BY COACH NADIA POPOVA
Modern life has all of us inseparable from our devices, both in the workplace and at home. We spend countless days at work in front of our monitors, and in the evenings, most of us indulge in another TV series or scroll through social networks. All of this falls under the category of a sedentary way of living, as we spend the majority of our lives seated or lying down. However, as humans, we are inherently designed for movement. Let’s take a look at how such a lifestyle can impact your posture and how you can fix it.
Impact of a Sedentary Lifestyle on Posture
It’s not a secret to anyone that a sedentary lifestyle is bad for posture, but how exactly does it affect your spine’s health and the way you carry yourself?
- Core Muscles are Weakening: Hours spent seated without moving and stretching result in the weakening of the back, abdomen, and glute muscles responsible for the proper alignment of the spine.
- You Develop Rounded Back: Sitting for long periods of time often forms the habit of rounding the back and shoulders, leading to chronic improper arching of the spine.
- Neck and Back Pain: Improper back alignment causes tension in the neck and lower back, causing discomfort and pain.
- Impaired Breathing: A rounded back can limit the expansion of the lungs, which reduces the volume of respiratory movements.
- Organs Displacement: With bad posture, our organs move downwards from their proper position, which can cause digestive tract, genitourinary, and other systems dysfunctions.
How to Improve Your Posture?
Naturally, we cannot drastically change our lives so that we don’t have to spend hours seated at work or school. But the good news is that there are several ways you can improve your posture and minimize the negative impact of a sedentary lifestyle:
- Start Exercising: Incorporating regular physical exercise in your daily life, such as yoga, Pilates, swimming, or just walking, will strengthen your back and glutes and help you keep your spine straight and healthy.
- Set Reminders to Move During the Day: Set a timer that will go off every hour so that you know you have to get up, do a little stretch and take a short walk.
- Organize Your Workspace: Make sure your workspace is well organized, your chair has lower back support, and the table is at the right height to reduce strain on your back and neck. Your monitor should be at eye level so that you won’t need to lean forward or crane your neck.
- Strive to Maintain Good Posture: Work on a habit of making a conscious effort to keep track of your back’s position throughout the day and aim to sit or stand up straight.
- Alternate Your Positions: If you can’t avoid sitting for a long time, try changing your position by using back pillows or sitting on an exercise ball from time to time.
A sedentary lifestyle indeed has a negative impact on our posture and overall health. However, a conscious effort to strengthen your back muscles, maintain good posture, and exercise regularly can significantly improve spinal alignment and reduce the negative effects. Taking care of your posture is an essential step towards maintaining health and well-being.
If you want your journey toward a good posture to be effective and positive, consider hiring a personal trainer from the team of professionals led by Nadia Popova. The “Send Me A Trainer” experts will gladly help you develop an exciting and effective fitness program to improve your posture, overall health, and body composition at your preferred location and pace.
Best in Health,
Team SMAT
760-880-9904
