As you’re reading this, are you slouching?
Be honest, because it’s quite likely that you are!
Most of us have a poor posture, and as a result, we’re putting unnecessary stress on the bones, joints and ligaments which form the foundation of our entire bodies.
When sitting at your office desks at work, do you slouch then? You probably do, and again, it can be a huge precursor towards chronic pain conditions.
You’ve no doubt heard about the importance of sitting correctly whilst you’re sat at your office chairs, but it goes further than that too. It’s important to stand correctly, to lift heavy items correctly, and to make sure that you sleep in a good position too. All of this ensures that your natural posture is in alignment with the rest of your body, putting less stress on your spine and reducing the chances of pain issues occurring.
Of course, sometimes you develop aches and pains which aren’t connected with posture, but ensuring that you have a good quality posture will do a lot to drastically reduce your chances of discomfort, especially during your working hours.
Office workers spend a huge amount of time sitting down, and whilst you might think that is safer than doing a strenuous, manual job, it’s actually just as potentially harmful! Sitting for long periods of time can increase your chances of developing back pain, neck pain, and also drastically increase your risk of other health conditions, such as heart disease. All of this comes down to the fact that office work equals sedentary.
When you read that you probably splutter in disbelief! You work hard, how can you be sedentary? Well yes, that’s true, but whilst your brain is working very hard and your fingers are typing away at your keyboard, you’re actually not moving around and getting much exercise. With that in mind, being active throughout your working day and not sitting for too long is vital.
Check out this infographic which outlines examples of good and bad posture in various situations.
Source - https://www.ofi.co.uk/blog/importance-good-posture/
Why is Posture Important?
Now you know what good posture looks like, let’s delve a little deeper into why it’s important in general.
A good posture covers a huge range of health issues, but the main one is ensuring that your spine and your bones are all in alignment. This helps to reduce pain and stress building up in your joints and ligaments and ensures that pressure and weight across your body are evenly distributed.
You’re also at a much-reduced chance of developing any type of injury when you have a good posture. This is because your body is, again, in alignment and therefore everything is properly protected. When you’re not exhibiting a good posture, you’re out of alignment and your bones, joints, and ligaments aren’t properly protected. As a result, you’re far more likely to suffer some kind of injury, far easier than you would do otherwise.
This also links to long-term conditions such as arthritis. When you have a good posture, you have a reduced risk of developing these types of conditions. Again, it comes down to protection, reducing wear and tear and keeping you mobile and supple for far longer.
It doesn’t matter whether you have high-quality designer office chairs or not, if you’re not sitting correctly and you’re not standing and lifting correctly, you’re putting yourself in line for health risks aplenty. Some of these conditions you might not even expect, such as headaches and neck pain. The tension you hold in your neck can easily cause a tension headache, and when you have a long-standing posture problem, your headaches can be just as long-standing too.
All of this can be easily reduced by simply being mindful of your posture and doing everything you can to improve.