The American Chiropractic Association celebrates Correct Posture Month in May each year. Good posture is essential to maintaining the musculoskeletal balance of our bodies, which prevents harm to joints, ligaments, bones, and muscles. Proper posture can also help prevent muscle fatigue by allowing the muscles to use energy in the most efficient way possible.
That’s not all! Research shows that posture can impact your overall health and happiness in several other important ways.
1) Good posture can improve your self-esteem.
A study conducted by a team of researchers in New Zealand and published in the journal Health Psychology found that when participants sat up straight, they reported feeling strong, enthusiastic, and excited, whereas a slouching posture corresponded with feelings of fear, hostility, and passivity. Researchers also reported that subjects in the upright position maintained a better rate of speech and stronger pulse.
2) Good posture can ease symptoms of depression and increase positive thoughts.
Professor Eric Peper, a researcher at San Francisco State University has studied the connection between posture and mood. In one of Peper’s experiments, participants reported that upright posture naturally led to more positive thoughts. His research, as well as previous studies conducted by other researchers, point to a mind-body relationship that runs both ways: bad posture can lead to increased feelings of depression, while good posture has the potential to increase positive thoughts and lift your mood.
3) Good posture can increase feelings of power, self-control, and confidence.
Researchers from Columbia and Harvard universities conducted a study on posture and found that closed body postures, such as slouching inward, led to higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol compared to expanded body postures. Participants with expanded body postures reported feeling more powerful and confident. An assessment of desire to take risks also found that open body postures made participants feel more inclined to take risks.
4) Good posture can reduce back and neck pain.
It’s clear that good posture has some powerful mental and emotional effects, but good posture can also help reduce back and neck pain. Bad posture can lead to strain on the joints and ligaments, as well as muscle soreness. Over time, chronic bad posture can cause premature wearing of the spinal structures, as well as secondary problems like headaches. Good posture helps to maintain balance and support for all areas of the body.
5) Good posture can improve oxygen intake by as much as 30 percent.
Besides causing damage to the structures of the body, bad posture can also reduce your ability to intake oxygen. Author and physician Jacob Teitelbaum recommends sitting up straight with an expanded chest, which can increase oxygen intake by as much as 30 percent. The increase in the amount of airflow provided by good posture provides more oxygen to the brain and muscles, giving your body an overall energy boost.

How Can You Improve Your Posture?

With all the evidence pointing to the benefits of good posture, you may be wondering about the best way to improve yours. This May, start making posture a priority with these guidelines for better sitting and standing habits — habits that may help you feel better physically and emotionally.
While standing:

• Be sure your ears, hips, and shoulders are all lined up, and align your feet with your hips and shoulders.
• Keep your knees from locking by bending them slightly and bear your weight on the balls of your feet instead of your heels.
• Engage your core muscles, and roll your shoulders back to avoid slouching.

While sitting:

• Your weight should be evenly distributed between your “sit bones.”
• Don’t cross your legs, and keep your knees level with or slightly higher than your hips.
• In an optimal sitting position, your feet should be flat on the floor.
• While sitting at a desk your shoulders should be relaxed and your arms should be at a right angle, with your forearms parallel to the floor.

With so much of our lives spent either sitting or standing, keeping these tips in mind can go a long way toward improving your posture.
If you have any questions or would like more information about the benefits of good posture or how to improve yours, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Wishing you a happy and healthy Correct Posture Month, from the team at Tuck Chiropractic Clinic!