How good posture and exercise affect one another

Bad posture from too much sitting in front of electronic gadgets has resulted in millions suffering from back and neck pain. — 123rf

Is having poor posture a bad habit?

Not necessarily as some people do have skeletal limitations, but in general, bad posture is due to tight muscles that limit how far a joint can move in any direction.

For example, overly-tight chest muscles can pull your shoulders forward, while weak abdominal and/or back muscles encourage slumping, which tips your body forward.

Unlike a bodybuilder’s muscles that are hard, but strong (although real-life situations may not reflect this), a tight – i.e. inflexible – muscle is a weak muscle.

When a muscle is weak or fatigued, your body compensates by tightening it to provide additional support and stability.

Often, chronic muscle tightness is due to factors such as prolonged sitting, dehydration, lack of physical activity or muscle overuse, certain medications, injury, or stress.

But in some cases, it can be a symptom of underlying medical conditions such as systemic lupus erythemathosus (SLE, or just lupus) or fibromyalgia.

Modern-day posture, or lack thereof, is a major contributing factor to the back and neck pain millions experience on a daily basis.

Over time, our bodies fatigue and wear down, causing musculoskeletal pain.

This means that your muscles and tendons are not working at efficient levels.

In this weakened position, your body needs increased energy just to stay upright.

When we exercise, our bodies are required to go into lots of different positions – e.g. bending, twisting, arching, overloading with weights, or increasing the intensity or speed of movement – which can all lead to injury or falls if not performed correctly.

Having good or poor posture is indicative of how well you can retain your form while doing specific exercises – the good keep going longer, the poor drop out quicker.

You may have observed walkers or runners in your neighbourhood with poor form – they would have their necks protruding forward, shoulders slumped, butts sticking out, or additionally for the walkers, an arched upper back.

Most of the time, their abdominal muscles are relaxed or just hanging out for the ones with excess belly fat.

I cringe when I see this because letting your belly loose puts stress on your spine.

No perfect posture

Everyone’s posture is unique and there is no such thing as “perfect posture”.

Two of the components of good posture is keeping your chin parallel to the floor and head tucked over the body. — Filepic

Some studies have found that what is commonly considered poor or bad posture has more to do with self-esteem and thinking you look good, rather than staying healthy or preventing pain.

A confident person walks tall, with shoulders back, chest lifted and head held high, while someone with low self-esteem takes on a hunched posture, avoids eye contact with others, looks down at the ground, takes small steps and minimises arm movement.

During my days as an undergraduate dance major, one of my coursemates would always stoop when we did turns and our professors had a tough time trying to correct her.

Dancers take pride in their walk, which often exhibits elements like good posture, aligned body, controlled foot placement and smooth transitions – all ingrained through rigorous dance training.

She walked like a dancer, but turned like ... like ... I can’t find words to describe it.

What was remarkable about this girl was that she could do multiple pirouettes in her stooped posture, but when she tried doing them with her upper back erect, she’d lose balance and fall after one turn.

The more she tried, the harder she fell and the more frustrated she became.

After two semesters of attempting to analyse her technique and body mechanics, our lecturers gave up because no other student could emulate her eccentric style of turning.

There was nothing bad about it, except that she just didn’t fit into the standard “aesthetic mould”.

And so, she did her own thing, graduated and went on to dance with the Disney Cruise Line, where she had a solo spot to showcase her “imperfect” turning ability!

Head to toe

What most people don’t realise is that posture is a whole-body affair – it involves everything from our feet to our head.

Although the “core” is often taken to indicate the abdominal muscles, it, in fact, refers to all of the muscles that stabilise our torso, including the pelvis, lower back, gluteals and stomach.

The core is responsible for maintaining pelvic stability, and is thus, at the heart of proper (or improper) body position.

The pelvis, meanwhile, acts as a supportive base for the upper body, and is the key to properly transferring weight through the lower body to the knees, ankles and feet.

With good posture, the occurrence of injuries is reduced as it allows muscles to be used as they are intended, thereby increasing energy levels and reducing fatigue.

By standing more upright with the spine in a neutral position, the lungs will not be compressed, meaning lung capacity may be increased, which then improves your breathing.

Proper body alignment improves blood flow, which can have a positive effect on circulation and digestion.

The best way to maintain good posture is to protect your spine’s three curves, i.e. the neck or cervical spine, the middle of your back or thoracic spine, and the lower back or lumbar.

Don’t flatten or add any extra curves.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you embark on your next workout:

• Keep your chin parallel to the floor.
• Align your head above your body, not in front of it.
• Keep a neutral spine, i.e. do not arch, flex or overemphasise the curve in your lower back.This is not the time to show off your booty – you can do that after your workout!
• Roll your shoulders up, back and down, keeping them relaxed.
• To protect your spine, always brace, i.e. gently squeeze your abdominal muscles when you do any movement.
• Distribute your weight evenly on both feet.
• Wear well-fitting, comfortable shoes as the wrong types can force your feet and ankles into unnatural positions, which can affect your posture.

If you’re unsure whether your posture is good, have a friend examine you or check in the mirror every once in a while – just don’t obsess over it!

Revathi Murugappan is a certified fitness trainer who tries to battle gravity and continues to dance to express herself artistically and nourish her soul. For more information, email [e-mail]. The information contained in this column is for general educational purposes only. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.