Posture Perfect

How you hold yourself is not just an elusive term. The power of posture can shape how you breathe and expend energy as well as affect the functioning of your organs and enhance your overall wellbeing.

- Susan Hinchey

Standing up straight sounds simple enough; it makes you look taller, slimmer and more relaxed. Correct posture takes the strain off the joints of your neck and shoulders as well as aligns your hips, knees and feet. But on a deeper level, it can also improve your breathing, digestion, mood, energy levels and how well your internal organs function.

A recent study from San Francisco State University showed that “slouchers” reported increased feelings of depression, while a Harvard study showed that when people adopt a powerful posture (shoulders back and upright spine) there was a 20 per cent increase in testosterone levels and a 25 per cent decrease in cortisol levels.

Having good posture can be challenging in our modern technological world, as a large portion of the day is spent sitting bent over, checking computer screens and mobile phones. Consequently, poor posture can cause fatigue, neck and back pain as well as joint degeneration. Making small simple changes to improve your posture throughout the day can have a beneficial impact on your physical body and overall health.

What is good posture?

The first step to good posture involves developing an awareness of how your body exists in space and then training it to stand, sit, lie and exercise in a way that puts the least amount of strain on your muscles, ligaments and joints.

Pilates instructor Sheridan Nuss advises to “take stock of your posture by looking in the mirror and checking your alignment. Start at your head and check that your shoulders and hips are level as well as that your ankles and knees are directly aligned under your hips. From side-on, use a plumbline to make sure your ear is over your shoulder, your shoulder is in line with your hip, knee and ankle, and your front ribs aren’t sticking out.”