Stand Tall: The Importance of Good Posture

Good posture is important to your overall health and offers a variety of benefits including reduced back pain, increased energy, and greater confidence. Having good posture is important to your overall health, as it can help you avoid muscle tension, pain, fatigue, and many other common ailments and medical conditions.

Having good posture comes with various health advantages—many of which are physical, and some of which are psychological.

Reduced Back Pain

Incorrect posture is one of the top risk factors of low back pain, affecting more than 25% of the working population every year. Sitting in a slouched position for long periods can put excess pressure on discs, ligaments, and muscles in the spine to cause low back pain. Practicing good posture even when sitting can greatly reduce your risk of developing back pain.

Fewer Headaches

Muscle tension in the neck and upper back caused by poor posture can often lead to headaches. Tension headaches are the most common type of headache and are characterized by feelings of pressure, tightness, and dull, throbbing pain around the forehead or at the neck and back of the head. Yoga and stretching can often help relieve tension headaches, though addressing poor posture may eliminate these headaches for good.

Higher Lung Capacity

Slouching and incorrect posture can cause the lungs to compress to result in labored breathing and reduced respiratory function. Practicing good posture can often increase your lung capacity to make breathing easier. Cardio exercises such as walking, running, and swimming may also become easier because of improved breathing with good posture.