Poor posture is caused by regular slumping and slouching, and can be bad for your health. If you don't work to keep your body in its correct alignment, you could end up with back and neck problems later on.
As adults, we spend more and more time sat down in a car, in the office or at home. Sitting in any chair for a prolonged period of time can cause:
These all contribute to poor posture.
The Importance of Good Posture
Good posture allows the optimum distribution of force throughout the body so the musculoskeletal system can function properly and protect against injury and deterioration.
If the spine is not held straight, the internal organs are crowded into less space, which can reduce their effectiveness.
Poor posture can cause health problems, for example, sitting in a bad position at an office computer could cause stress headaches, tensed shoulders and lower back pain.
Practical Tips to Improve your Posture
At home
At work
Bad posture can also be corrected by exercises which strengthen and restore flexibility to the body's core muscles (abdominal and pelvic floor muscles), which may have become weak after years of poor posture.
It is often found that greater awareness of your posture and consciously changing bad posture habits can bring noticeable improvements after a few weeks.