Good Posture Boosts Your Immune System
Why is good posture so important at this specific time (post Covid19), when we are all hoping to stay as healthy as possible? The answer is simple. Good posture can help boost your immune system! Simply put, good posture, good health!
Tension created by poor posture can lead to pain and chronic conditions.
We have many pathways that transport different fluids and cells throughout the body. Some of these pathways or tracts are arteries, veins, nerves, and lymph vessels. These tracts run from our brain down to our toes and any kind of “kink” in the lines affects the ability of our systems to work optimally, just like a kink in a water hose. “Kinks” include postural deviations such as: forward head, rounded shoulders, kyphosis (bending forward of the upper back), rotations of the upper body or lower body, hip shifted upward/downward, knocked or bowed knees, or when feet are turned out or in (or even flat arches).
All these deviations can decrease the flow of oxygen, transmission of hormones or neurotransmitters, and especially lymphatic fluid which expels waste products from the body. The lymphatic system has no pump on its vessels; it requires muscle movement or gravitational change in body position to help the flow back towards the heart. This is how we fight viruses and infections.
It is interesting to me that I see more and more articles that connect posture not only to chronic pain, but also to overall health and wellness. Like I said previously, posture determines things like the quality of our immune system, which is so crucial at this moment in time. Again, good posture, good health!
Posture is no longer only about looking good on the outside.
With poor posture our lungs do not have as much room to expand – making it difficult to breath properly and making us more susceptible to respiratory illness. It can also increase feelings of anxiety and stress which can in turn affect our immune response.
Although you might not think much of the way you’re sitting, your posture could just be responsible for a reduction in how much oxygen gets to tissues throughout your body. Poor posture can even lead to poor circulation, aka inadequate blood flow. And poor circulation can lead to high blood pressure, varicose veins, and even the way your brain functions (via Medical News Today).
Studies have shown that specific exercise and stretch has a significant effect in modulating stress which in turn improves an individual’s immune response. Poor posture has also been shown to increase the levels of the stress hormone cortisol which has negative effects on our immune response. By reducing stress and improving our posture you feel better, and you may be able to boost your immunity in the process. Good posture, good health!
By having good posture, you allow your body the optimal distribution of energy and everything is aligned, from your bones, muscles, and joints, through to your vital organs. This helps your musculoskeletal system to function properly and in protecting your body against injury and deterioration.
You are a mind with a body not a body with a mind.
In fact, without good posture, you cannot be physically fit. When you think of it that way, correcting your posture is an easy and smart way to gain many health benefits.
Your posture also effects movement in your ribs, which controls how much air you get into your lungs. When you hunch over, you’re limiting your breathing which becomes shallow. As a result, you may feel ‘on edge’, anxious or stressed.
Experiencing poor posture long-term or during a lifetime can start a progression of symptoms. One symptom you might commonly associate with poor posture are tight, achy muscles in the neck, back, arms and legs. Did you know: More than 80% of neck and back problems due to years of poor posture, have been found to be the underlying cause of tight or achy muscles? Good posture, good health!
You might feel tired or be burdened by fatigue. Your muscles are required to work ‘overtime’ to support your poor posture. This can waste energy and cause you to feel tired.
Besides breathing and energy loss, other bodily systems that may also be affected are digestion, elimination, joints, and ligaments.
The body was designed to heal itself when in a state of ease.
Typically, we have years of practice standing and/or sitting with poor posture. This means over time our joints and muscles gradually tighten up to accommodate these bad habits. When you try to modify your posture to the correct position for you, it may feel difficult or unnatural at first. Eventually with time and specific exercise and stretching, your joints and muscles will readjust to the correct posture, and it will come naturally to you, not to mention how fantastic you will feel.
Poor posture forces you to overwork the muscles in your body. Your immune system’s efforts to heal those muscles spur inflammation that, over time, can lead to arthritis in nearby joints.
Poor posture can be a big problem for people with knee arthritis. Over time, that malalignment can worsen the effects of arthritis by putting pressure on one part of the joint and causing pain. The pain can decrease your overall function and quality of life by limiting your mobility as a result, which also increases your risk of developing degenerative diseases in later years.
Unfortunately, posture may worsen with age and affect balance, too. Fall risk in older adults has been connected to both fall efficiency (perceived confidence in performance of daily tasks) and postural balance. Research suggests that poor postural balance could increase fall risk in older adults, especially if a person has walking limitations.
There has been evidence your posture also affects your mood. Studies found that people with depression who sat upright experienced improvements in their moods. This study suggests that adopting an upright posture may increase positive affect … and decrease self-focus in people with mild-to-moderate depression.
You can see how good posture is tied in with your immune system! Good posture, good health!
If you really care about your overall health and lifestyle, working on having perfect posture is the best investment you can make. THIS IS REAL “LIFE INSURANCE”!
Gary and Sherry Rumel are Physiologists and Posture Pioneers who created Fitworks Perfect Posture® in the year 2000.