Posture perfect

Good posture involves developing an awareness of how your body exists in space and then training it to stand, sit, lie and exercise in a way that puts the least amount of strain on your muscles, ligaments and joints.

Standing up straight sounds simple enough; it makes you look taller, slimmer and more relaxed. Correct posture takes the strain off the joints of your neck and shoulders as well as aligns your hips, knees and feet. But on a deeper level, it can also improve your breathing, digestion, mood, energy levels and how well your internal organs function.

A recent study from San Francisco State University showed that “slouchers” reported increased feelings of depression, while a Harvard study showed that when people adopt a powerful posture (shoulders back and upright spine) there was a 20 per cent increase in testosterone levels and a 25 per cent decrease in cortisol levels.

Having good posture can be challenging in our modern technological world, as a large portion of the day is spent sitting bent over, checking computer screens and mobile phones. Consequently, poor posture can cause fatigue, neck and back pain as well as joint degeneration. Making small simple changes to improve your posture throughout the day can have a beneficial impact on your physical body and overall health.