{"id":2195,"date":"2019-08-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-ati-pt-2025.pantheonsite.io\/?p=2195"},"modified":"2024-12-17T17:34:26","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T17:34:26","slug":"poor-posture-affects-you-more-than-you-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atipt.com\/poor-posture-affects-you-more-than-you-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Poor Posture Affects You More Than You Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

At some point while we were growing up many of us probably heard our parents or teachers say, \u201cSit up straight!\u201d. It was most likely stated in the context of us crossing our legs at our desks, hunched over playing video games or even slouching while at the dinner table.<\/p>\n

Even now, I\u2019m sure the majority of us still have issues sitting up straight. We sit at a computer or drive in a car with our shoulders slumped and a curve in our neck. And if we\u2019re really being honest, half of our day is probably spent with our necks craned downward due to us constantly looking at our smartphones.<\/p>\n

While it may seem like poor posture only makes us look bad, there are many other ways, both physically and mentally, that it is impacting us.<\/p>\n

Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are\u00a05 ways poor posture impacts us<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Muscle Soreness<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Our spine needs to be stabilized and protected, but when we slouch our muscles need to work even harder.\u00a0Overworking these muscles leads to tightness and soreness.<\/li>\n
  2. Reduced Lung Function<\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 If we hunch too much, our lung capacity is impacted.\u00a0This means the other tissues in our bodies can\u2019t get as much oxygen which can lead to heart disease, shortness of breath and cloudy thinking.<\/li>\n
  3. Poor Circulation<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Crossing our legs increases the pressure of the fluids and gases moving throughout our bodies which causes circulation issues in our lower bodies.\u00a0On top of this, crossing our legs can lead to lower back pain and potentially even spider veins.<\/li>\n
  4. Digestive Issues<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Slouching over causes our intestines to fold up which can slow our digestion down and back us up.<\/li>\n
  5. Increased Stress<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Studies have shown that having bad posture can decrease the levels of testosterone and increase the levels of cortisol in our bodies.\u00a0This means lower confidence and higher stress.\u00a0Tack on the fact that slouching is already causing reduced lung function (adding even more stress to our bodies) and our stress levels are far higher than they should be.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Fix It<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The good news though is that there are ways for us to fix our posture now! The thing to do is look at how we\u2019re currently sitting.\u00a0 Are our legs crossed, are we slouching, is our weight on one side more than the other? These are all things that can be changed.<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s how we should be sitting:<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Looking for some more ways to fix your posture? Check out these articles:<\/p>\n