Body posture to improve digestion
Digestion
Hi everyone…We human beings sleep, sit, relax, stand and do many activities. But do you think you do it correctly? Almost 90 percent of an unhealthy spine and other chronic pains. It’s important to know what is the correct or balanced posture for good digestion, Let us summarise it like-
CORRECT BODY POSTURE
In simple terms, our body has a lot of muscles. Some are short and weak, others are long and strong. When all muscles are supported in the body this is called a balanced posture. It means all the bones and joints are in proper alignment. Let me make it more specific with the difference between good posture and bad posture.
Good posture-A good posture is a relaxed and calm posture with shoulders down. It is a confident-look posture.
Bad posture-It is the posture with rounded shoulders. The shape of the back is arched. This posture is not good for spine health. Its swayed back posture.
It is important to know what are the reasons behind bad or incorrect body posture. Let us have a look at these reasons.
REASONS BEHIND THE BAD OR INCORRECT BODY POSTURE-
The main reasons behind the bad body posture are as follows-
1)Lifestyle is the main reason behind bad posture-Our lifestyle determines our health. Waking up late in the morning, sleeping late at night and lack of exercise is the main reason for bad posture. Due to an unhealthy lifestyle and lack of exercise, our core muscles become weak. Due to weak muscles, our body posture becomes incorrect or you can say swayed back posture.
2)Sitting for long hours at a place-Sitting in the office chairs for long is bad for your spine and gives a swayed back look to your posture. People who have a sitting job for hours suffer mostly due to back pain, muscle contraction, and stiffness. The reason is that the body is not in the proper alignment which as a result leads to bad posture. The body becomes stiff as the blood circulation is not proper and muscles become stiff which leads to an imbalanced posture.
3)More use of phones and laptops-If you are more tech-savvy, then you are more prone to bad posture. Spending hours on phone with neck down leads to a variety of bone and back issues. The swayed back posture is more due to the excessive use of the phone. If you are using a laptop for hours, it’s also not good for your spine health. Mainly the eye-level of the gadget takes a lot of pressure on eyesight, neck and shoulder joints and muscles also.
We are slaves of technology which leads to bad and incorrect body posture.
4)Carrying heavy bags and weighty objects-Carrying heavy bags and lifting heavy objects leads to bad posture. The heavy-weight puts excess strain on shoulders, makes the muscles stiff and puts excess stress and pressure on the backbone also which makes the body little leaned towards back and making the body posture poor.
5)High-heel shoes-Those who wear high heel shoes are also more prone to lower back stiffness, the strain on muscles and leads to injury of back tissues too in severe cases. Especially ladies are more prone to this problem. High heels are the biggest reason for spine sway back as the imbalance sometimes leads to back injury, falling on grounds, muscle contraction, and other injuries also.
6)Weak and imbalanced muscles-Another reason for the bad posture is the weak or imbalanced muscles. The body is not in a position to stand on its own due to such weakness. The natural posture of the body becomes swayed back. This weakness can be removed by regular exercises and yoga poses.
This imbalance of the muscles may lead to severe back and joint pains and neck and shoulders pains and injuries in severe cases.
The above are the reasons behind bad posture. Let us now have a look at how to improve the bad posture-
HOW TO FIX THE BAD POSTURE
a)Learning how to sit correctly-To fix bad posture you need to learn the right way of sitting. The correct position of sitting is where the head, neck, shoulders, and backbone are in proper alignment. It strengthens the muscles and gives a good posture to the body. So make the habit of sitting straight. Sleeping habits also play an important role. So always sleep on your back or mostly on the left side with legs little twisted and soft pillow below the head. Standing positions must also be checked. Stand properly, straight and a standing position where the strain is less on the backbone.
b)Keep the eye-level of the screen balanced-If you are tech-savvy and have to work on a laptop and phone for long hours, make sure that the head and eye level are properly balanced. It protects the excessive strain on the neck, eyes, and back. So the eye level must accompany the correct posture alignment which helps in providing a good and effective posture to the body.
c)Take short breaks after prolonged sittings-If you have a job profile where you need to sit for long hours, make sure that you get up for some time, take a break or do some small exercises. Keep an eye on your posture. It must also not be too rigid or swayed back.
