What is good posture?

It’s easy to recognize bad posture. Shoulders slumped, head forward, and maybe even back rounded.

Posture is important! And it’s a big topic. That’s why I’m breaking it down over 4 articles. Over the next 4 weeks, we’ll tackle

1. What is good posture?

2. How does posture (good and bad) affect you?

3. Tips to improve your posture – part I

4. More tips to improve your posture – part II (yes, I’m breaking this down into 2 articles!)

Today, we’ll focus on what good posture is and why it’s important. 

What is good posture?

Close your eyes and picture someone with good posture. How would you describe them? Maybe as “standing tall”?  But what does this really mean?

Posture is how we hold our bodies while we sit or stand. Generally speaking, it’s how your body parts are oriented. 

We don’t maintain our posture consciously, certain muscle groups do it for us. These muscles are often referred to as postural muscles. 

These postural muscles support your spine and maintain its alignment, acting against the force of gravity. For you anatomy geeks, like me, here’s some information on a few of the main postural muscles. 

Transversus abdominis.  This is the deepest abdominal muscle that wraps around your torso, attaching to the ribs and hips. This muscle is very important for spinal support. 

Pelvic floor. The pelvic floor provides stability to the hips and supports the abdominal organs. 

Diaphragm. If you’ve ever had hiccups then you’ve felt your diaphragm contract. The diaphragm facilitates breathing by helping the ribcage expand and contract.  

Multifidus. This lesser-known muscle is important for low back stabilization. This muscle runs along the spine, supporting the vertebral column. 

These 4 muscles are not the only ones involved in maintaining your posture. Others include muscles of the shoulders, arms, hands, hips, legs, and feet. 

These muscles help us maintain balance and not let gravity push us over. 

Good posture is when your spine is in a neutral position so your head, shoulders, hips, and feet are aligned. This reduces stress on supporting muscles that are not meant to hold you. It also reduces stress on your joints and ligaments. 

Is there one set of cues for one perfect posture? Well, no. Every single body is different and our body parts are different shapes and sizes. From the side, good posture is when you can draw a plumb line from the top of the head through the middle of the ears and shoulders, just behind the center of the knee, and just in front of the center of the ankle. 

Sounds a little complicated, I know. Check out the image on the side, it helps. 

Why is good posture important?

When your body parts are in alignment your muscles can work more efficiently. When they are NOT long-term then you can get muscle strain, stress on tissues, and abnormal wear on joints. 

We’ll explore more about how posture affects us in the next article, but let me give you one example of how misalignment affects you. 

When your head is right on top of your spine, your head weighs 10 to 12 pounds. Your body is made to hold a head with this weight. However, a forward head posture is common. For every inch a head is forward from its ideal position, the strain on your spine can increase by an extra 10 pounds! (1)

Those poor muscles meant to hold a head 10 to 12 pounds now have to work harder to hold up your noggin!

The impact of a forward head trickles down your body.  Poor posture doesn’t only affect you physically but can affect your self-esteem and confidence in your thoughts. (2,3)

Fortunately, you can change how you hold your body.

But first, let’s start with awareness. 

Notice how you hold your body throughout the day. How do you stand? How do you sit? Everyone has tendencies, what are yours?

I’d love to know what you noticed, you can comment below.

Next week we’ll dig deeper into how posture affects you. 

Sources

1. The Physiology of the Joints. Volume 3. The Trunk and the Vertebral Column. (1975). Postgraduate Medical Journal, 51(599), 682–683.

2. Nair, S., Sagar, M., Sollers, J., 3rd, Consedine, N., & Broadbent, E. (2015). Do slumped and upright postures affect stress responses? A randomized trial. Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 34(6), 632–641. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000146

3. Ohio State University. (2009). Body Posture Affects Confidence In Your Own Thoughts, Study Finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 1, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005111627.htm