Training Good Posture

Why should I stand up straight?

Did any of your elders ever say to you, “Stand up straight” Or “Don’t slouch”? They are two very common phrases we have all heard at one point or another as we grew up. But did anybody ever explain to you why we should exercise good posture and the healthy benefits that go along with it?

Good posture is important whether we are standing, sitting, walking, driving and sleeping or lying down. Training good posture involves training your body to stand, walk, sit and lie in positions where the least strain is placed supporting muscles and ligaments. The less strain you put on your spine the better alignment your spine will be. Which in turn means the taller you will stand, the more oxygen you will intake because your diaphragm won’t be “squashed” down that gives your internal organs more room to operate correctly. You will also gain more confidence and just down right look and feel better.

Training good posture may take some practice, heck maybe even a lot for some of us. But the benefits far out-weight the reasons why we shouldn’t. Even the best of us may have to remind ourselves to stand straight from time to time, but eventually you will learn to do it naturally as though you’re taking your second breath. So the next time you hear someone say “Stand up straight”, it may be coming from your own mouth.