Hello and welcome back to the Optima blog. It has been a while
since the last post as the start of the year has been a busy one at
the studio!
The topic for this blog is: Why is posture so important?
We all know that it is. We remember our parents telling us to
sit up straight and not slouch! We also know that good posture is
good for our backs. The truth is that posture has a tremendous
impact on whatever our health and fitness goals may be. For this
reason, when I am working with my personal training clients at the
studio I place such importance on evaluating, improving and
maintaining good posture.
Good posture is a state of muscular and skeletal balance which
protects the supporting structures of the body against injury or
progressive deformity.
Here are just some of the benefits of good posture:
Injury prevention: If your body is out of line,
the increased stress on joints and soft tissue will cause them to
deteriorate quicker. Nerves can also become impinged which leads to
reduced muscle function and can cause significant pain.
Aesthetics: Good posture looks good. It
improves the shape of your body and means that clothes will fit you
much better. Balance and symmetry are important components of
a physically attractive body. Also, good posture makes you
taller!
Improved balance: If your skeletal system
(bones) is not in ideal alignment, the muscles will have to work
harder to hold your body upright - over time these muscles will
become tired and your balance will suffer.
Improved performance: In good posture your
muscles function more efficiently. For improved performance it is
particularly important to have good static and dynamic posture.
This means that you are able to maintain your posture during
movement, and when the body is placed under load. It allows your
joints to maintain a solid foundation and increases force
generation in the muscle.
Improved well-being: Finally, good posture is
vital for your well-being. Poor posture can restrict the flow of
blood to your organs and muscles which will impair their function.
Digestion, brain function and detoxification are just some of the
vital processes which become affected when posture is not ideal. A
good analogy is to think of a pond - without fresh water coming
in and a stream taking it away, it becomes stagnant. In your
body this can translate to organ disease!
Therefore, it is absolutely vital to consider your posture
before beginning an exercise programme to make sure that all of
your effort in the gym is not going to waste. If you believe
that your posture is contributing to your lack of success in the
gym, or you are worried about the programme you are doing and
whether it will cause poor posture, it is advisable to
seek professional advice so that you can have measurements taken to
determine exactly what exercises you should be doing/avoiding.