User:Nialalmadani/sandbox

When we look at others, for the first time, there are many features that we notice almost immediately: their Hair colour, eye colour or clothes but even before that, the thing that truly catches our attention – Posture! A person’s posture and how they carry themselves shows the world exactly what they think of themselves. Someone who stands tall and erect gives off an aura of self-assuredness that can be felt as soon as they enter the room! On the other hand someone who is stooped low and slumped gives the impression they are ashamed to be occupying that space. Many of us will have not-so-fond memories of an over-zealous Mother telling us to “Stand up straight!” and “stop Slouching” in an often vain attempt to smarten up our appearance. However, aesthetic value alone is not the critical reason to think about improving your posture- Health and Wellbeing is. What began as an odd stance or sitting position will often lead to Bone Fide Medical problems if not addressed early! So what is good posture/bad posture? And why is it even important? Essentially, posture is the term for the positioning and alignment of the body under the effects of Gravity- whether it is in standing, sitting or, even, lying down in bed. Having good posture means that the force of gravity is spread over the entire body without causing any structures to be overloaded. Poor posture is a result of muscles becoming short and tight, whilst other muscles become elongated and weak as a result. People who work in sedentary jobs (call centre, office based, taxi drivers for example) spend a lot of time in one fixed position most days BUT... the human body was made to move and as a result of this, these jobs often lead to chronic muscle tightness arising from poor posture at work. Poor posture can result in increased tension, loading of the spine and it will cause your muscles to work overtime as they fight to pull you into the right position. The headaches and soreness you get after a long day of work actually arise from the increased tension constricting your body (did you know for example 45% of office workers experience at some point in their lives.). Other impacts of poor posture include: Decreased lung capacity, reduced organ efficiency, decreased Mood and motivation, increased stress and low self esteem. These can have an effect on all areas of your life, especially aspects such as promotion at work!... people who slouch are, generally, deemed to be of less value to employers whereas those who stand tall and firm are the ones who find themselves soaring to the top. So if any of the above relates to you, it’s time to stand up tall and be counted in the war against poor posture! Dont get me wrong, correcting bad posture does take discipline but there’s no doubt the long term benefits are well worth the effort.