Take a short break as stand up, hands and neck exercise and make sure that your posture is correct and proper.
d)Core strengthening exercises-There is a lot of exercises that you can perform at your home such as planks, wall push-ups, stretching and many such easy exercises. These simple exercises not only make your muscles flexible but also makes your lower back muscles strong and resolves lower and upper back problems. Start these slowly first for 5 minutes and then accordingly increase the time limit.
e)Use the devices available to fix bad posture-There are a lot of devices available in the market such as posture-corrector belts, magnetic posture-corrector bands, and other such devices. These devices not only aid your small joint pains and stiffness but also helps in giving a good posture to the body. All such devices are easily available in the market at affordable rates.
BENEFITS OF HAVING A GOOD POSTURE-
1)Gives you a confident slimmer look- A good posture gives you a good, confident, attractive and slimmer look. The benefits of having a good posture are enormous. Its good for our overall personality by giving a great personal look and makes us unique by the feel-good factor.
2)Good for digestion-When our muscles are in good balance and posture is correct, the body comes in proper alignment. All the organs of the body become active. The stomach muscles also become strong which helps in good digestion and the good digestion enzymes are produced in the stomach.
3)Helps in balanced blood circulation-When all the organs work properly and muscles are in proper alignment, there is a healthy flow of blood in the body. It makes the body happy and healthy.
4)Helps in the breathing-The respiratory system works well when the body is in proper alignment and spinal health is good. This helps in proper breathing and we can inhale properly. The lungs also become stronger. The benefits of having a good posture are enormous.
TO GET A GOOD BODY POSTURE PERFORM THESE EXERCISE
There are a lot of exercises and yoga poses that help to get a correct body posture. These exercises must be performed regularly to get a good posture. Now I am going to focus on exercises that you must try at your home also.
1)Planks-All of you must have heard about planks. Plank is a physical exercise in which one holds a push up position for a measured length of time. It’s the simplest way to strengthen core muscles, hips, lower back, and shoulders. Lie down with back up and toes on ground and heels up. Both the arms and toes must be on the ground and the body must be up. Rest in that position and then come in a normal position. Planks can give you huge benefits for posture correction. Make sure your body remains in alignment while performing planks.
2)Wall stands- Be a wall stand. Stand behind a wall. Now take both your arms up with back sides of palms touching the wall. Keep in the same position for 20 seconds. Repeat 15 reps at a time. The regular wall stands provides a correct and good posture to the body where the backbone, hips, and shoulders come in proper alignment and support the good posture of the body.
3)Stretching- Do some stretching exercises to get a correct body posture. Stretches are good, especially for lower back health. Do some hamstring stretches. You can do it in a standing position or by lying down on the mat too. The stretches are helpful to remove the stiffness of the lower back as well as also supporting the muscles of the back and solves the upper back pains and stiffness too and thus helps in providing a good posture to the body.
4)Be-a-bridge-Lower back problems are solved by bridging exercises
The lower back muscles are solved by bridge exercises. The pelvic bridge exercises help in supporting the back muscles, makes them flexible and strengthen the spinal area and thus helps in improving the posture-related problems.
5)Core-strengthening crunches-The partial stomach crunches are the other exercises for good posture. The partial stomach crunches are the good core strengthening exercises that develop strength in the lower back area and stomach muscles too. It also helps people dealing with lower back pain, spondylolysis. This core strengthening workout helps to build a good posture in the long-run by providing flexibility to the muscles.
Perform these exercises regularly to improve digestion, get of back pain, etc…
Author:
Sunita Panwar(Neetu) is living in Noida. She did her BBA(Bachelors in Business Administration) and MBA(Finance)from Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra. Sunita has also studied Journalism and Mass Communications. She had been in South Africa for 5 years. Writing is her passion. Health, fitness, and nutrition always has been her areas of interest. She has been writing blogs for some magazines and websites too. Authentic and interesting topics are what you are gonna read in the near future.
