The Physical Benefits of Having Good Posture

Correct Posture Improves Your Blood Circulation

Yes, really. Because your body needs a constant flow of blood circulation, slouching or sitting incorrectly (poor posture) can really harm the flow of blood – it needs to flow upwards to return to the heart, which then pumps it around the body again to help regulate everything. Therefore, by sitting or standing in a slouching position, you’re preventing your blood from flowing properly, making that uphill pump that much harder. This is why sitting with correct posture, as well as being active – is so important – it helps your blood to move around your body, keeping your vital functions and organs ticking over as they should. Which brings us neatly on to…

Correct Posture Helps Your Organs To Function Better

As we mentioned above, sitting or standing upright helps your blood get around your body and where it needs to be. But there’s actually more to the story: our blood carries with it all of the oxygen and nutrients that our vital organs need for health, and when the blood has a hard time getting where it wants to go, our vital organs have to survive on less oxygen and nutrients than they should. You can keep your organs and body healthier with good posture.

But, there’s also another reason – and it might make you a bit uncomfortable. When you slouch or aren’t sitting or standing with correct posture, your ribcage is actually pressing down on your vital organs – which is worse than it sounds; in the short-term leading to muscle soreness and other pains, in the long-term, really weakening your digestive system, respiratory system, and vital organs.

Along with your vital organs, your muscles also need oxygen and nutrients to perform their best. And for more than just exercise, your muscles carry you through every movement of your day, including playing a crucial role in balance. Nourishing them can prevent fatigue, soreness, and muscle strain, while also improving balance. Less muscle fatigue can actually translate into more body energy overall, helping you have more power for the day. If you want more out of your daily life, you’ll need to get rid of poor posture.

Correct Posture Helps You Lower Your Neck and Back Pain

This one isn’t so unexpected – simply put, if you sit correctly, your neck and back will hurt less.

But why? Because a healthy back has three natural curves –

1. A forward curve of the neck – the cervical curve
2. A backward curve at the upper back – the thoracic curve,
3. An inward curve at the lower back – the lumbar curve

… and by sitting or standing in a slouched, shoulders too far forward or too far back position, you’re forcing your back’s natural curves to curve in ways they’re not meant to. This extra strain will carry along your spine to the closest pressure points – your back and your neck, which will begin to hurt.

Therefore by just using the correct posture, you can avoid those neck, upper and lower back pain, and keep your spine’s curves happy and where they’re meant to be.  Good posture helps distribute the weight of gravity evenly throughout your body, to ensure no structure is overstressed or working harder than needed.

You can also strengthen your hips and other proper alignments with correct posture. Even small posture problems can lead to bigger joint issues overtime. Because everything in your body functions by being taken care of adequately and living in the correct place, the more your posture is out of place, the more of a toll it is taking on your body. Taking time to correct your posture now may prevent chiropractic visits in the future.

Correct Posture Helps You Breathe Easier

We’ve all had that awful feeling during a bad cold when you just can’t breathe properly. It’s terrifying, it makes you feel woozy and heady – and this is what happens when you have bad posture.

Yes – sitting or standing in a slouch can really constrict your breathing, and you might even have a fair few dizzy spells or headaches (or even migraines) because of it!

Just as we mentioned above, when you slouch, your ribcage is actually pressing down on your vital organs and restricting your respiratory system, this has other impacts. It makes it much harder for you to breathe since you can’t take in oxygen at the same rate as you would be when using correct posture and allowing more lung-expansion space. Think about that for a second – that by slouching, you’re physically stopping yourself from breathing adequately.

So you see – standing upright and with correct posture is about much, much more than just solving a few lower back or hip pains! It affects overall health. If you want to start protecting your internal organs and body functions, it’s best to get started finding your correct posture – and luckily, Upright has the perfect gadget to help you.

Try out the UPRIGHT GO for easy, immediate posture correction, and prevent the terrible physical issues described above.