Maintaining a good form throughout your workout routine is just as essential as having a healthy diet or breathing properly through each rep. If you have been sweating it out, but wondering why you are not seeing results, your posture could be one of the factors at play. So, what are the benefits of having good posture?
Good posture means that your bones are properly aligned, and the muscle tension is distributed in an efficient manner. Good posture will allow the stress from every weight or impact that your muscles and ligaments take on to be distributed equally to help you avoid straining one part.
What are the other benefits of good posture?
You utilise less energy and it improves your co-ordination
Injury is minimized with aligned ligaments that absorb the stress
Breathing improves due to the way you hold your body
It reduces muscle pain in your back and neck
You get more out of your workout by reducing the wear and tear on your ligaments
Getting good posture does not mean working out at the gym, it starts at home. For the most part, our bodies subconsciously adjust itself to the correct posture. However, If you are someone who spends most of their time sitting down, your muscles become tired which leads to slouching.
Should you find yourself shifting your weight in your chair, slouching on the back of your chair, or placing your feet in various ways except for flat it is your body telling you that it is time to get moving. Walking for 15-30 minutes to keep your body active and aligned is one way to break the fatigue.
It is also useful to be mindful of how you carry your body to make adjustments. It is also useful to consider taking out a cover such as our MiFitLife product to create a financial safety net when you are faced with an injury, so while you are recovering from injuries you do not have to stress about finances.
What is good posture?
Despite hearing an internal reminder of a parent or teacher yelling at you to “stand straight” or “to walk like you have a purpose” good posture will come in handy, but how do you know what good posture is?
You can achieve a good posture when your body is relaxed. Both your feet need to be carrying the weight of your body. Your shoulders should be even, which you can do by rolling them backward and up and down, to ease the tension.
Try keeping your chin parallel to the floor and your spine neutral instead of arched which can cause back pain. Invest in the right training shoe that has arch support, and heel and sole cushioning. Including warm-ups before your workout also helps your body to align yourself.
