Posture & Performance
What is posture, and why is good posture important? Good posture ignites a muscular and skeletal balance that protects the body from injury whether you're moving or not. This means athletes need good posture or form when running, jumping, diving, tumbling and tackling in addition to sitting or sleeping.
Good posture is important for more than just an appealing look; it helps to improve your overall health and well-being. Being mindful of your posture and making corrections as needed can help you achieve proper posture and allow you to reap an abundance of health benefits.
Explaining Proper Posture
Posture refers to your body position when you are standing, sitting, lying down, and when you’re performing movements such as lifting, bending, and twisting.
Your spine consists of three natural curvatures that need to be aligned correctly so that your weight is evenly distributed over both of your feet.
Good posture involves having your ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle aligned vertically from the side. In many cases, you’ll need to train your body to maintain good posture so that the least amount of strain is placed on the joints, muscles, and ligaments of your body.
Health Benefits of Good Posture
Maintaining proper posture has many benefits including:
- Keeping your joints and bones in proper alignment.
- Ensuring muscles are being used effectively and efficiently.
- Helping to decrease abnormal wear and tear on joint surfaces.
- Decreasing stress on the spinal ligaments.
- Preventing the spine from becoming fixed in an abnormal position.
- Preventing muscle fatigue.
- Minimizing the risk of sprain and strain injuries.
- Minimizing the risk of back pain.
- Promoting a good appearance.
Proper posture is essential to your health and well-being. The good news is that by being conscious of your posture throughout the day and making simple modifications to improve your posture, you can achieve proper posture and improve your health with minimal effort.
