Best Stretches for Improving Posture

Article by: Julia Morrissey

We all rely on postural muscles to allow us to maintain balance and put the
least amount of strain on our bodies. If you work a full-time job, you
likely spend the better part of your day in the same position. It’s crucial
to position your body correctly in order to avoid adverse health effects.
Additionally, correct posture provides some substantial benefits. This post
outlines the benefits of correct posture and illustrates how you can improve
your posture at work.

Benefits of Correct Posture

Weak or tight muscles, stress, unsupportive footwear, and obesity can lead to poor posture. Since incorrect posture can have a profound impact on your health and overall wellbeing, it’s important to actively work on improving posture. By correcting your posture you may experience the following benefits:

1. Improved Confidence

Correctly positioning your body, can improve the way you feel about
yourself. A confident posture was shown in one study to increase students’ confidence in their thoughts. Feeling more secure in your thoughts and decision making abilities can benefit your performance at work.

2. Increased Self-Esteem and Improved Mood

In addition to increasing confidence, you can also boost your self-esteem
and mood by improving your posture. One study revealed that an upright shoulder angle was associated with lower negative affect and lower anxiety.

3. Less Headaches and reduced risk of injury

Headaches can be caused by bad posture which creates tension in the upper back, neck, and shoulders. Improving your posture can help to relieve this tension and thus you may experience less frequent headaches.

Similarly, correcting your posture can help you avoid injury. Back pain is
one of the most common reasons people have to miss work or see a doctor.
If you work at a job that requires you to be on your feet for prolonged periods of time. It’s particularly important to work on correcting standing
posture. Standing in the workplace is associated with short-term adverse
health issues, such as fatigue, leg cramps, and back pain.

4. More Energy

Improving your posture can aid you in remaining focused and energized at
work as incorrect posture can negatively impact energy levels. Good posture can help you power through the work day.

5. Increased Productivity

If you’re tired, lack confidence in your thoughts, or are in pain, your
productivity is also likely to suffer at work. Research shows that posture
impacts productivity. Since your overall mental and physical health can be positively impacted by improving posture, your ability to be productive is likely to improve as well if you focus on correcting your posture.

For more information about improving your posture at work, check out the
visual below from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences where you’ll learn how to correct your posture, as well as stretches, and
exercises for relieving pain, and strengthening your postural muscles.