Posture is the position in which you hold your body upright against gravity while standing, or walking. It is also beneficial when setting or laying down.
Correct posture involves training your body to stand, walk, sit or lie in positions where the least strain is placed on supporting muscles and ligaments.
Your posture transmit to everyone with whom you come in contact, how you value and esteem yourself as a person. It therefore, can reveal your state of mind, health and self image. Practicing good posture improves health, increase stamina, and enhances body control.
Additionally, it is amazing to see what big difference this can do for the way you look in your clothes, according to Bev Corke, Grooming Instructor and Image Consultant in an article published in the Daily News of Sunday November 5, 1995.
Common faults usually develop at around the time of puberty when the young adult begins to experience feelings of selfconsciousness and insecurity based on the many body changes which occur at this time.
Common Posture Faults
A. Lordosis (sway back). Lordosis involves the middle 12 vertebrae, the thoracic. Your spine at this point is concave instead of straight.This position displays the pelvic bowl, thrusting it back instead of forward and up where it belongs.
Your knees are also pushed back, forcing them into a locked position. Since the knees act as shock absorbers, they should always be slightly flexed. Lordosis makes you appear lazy and careless. It interferes with normal body functions, such as breathing, digestion, circulation of the blood and can cause discomfort during the menstrual period.
Some young women, according to Ms Corke, assume this posture in an effort to show that they are confident and perhaps even sexy. They push their chests up and out, pushing the buttocks back. This creates the curve in the spine. This posture is usually coupled with a walk in which the hips are tossed from side to side like a model modeling on stage.
B. Kyphosis (A round shoulders) The first seven vertebrae, cervical are involved in this problem known as kyphosis. The head is held forward, theshoulders droop and the chest is caved in, and the diaphragm is pushed down unto the abdomen which puts pressure on and candisplace the internal organs. This posture is bad for you and throws your body out of its correct alignment.
Young people often assume this posture when they feel they are too tall or when the young woman fells that her breasts are too large or too small.
It is in an apologetic posture, explained Ms Corke, and is often assumed by persons who suffers generally from feelings of insecurity.This posture is common in people living in cold countries who huddle into their winter coats to ward off the cold.
C. Scoliosis (hunch-back) Scoliosis is the peak of confused Posture. It is a combination of swayback and hunch-back. Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the spine.
You can develop scoliosis when over a period of time, you stand with shoulders rounded and your body weight shifted to one leg.This causes one shoulder to droop and the corresponding hip to be pushed up.
This particular fault is of great concern to me because so many young adults stand sloppily in such a manner as to create this problem.Scoliosis confuses the body functions, the impression you make upon others and the way your clothes "don't" fit.
But what are the benefits from practicing correct posture in the manner in which you stand, sit, walk or even sleep
Your Health
Improve Your Posture Practicing good posture enhances muscular-skeletal balance; meaning, you are putting minimum strain on your muscles and organs. You are also helping to balance and protect the joints in the spine from excessive stress. It also guards against injury and possible deformity. Good posture practiced daily is a great 'tool' to possess to help prevent pain and improve your self-image.
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