Page 38 - Seniors Today - Oct 2019

Health & Lifestyle

Posture practice makes perfect

Standing, walking, sitting and sleeping – good posture is
the key to a comfortable life, says Dr Darius Soonawalla

Posture is the position in which someone holds to get worse. Thus, the consequences of poor
their body. Essentially, it is the position of the posture are seen most commonly in the elderly.
different body parts in relation to each other.
Posture is usually considered while standing, What is posture?
but we should not forget that it is also relevant What exactly is good posture? Standing to
during other activities such as sitting, working attention with one’s chest out and shoulders
and even lying down. back is in fact poor posture. Try keeping it up,
So why is good posture so important? It and you are bound to develop aches and pains.
is a sign of good body language, conveying The aim of correct posture is to centralise the
confidence, but there is much more to it than head over the pelvis so that gravity passes
that. It allows you to stand, work and function through the centre of the body. The spine which
in the most efficient way, minimising the
stresses and strains on the body. Poor posture
while standing, sitting, working or even lying
down causes fatigue of muscles and injury to
the ligaments and joints. This manifests as back,
neck and shoulder pain or various other aches
and pains. Occasionally it can lead to more
serious injuries and over a period of time it may
even cause wearing of the joints.
Very few people have perfect posture, but the
human body is wonderfully forgiving and one
can go through life without ever knowing about
it or suffering the consequences. As one ages,
with wear and tear on the joints and weakening
of the muscles and bones, one’s posture tends Good posture conveys confidence and much more

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