Oftentimes, especially through our childhood, we’ve heard our parents tell us “Sit properly!” or “Don’t slouch,” or, our personal favourite - “Keep your back straight or your spine will become crooked for life!”. We hate to break it to you, ludicrous as it may sound, but there is some truth to it.
At surface level, most would agree that maintaining good posture is important. But just a few know the true essence of maintaining good posture. How and why it is considered to be a fundamental and absolute basic when it comes to doing…well, anything!
Moreover, the recent pandemic has left a lasting impact on a lot of us. Especially the ones working from home and did not have a desk/proper seating arrangement to operate from. Sitting on the bed, bending over to peep into the screen, and keeping your back hunched for long periods are but a few things that have worsened the situation.
Posture is everything.
Good spine health is regarded to be important but is often overlooked. The correct posture will only help improve spine health. The benefits that stem from simply sitting/standing straight are both surprising and endless.
Sitting and standing straight as a stick improves the body’s blood flow, helps keep the nerves and blood vessels functioning healthy, and supports your muscles, ligaments, and tendons. People who’ve made a habit out of it are far less likely to experience any related back and/or neck pain.
It helps prevent neck, shoulder and back pain, makes it simpler and more effective to breathe and digest your food, and helps you maintain flexibility and balance in the long run.
On the flip side, bad posture limits one’s free movement, eventually making things difficult during exercise and daily functioning.
Poor posture can have adverse effects on not just the spine, but the rest of the body as well. It may lead to tension in your neck, upper back, lower back, and shoulders which eventually translates into back, neck and shoulder pains.
And that’s just the beginning. Impaired lung function, poor blood circulation, constricted nerves, a misaligned spine, or worse - a curvature of the spine - are all results of poor posture. Moreover, there have been cases where poor posture has caused permanent damage to bodies. It can cause our natural curves to change shape, putting excessive amounts of pressure in the wrong position.
The spinal cord was created to absorb shock, but bad posture can deteriorate this natural ability over time, opening up the body to more serious injuries in the future.
The work from home conundrum
The rigorous work from home regime over the last few years has only worsened the case.
Sitting and working long hours creates two problems - blood flow and wrong posture. A sedentary working style impacts blood flow which is important for the tissues and muscles. Also, sitting in one place in the wrong posture makes the muscles tired and one tends to adjust the posture subconsciously to a more comfortable position.
Just a handful of us focused on how we’re getting our work done over getting the work done itself. As a result, cases with posture-related issues for the back, neck, shoulders and wrists have skyrocketed.
We’ve all been through it. Random backaches, neck pains, and stooping over to look into screens play culprits to a host of pains and body aches that you’re unaware of.
What’s worse is this tends to encroach into our health/fitness routines as well. Maintenance of poor posture while gymming, doing yoga, exercising, and running can prove to be fatal over time.
Address it before it comes “back”
Jokes apart - maintaining good posture is paramount. Mindfully keeping your back straight, working out, practising yoga, or various forms of exercising can all help maintain good posture, in turn, improving your spine health.
Getting the right height + distance combination at your work desk, figuring out ergonomic setups, taking breaks away from the desk to stretch and taking a quick walk will work wonders for the body and the spine.
Coupling these practices with a muscle building protein or the best protein powder for muscle gain will help even further. In case your daily routine does not entail forms of physical activity/exertion, we best recommend a plant based protein that helps not just maintain protein levels but also fuel micronutrients that help keep the body functioning at the highest level.
The Terra Origin Plant Protein immediately comes to mind. Its scientific formulation is a result of deriving protein from 5 different plant sources, namely rice, peas, pumpkin, flax and chia. It is great for consuming after your training routine, is one of the best protein powders for weight loss and can also be taken just to add more nutrition to your everyday.
Our posture is something that we cannot ignore. Maintaining a healthy posture will work for you in a host of ways just like bad posture affects us in a variety of ways.
The choice is yours, but, if only for now, let’s listen to what mother had to say - keep your back straight. 😃