Your posture is how you position yourself while you stand, sit or lie down, and this says a lot about you and your health. Below are some of the things that your posture says about your health that you probably didn’t know about.
1. Weak back muscles
If your buttock sags or droops, it is probably because you have weak deep core or deep back muscles. The deep core helps to stabilize your spine to give your lower back a slight and natural arch forward, rotating your pelvis out of a posterior tuck, which is healthy for your spine. If you can work on your back muscles, you will have less trouble filling up the back of your jeans, as it gives the appearance of a round and perky backside.
2. Weak chest and overstretched back
You can get a weak chest and overstretched back from sitting at a desk all day, which results in rounded shoulders. If you feel your back is hunched a bit or your shoulders rounded such that you can’t stand upright, this could be what is wrong. You can strengthen your chest with push-ups and also by stretching against a wall.
3. A weak gluteus medius
This can result in standing with one hip drooping. If you have noticed this, a weak gluteus medius could be the cause. The gluteus medius muscle functions to control the hip and the knee, and the side opposite the dropped limb happens to be the weaker side. Try out various exercises to strengthen this muscle. You will see changes if you keep up with them for a few weeks.
4. Tight lats
Tight lats (the latissimus dorsi) can result in a protruding lower belly, as it compresses the torso and causes the spine to arch. You can stretch your lats to prevent them from tightening.
5. A tight hip
When your hip is tightened, you will notice one of your feet turning outward even when you stand upright. You have to strengthen your inner and outer thigh muscles, the adductor and abductors, to correct this. Try hip strengthening exercises to get it fixed.
6. Muscular imbalance
A muscular imbalance can cause one shoulder to be higher than the other, and often results from carrying heavy loads on one side of the body regularly. Engage in shoulder presses and shrugs to help balance your muscles, and ensure that you stretch the tighter side longer.
These are some possible causes for bad postures. If you have noticed any of these in yourself, ensure that you get it corrected as soon as you can.
image courtesy of: balletbeautiful.com.
