Posted on June 12, 2015 by Kate Halsall

Sitting with your legs crossed, positioning your phone between your shoulder and chin, resting your body weight on one leg…aren’t the majority of us guilty of at lease one of these things? Worst still, we have probably done them for a long time without even thinking about it, and as such the positions feel perfectly normal. And now, we’re coming along and telling you that this is bad posture!

Well, if it’s bad posture, why does it feel comfortable?

1. It requires less energy
Slouching in a chair takes a lot less effort from your muscles than sitting up straight. If you’re used to slouching, trying to then sit with correct posture means requires more muscles to be used, in a way they are not used to being used and this requires more energy.

2. Muscle Memory
As we have adopted these positions over time, our brain and muscles are now trained to hold our body in that way. Which unfortunately leads us to point 3 below.

3. Trying to stand or sit “properly” feels uncomfortable
We have built muscle imbalances as a result of our poor posture. Some muscles are weak, some are tight and over active. Correcting this needs a training regime of it’s own! We need to re-educate our body so that our bad posture that currently feels normal begins to feel unnatural.

The point is this – your posture may not be causing you any discomfort now, but over time you are placing strain on your muscles and joints. Poor posture can affect your height, your movement and your self confidence. Don’t just stay with “comfortable” (i.e. bad posture) choose the option for stronger and correct posture.

motive8 North offer Postural Assessments and back pain advice, contact us to book or for more information!

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Backpain/Pages/back-pain-and-common-posture-mistakes.aspx
http://www.metodoterol.com/en/conciencia.html
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