Does This Posture Make Me Look Fat?

Jacoby attempting to demonstrate improper posture. Awkwardly.

Who hasn’t had someone in their life tell them to sit up or stand up strait? If you haven’t then I admire you. I am 6 foot tall and as you can imagine, I have heard this a lot. Until I became a therapist I really didn’t see what the big deal was. The truth is it can lead to so many problems. Poor posture can increase strain on your muscles, cause headaches, throw off your balance, slow your digestion, ect. There is a long list I can go more in depth on in future articles but in this one I will get to the most common. Aside from giving you an instant gut; it over stretches your upper back and shortens your chest muscles. This makes it harder to take deep breaths. It doesn’t stop there, by pushing out your stomach you also put pressure on your low back. When the muscles necessary to maintain posture are in balance, it equals better overall balance for you.
Bringing your shoulders back and chin up is a small change that can help you avoid many problems down the line. Do you get a pinch in your back when you maintain that straight posture? There is a solution. Upright rows can help to strengthen your mid back where you  feel that pain. Doing chest stretches can also help relieve some tightness in your chest you may have not even known you had. Give yourself time to change your posture if you have always slouched. The changes in your posture that have taken place did not happen overnight and can’t be corrected overnight, but maintaining a better posture a little longer everyday can create a good habit and healthy body.

-Jennifer

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