Usually, it's encouraged to stay away from anything claiming to be the one secret you need for a healthier life. In most instances, people are trying to sell you some weird gadget or supplement that they claim is magical! This is different, largely because we're not talking about a product or anything like that. If anything, we're looking at a lifestyle change.
What's the big secret?
Improve your posture.
That's right, the one secret you need to achieve a healthier life forever is to have good posture. It might sound a little crazy, but you will be amazed at the impact good posture can have on your life. For context, improving your posture is said to lead to:
- A reduction in muscular tension and inflammation
- An improved digestive system
- A reduction in chronic pain - particularly in your back and neck
- A reduction in the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases
- A reduction in stress
- Increased lung capacity and better breathing
- Increased stability and range of motion around the joints
Your chin tucked slightly with your neck straight
Shoulders rolled back and downwards with the thoracic spine (upper back) straight and extended
Lower back in a neutral position with pelvis not tilted anteriorly so the back is flat
Shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles all in line with one another
Commonly, poor posture looks like this:
- Head tilted forwards putting pressure on your neck
- Shoulders and thoracic spine rounded forwards causing a rounding in your upper back
- Pelvis tilted anteriorly meaning your butt sticks out and your lower back is aggressively arched
If you have any of these issues when you look in the mirror, you need to fix your posture. It can be wreaking havoc on the rest of your body, but what can you do to fix it? Firstly, you can refer back to the bullet points on what good posture looks like and consciously draw your body into those positions. Secondly, you can try the following:
Create a more ergonomic workstation
Working at a desk is what causes bad posture in most people. So, a solution is to force yourself into better positions at work. Put your laptop on a flexible laptop tower stand to raise the screen to eye level. This means you have to sit up straight to view the screen while you type, preventing you from hunching over. Get a chair that forces your spine into its proper alignment to keep your posture in check as well. The more ergonomic your workstation is, the better.
Stretch and strengthen
Spend time every day stretching out the muscles that cause poor posture, this will include:
- Shoulders
- Chest
- Hip flexors
- Back/sides of your neck
- Calves
- Front neck muscles
- Upper back muscles
- Abs
- Glutes
Fix your posture and you can improve your health forever. There are no negatives to improving your posture, so go ahead and start today!
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