Alignment In Action: Why should you improve your posture?

updated the 13 June 2016 à 10:04
Avoid slouching when you walk
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Yes, we’ve heard it all – “sit up straight!”, “don’t hunch!”. But why all the hoo-ha about fixing your posture?

We’ve been nagged at since young, and it’s probably ingrained into our minds by now that maintaining a “good” posture is important. When we sit for long hours staring at the TV screen or our computers, it’s no surprise if you suddenly hear your mom, your colleague or even the back of your mind tell you to sit up right and not to slouch. But, what does it mean by the right posture, why exactly is this important and how do we go about fixing our backs?

What is a “good posture”?

The right posture involves the alignment of all parts of your body. This means that the muscles which work to hold a joint in place are balanced, and all of them are working in harmony – none too weak, and none too tense. A simple test you can do to check if you’ve got a good posture is to do this: Stand with your back against a wall, with your head touching the wall. Move only your feet 6 inches away from the wall. Your buttocks and shoulder blades should still be touching the wall. There should be less than 2 inches between your neck or the small of your back and the wall. Any larger would indicate bad posture.

Why we need to maintain good posture

A poor alignment of your spine creates lots of problems, including the headaches you get on a daily or occasional basis, and chronic backache if severe, just to name a few. Refusing to fix your posture early in your life when you still can might lead to an irreversible situation when you grow older, where there is no natural method of preventing digestion and circulation problems caused by poor posture. Furthermore, a good posture reflects a confident and strong personality. Isn’t that what we all hope to have?

How to fix your back

In our gallery are 7 simple methods you can practice every day, while walking, on the train and even at your desk at work. As your spine realigns naturally from doing these exercises, you’ll see that the pain you feel at your hips or those migraines you’ve been getting recently are actually not as normal as you initially thought they were.

Dione Chen

Photos: Getty Images

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Marie France Asia, women's magazine