Standing Well with Good Posture to Be Well

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Standing and sitting well can help you age well. One of the best kept secrets is that good posture can improve your wellbeing. Have you ever seen someone who is walking, but somehow looks as if they are sitting in a chair? Being conscious of how you are holding yourself up in gravity can avoid habits that lead to stiffness and restricted movement as you age.

Burned out and sick, I noticed that the way I carried myself had changed over time. Like most people living in modern times, my shoulders were rounded. However, the top of my chest near the collarbone almost appeared concave. Sure, I wasn’t pumping iron like I ought to have been. But, this was a different look than that of a girl who should be lifting more weights than she was. There was a lot of hunching and contracting going on. What was my body communicating? Or, what was my soul expressing through my body? Is it the chicken or the egg—unclear. But what was clear, was that the way I carried myself was connected to my inner life. 

Truly, I do think prior to this point I always had horrible posture—even when I was not burned out. I would sit or stand using the path of least resistance giving my posture and movement no thought at all. I’d rest a kid on my favorite hip bone, constantly cross my legs, chew in my favorite cheek, lift heavy things in whatever means necessary to get the job done, lean in on my desk to see the computer screen, or pop my hip out to favor one side while standing in the grocery line. I was young and it was fine for me to move around like this, until it wasn’t. I sincerely was not very aged when I started to feel the effects of my poor posture habits, only I didn’t realize that was what I was experiencing.  

My posture rehabbing started on the yoga mat with cues like “check in with your alignment.” “Roger that,” I thought. Only, what was I checking? Over time I noticed that when I sat, stood, or moved in a particular manner, I felt better. Postures required less energy, I could move with more ease, I had greater range of motion, and I felt good with the more expansive movements. Why did my posture affect the way I felt?

Posture, Mood, and Safety

In the English language, we have several words to describe one’s outlook on a particular issue. These include position, stance, view, etc. In all of these cases, the word originates from a physical reference but in actuality is speaking about a state of mind or an attitude. It is known that several bodily positions and gestures influence perspective and attitude. In fact, studies show that a slumped/slouched position in a chair leads to decreased pride in performance whereas pushing the chest out leads to feeling more powerful (1). Therefore, it makes sense that our language describes attitude in a physical sense. Posture can influence the direction of our thinking (i.e., positive or negative) and the amount that we think (1).

A stooped posture has long been clinically associated with depressed mood (2). Research reveals that when individuals assume postures that are related to certain emotions (e.g., crouching in the “fetal position”) they experience the associated emotions (3). The same concept holds true about facial expression or emotional gestures such as smiling or hugging. This suggests that emotions are an embodied experience. However, much about this theory of embodied cognition remains largely a mystery. For example, is it the body shape that facilitates a given emotion or is it the emotion that leads to a change in bodily shape?

Posture can influence how we think and feel as well as confidence. Posture can also produce biological effects. For example, a more upright posture has been shown to reduce fatigue (4). One physical effect of posture was put to the test in a small randomized controlled trial comparing 74 participants who were randomized to an upright or slumped posture and underwent stress response testing (5). Upright participants had higher pulse pressure during and after the stressor. In addition, these participants reported higher self-esteem, arousal, better mood, and lower fear when compared with slumped participants. Additionally, power posing (i.e., more open, expansive postures) has been associated with increases in testosterone, decreased cortisol, and increased feelings of power and tolerance for risk (6). These findings suggest that positive posing (i.e., upright, power posing) can lead to advantages such as changes in thinking, physiology, and behavior.

Additionally, posture may influence variables outside of oneself. A study demonstrated that the way in which someone carries themselves and moves could send cues of vulnerability (7). This seems to be some sort of communication exchange between criminal and victim that influences their encounter. Good posture may affect safety. Given all the positive data on carrying yourself well in gravity, why not prioritize demonstrating good posture habits in your daily life?

What is good posture?

Good posture is usually focused on static positioning and how we arrange our bodies in gravity. Growing up, you may have heard the warning to “stand up straight,” or, “don’t slouch.” For many, that’s what good posture means—don’t slouch. Generally speaking, when good posture is unpacked it is referring to the position of the pelvis, ribcage, ears, shoulders, and extending the upper spine (i.e., don’t slouch). Good posture is a subjective experience because all of us have unique bone shapes, muscle tone, and tightness (or lack thereof) in the connective tissue. Consequently, while general guidelines can be helpful, its best to experience posture and refine how it feels over time with practice.

One of my favorite yoga teachers uses a cue that sticks when describing proper standing alignment, saying “back it up and stack it up.” This is because in today’s modern world we are nearly always “leaning forward” to do something be it drive a car, work on a computer, read, scroll on our mobile device, etc. Leaning forward moves the center of gravity, which changes the whole shape of the body and places strains on it. When standing, the concept of a “neutral pelvis” is generally thought to be when the two hip bones stack over the pubic bone. The feet should then “cup” the floor pushing down into the ground with the whole heel as well as both the big and little toes.

