this too so don't slump them forward or pull them up towards your neck; instead, pull your shoulders back and keep them aligned together. While doing so, your shoulders should stay relaxed.
ü Let your weight balance in your shoulders and feet. Do not let your back feel the weight as it will cause bad posture and potentially result in a strained spine.
ü Keep your abs firm; this not only helps you get an effortless ab exercise, but tightening the abdominal muscles also supports your back, helping it stay upright.
ü Standing upright doesn't mean that you should straighten your legs completely. You will increase the risks of injury if you keep your knees locked straight. Therefore, keep your knees soft, with just a slight bend. This way, even if you were to slip, your knees will help you land safely without causing serious injuries.
ü Your pelvis should also remain in line with your back, no crouching forward (unless you're doing hip thrusts, haha) or arching it backwards.
