This is the 4th installment for the posts from the healthy habits series. Even with the long pause between installments, I had to return to the set to share these things that have helped me.

Do you ever have trouble concentrating? Do you feel fatigued even when you’ve slept? Two hours ever feel like six? Have you considered it may be your posture that’s giving you a problem? Posture is important for everyone. If you think sitting to write daily gives you a pass on having good posture, you’re wrong. Consider your exertion:

• Sitting up in a chair
• Repetitive stress of typing
• Looking at your monitor(s)
• Concentrating on your topic

You spend your days working at saying things in just the right way. As soon as you finish one article, you can move on to the next in your list of projects waiting for your focused attention. The last thing you need is the distraction of poor posture and the complications it can introduce.

I learned the hard way about the importance of good posture and how it could improve my work life. I was reduced to severe headaches, neck pain, loss of focus, and muscle cramps before I learned that my posture was part of my problem. Then I learned to replace the bad habits with healthy habits of good posture.

Benefits of Good Posture

1. Good posture informs your disposition. Proper posture can call up a positive attitude. When you stand straight and tall, it is a more confident posture than to slouch. When I am upright, I feel more invested in my work, and more positive about it. Conversely, when I slouch, it feels like my heart is not in what I’m doing, and I can be easily distracted.

Also, your disposition informs your posture. You know how when you’re working on something and it starts to fall into place? Do you ever notice that you tend to sit up straight in those times? That’s an automatic reaction to your mental state of becoming more excited and engaged.

2. Good posture adds energy to your life, makes you more productive and more fun to be around.

I have bad posture in general. So, I have to practice at using good posture. And focusing on posture has made me notice my reactions to good and bad stances, physically and emotionally.

When you sit at your desk, do you slouch and stare at your computer? Or do you sit up straight and knock out tasks one after another? If you’re in the latter group, you are experiencing some of the benefits of good posture. You tend to be more relaxed physically, which affects your emotional state as well. You can be focused on work without being tense in general.

3. Good posture is attractive. When you walk straight and tall, your demeanor tends to match. It can help you to command attention when addressing an audience. Opposite to that is slouching, which can sometimes make you seem uncertain, unconcerned, and uninvolved.

4. Good posture tells others that you are self-confident, you matter to yourself, you are involved and present with what you’re doing. I tend to get a better reaction from people when my posture is good.

5. Good posture can help you to have a healthy working life. This is not to say that you should sit for hours on end, even with good posture. Quite the contrary; you should take breaks and stretch.

- Good posture improves breathing. And since most of us are shallow breathers, this is an important consideration. Good posture keeps the ribcage expanded which encourages deeper breathing. More oxygen gets into the blood which improves brain activity.

You are actually more energized when you breathe deeply. Your body runs more efficiently and your thinking is clearer.

- Good posture improves digestion. Using proper posture will allow your organs the space they need to function properly, instead of slouching which can compress your organs.

- Good posture relieves stress on your body. You won’t strain your muscles, bones and joints, so much when you practice good posture.

6. Good posture improves your rest at night. The best position to sleep in is on one of your sides, either will do, or your back. This keeps you from putting strain on your spine. Sleeping on your stomach can cause spinal strain. The key to any position you lie in is proper use of your pillow. Seriously. Your pillow should prop your head up so that it allows your neck and spine to be straight and not bent.

The Healthy Habit of Good Posture

You may have noticed that there are a lot of reciprocal connections. That’s why I tried to illustrate the connection in a circular connection rather than a straight line.

Let’s review the graphic starting with proper rest. Proper rest allows you to have proper posture, since you’re not drained and dragging. Proper posture will cause less strain on muscles and joints, giving your more energy and alertness in the day. Because you have energy and are alert, you can last longer throughout your work day. Stamina is needed for a regular work day, and a day when all your writing assignments are due. When it’s time sleep, you’ll be able to relax and get into a good sleep position, (lying on either side or back), and have better sleep. Better sleep means that your body will get the proper rest it needs to repair, rejuvenate and revitalize for the next day.

Full circle. And that is the nature of cycles in life and in our bodies. My posture is much better than it once was. Now that I make the effort to get it right, my body and brain function better and that changes my attitude. My attitude, my demeanor in life and work, tends to select my posture.

Using Proper Posture takes Work

• Practice and relax into it. Learn what your body needs. If you’re like me and have a physical infirmity, then you may require a professional assessment. Otherwise, you need to get straight. It’s not a foreign thing. You need to remind your body of the proper posture that you had as a child. We do so well when we start out, and then later learn the bad habits.
• Your spine is the key. To have a healthy back you need to stretch regularly and train your stomach muscles. Tone abdominal muscles work with your back muscles to give your frame the support it needs while allowing easy and relaxed movement.
• Your sleep position matters. According to many articles, and my doctor, the best sleep position is on either side, or the back (with proper pillows), not the stomach. Remember to position your head so that your neck is properly aligned and not bent.
• Your chair matters. There’s a great deal of money invested in the study of ergonomics. This is studied because taking care is a lot more cost-effective then repairing damages. And, sometimes the damages are irreparable.
• Your work setting is critical. Along with your chair, the distance from you keyboard, the elevation of your keyboard and monitor all matter. Avoid positions that take your body out of it’s proper alignment.

Symptoms of Poor Posture

If you’re already noticing serious problems, you should talk with your doctor or chiropractic doctor. You want to replace your unhealthy practices with healthy habits before it’s too late. Because, poor posture can, over time, cause permanent damage to your body.

• Symptoms can include headaches, back and neck pain, muscle aches and spasms.
• Not-so-obvious symptoms can include digestive problems, shortness of breath, pinched nerves, sleep disturbance, and tiredness; things that people don’t readily attribute to poor posture.

There’s a wealth of information available on the internet, also. I want to bring up this really important thing that you can work on to have better health and a better writing life. It’s helped me and it may help you too. Read up, and take care.

Start now. Next time you’re sitting to work, fix your posture at the start. You may have to get used to it, but see if it doesn’t improve your overall performance. Come back and let me know. And, when you consider your posture, how do you interpret your own message to the public? I hope to hear back about your experiences.

Resources:

• healthy habits for writers
• The Importance of Good Posture
• Breathing and Posture for Better Health
• What is Good Posture?