Improve Your Health, Well-Being And Confidence With Correct Posture
Poise, Posture & Performance
Correct posture is considered by both health and fitness professionals alike to be a vital factor in your health and performance. A good posture places minimal stress on your joints, bones, muscles and internal organs. It helps circulation, respiration and even digestion as a balanced body functions better than one out of shape.
Your posture also has an influence on the image you portray to your family, friends, business colleagues and potential clients. Nothing says confidence and ability better than a good, upright posture of a person at ease with themselves.
For sports people, performing artists and musicians a good posture is essential to performance as a poised body moves more freely with less tension.
So from a health, fitness and self-esteem point of view a good posture is desirable. But here's an interesting question - how do you achieve correct posture?
Your posture also has an influence on the image you portray to your family, friends, business colleagues and potential clients. Nothing says confidence and ability better than a good, upright posture of a person at ease with themselves.
For sports people, performing artists and musicians a good posture is essential to performance as a poised body moves more freely with less tension.
So from a health, fitness and self-esteem point of view a good posture is desirable. But here's an interesting question - how do you achieve correct posture?
Correct Posture Is Not Just About Your Shape
This may seem a strange thing to say - but whilst the term 'posture' refers to shape, you shouldn't try to improve your posture by changing your shape directly. If you've tried before to correct your posture by sitting or standing up straight, you'll have already discovered it doesn't work.
Correcting Standing Posture
Likewise, if you've tried a course of posture exercises you may also have found the results limiting and possibly only temporary as your posture starts to suffer as soon as you stop.
The photograph to the right (A) shows a typical slumped standing posture. (B) is how the majority try to correct it to 'stand up straight' by tightening the lower back and pushing the chest forward. This adds unnecessary tension to the body, compresses the lower back and uses excessive effort to do it.
Either you'll quickly get tired, your muscles start to ache or forget to do it and find youself back to (A).
(C) shows a poised, relaxed stance with none of the effort associated with the military attention posture many assume to be correct. For more information see how to stand with good posture.
The photograph to the right (A) shows a typical slumped standing posture. (B) is how the majority try to correct it to 'stand up straight' by tightening the lower back and pushing the chest forward. This adds unnecessary tension to the body, compresses the lower back and uses excessive effort to do it.
Either you'll quickly get tired, your muscles start to ache or forget to do it and find youself back to (A).
(C) shows a poised, relaxed stance with none of the effort associated with the military attention posture many assume to be correct. For more information see how to stand with good posture.
Why Trying Harder To Correct Your Posture Won't Work
When I talk about trying harder I also include exercise and posture correction braces. Whilst they may help to relieve some of the symptoms relating to poor posture they don't ultimately improve your posture in the long term. This is due to a number of reasons through common misconceptions about posture and the causes of bad posture.
So how do you correct your posture? You have to change the habits that are pulling you out of shape! I'm sure you'll appreciate that changing a habit can be difficult - how many New Years' Resolutions do you keep? However, there are a few tried and tested techniques that will help you to first identify the cause of your poor posture, and then correct it.
This site will help you find the best way to correcting your posture without having to resort to time-consuming exercise programmes or suffer in the process. On it you'll find advice on how to learn these techniques by either finding a teacher, reading books or using online guides and tutorials.
- Your posture is a symptom of how you 'use' your body.
- Habit dictates how you stand, sit, and walk.
- Habits are not changed by trying to stand and sit straight.
- Habits are not changed with posture exercises.
So how do you correct your posture? You have to change the habits that are pulling you out of shape! I'm sure you'll appreciate that changing a habit can be difficult - how many New Years' Resolutions do you keep? However, there are a few tried and tested techniques that will help you to first identify the cause of your poor posture, and then correct it.
This site will help you find the best way to correcting your posture without having to resort to time-consuming exercise programmes or suffer in the process. On it you'll find advice on how to learn these techniques by either finding a teacher, reading books or using online guides and tutorials.
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