You can shift your center of gravity over the most forward-facing portion of the ankle to back it up and stack it up. For me, when I do this I nearly always feel weight come off the balls of my feet and activation of my core. Once your feet are grounded and you’ve got a neutral pelvis, you can stack the heart space over the hips. Rib position is crucial. It can feel natural for many people when “straightening” posture to jut out the ribs and push out the chest. However, jutting out the ribs may actually impair creating ease with one’s posture. The ribs should comfortably encircle the spinal column. I feel my core activate when I bring my ribs into their proper place. Properly aligned ribs also facilitates deeper breathing, which is helpful for the body and mind. The shoulder blades can slide down the back expanding the chest. Lastly, the head stacks over the heart aligning the ear with and imaginary line through the shoulder, hip, and ankle. Once positioned, this posture should create a sense of ease both physically and mentally.

The breath can be an excellent tool to support good posture. Breathing in deeply can assist with lengthening the spine creating space and height. In addition, the breath supports the muscles and tissue of the core by increasing internal pressure and stabilizing the spine. I find the experience of inhaling while lengthening the spine and exhaling bringing the navel in toward the spine is helpful to feel a sense of ease with one’s posture. Here are 5 steps toward a habit of standing well:

• Cup the feet and push into the ground
• Access a neutral pelvis (hip points are stacked over pubic bone)
• Shift the center of gravity over the most forward-facing part of the ankle
• Stack the knee over the ankle, the hip over the knee, the chest over the hip, and the head over the chest
• Slide the shoulder blades down and back without pushing the ribs out

Similar concepts can be applied to sitting. In this case as well, dropping into a neutral pelvis and avoiding the temptation to cross the arms or legs will set up a nice postural foundation. However, a major difference in maintaining good posture while sitting, when compared with standing, is that sitting essentially turns off all of the muscles in your posterior chain. Your posterior core muscles are not helping to hold you up because you are sitting on them. Turning off the posterior core muscles pressures the abdominal muscles to work harder in order to maintain the posture. Many times, this results in slouching, tucking of the pelvis, and other shapes that place strains on the body. In my experience, this occurs when my mind is focused on something besides my body over a longer period of time.

Key Elements of Good Posture

Balance is more accessible with good posture. Falls are the most common cause of serious injuries in older adults and increase risk of hospitalization (8). A major risk factor for falls is poor balance and good posture can help improve balance. This is important because balance dysfunction has been associated with an increase in all-cause mortality. Good posture habits place our bodies in shapes that make it easier for us to hold balance, there should be a sense of ease.  

Core stability and strength is of great importance to maintaining good posture. Our core is made up of the muscles of the abdomen, back, pelvic floor, and spine. Holding the core in a way that supports the spine can be a balance between stiff and supple. The core should be responsive rather than rigid and successfully holding this tension can be challenging. Additionally, as center of our being the core may feel quite vulnerable. After all, physically speaking it’s the only part of our body that is not protected by the skeleton and it holds the upper and lower body together. A certain je ne sais quoi is available to those who can rock the crop top or go shirtless—in the case of males—without any feelings of inadequacy. It’s not uncommon in today’s world to subconsciously hide the core under clothes or with our arms folded. But, the core represents our inner strength and I challenge you to reflect on its beauty and symbolism—an inner strength that is both resilient and soft.

It may be that good posture is not accessible right now due to limited range of motion, injury, tight muscles, weak core muscles, etc. It’s worth it to examine ways in which posture can be improved in the body as it is. Perhaps exercises are needed to strengthen certain muscle groups or an appropriate stretching routine. It may be that consulting with your doctor or physical therapist is necessary to develop a posture plan. It is well worth the time and effort. Investing in good posture habits is something that will provide many returns over the years and there is no time like now to start!

References:

1. Brinol P, et al. Body posture effects on self-evaluation: A self-validation approach. Eur J Soc Psychol. 2009;39:1053-64.
2. Parker G. Defining melancholia: the primacy of psychomotor disturbance. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2007;115:21-30.
3. Niedenthal PM. Embodying emotion. Science. 2007;316:1002-5.
4. Wilkes C, et al. Upright posture improves affect and fatigue in people with depressive symptoms. J Behav Ther & Exp Psychiat. 2017;54:143-9.
5. Nair S, et al. Do slumped and upright postures affect stress responses? A randomized trial. Health Psychology. 2015;34:632-41.
6. Carney DR, et al. Power posing: Brief nonverbal displays affect neuroendocrine levels and risk tolerance. Psychol Sci. 2010;21:1363-8.
7. Grayson B, Stein MI. Attracting assault: Victim’s nonverbal cues. J of Communication. 1981;Winter:68-75.
8. Cao C, et al. Association of balance function with all-cause and cause-specific mortality among U.S. adults. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021;147:1-9.