Everyone knows that good posture is important, but few people actually realize just how necessary it is for good health. Your spine is not the only part of your body that is benefited by standing and sitting up straight. These six advantages also occur when you have proper posture.

Reduced Pain

Bad posture does not just hurt your spine, it also harms all of the muscles and nerves throughout your torso. Improved posture prevents you from pulling muscles, pinching nerves, and placing stress on your joints. This results in an overall reduction in pain after sitting or standing for a long period of time.

Easier Breathing with Good Posture

When a person is slouched over, they cannot fully inhale and expand their lungs because the lungs are compressed by the bad posture. Sitting upright helps you to breathe better and get more oxygen circulating throughout your entire body.

Happier Moods

Many studies have examined the effect of posture on your mood. Standing up straight has been shown to make people feel happier and more positive than people who were slouching, and it also reduces stress.

Increased Confidence

Your body language affects both other people’s perceptions of you and your own self-esteem. When you are looking tall and upstanding, people instinctively feel like you are in power, and one study from Ohio State University discovered that good posture even improves your own self-confidence.

Improve Work Experience

The combination of increased confidence and better breathing result in the ability to focus better on any tasks that you are doing. With an adequately oxygenated brain and a lack of doubt, you can get things done easier. You may also avoid a workplace injury in the process. A safety expert who earned their occupational safety degree online says those who have poor posture and are confined to a desk all day at work are prone to back problems. The best way to prevent this is to practice good posture at all times, especially when seated at a desk, and get up to take a walk every few hours.

Weight Loss

When your body is working to maintain an upright position instead of slouching inwards, it is actually actively engaging your core muscles, and this results in stronger abs and an increase in calories burned. This almost doubles your basal metabolic rate, so you may be able to burn up to 350 calories more each day.

To maintain correct posture, you should have your abdomen pulled tightly inwards while your shoulders are squared, and your spine should be in a neutral, straightened position instead of being curved inwards or outwards. For good posture while seated, you should follow the previous advice while also keeping both of your feet planted firmly upon the ground. By using these tips, you can enjoy all of the physical and mental benefits of good posture.