Posture Affects Standing, and Not Just the Physical Kind

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/28/posture-affects-standing-and-not-just-the-physical-kind/?_r=0

by dpflan • 10 years ago

43 18 10 years ago

well.blogs.nytimes.com

throwanem3• 10 years ago

tl;dr: Spine straight, shoulders back, chin up. Better for you, more comfortable, and people think more highly of you besides.

aianus2• 10 years ago

It's certainly not more comfortable than slouching or everyone would do it.

koolba2• 10 years ago

Short term no, long term yes. It's uncomfortable now because you're not used to it. As you develop the back muscles necessary for good posture, you'll feel better in the long run as it'll take pressure off your spine.

xj9• 10 years ago

It is more comfortable, after you establish the discipline. Getting there takes some practice, which is probably why people slouch.

tomatsu• 10 years ago

It's more comfy and it lets you breathe more easily, but you need the muscles for it. It's only a relaxed neutral position if the muscles at the back pull just as much as those at the front.

ljk• 10 years ago

chin up

but not too much.. a few things to avoid from the article:

Bending the head back and sticking out the chin while looking at a computer screen or television. Instead, lower the screen or raise the seat

throwanem3• 10 years ago

A good rule in my experience is to have the top edge of the monitor roughly level with your eyeline, so it's easy to see the entire display without needing to tilt your head back at all.

stevenkovar• 10 years ago

Instead of 'chin up', it helps to think of it as extending the crown of the head up to the ceiling.

Jtsummers• 10 years ago

Many years ago, researchers showed that women who walked sluggishly with eyes on the ground, as if carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders, were much more likely to be mugged than those who walked briskly and purposely with head erect.

You also look more aware with good posture. This deters attackers because they do best when they catch you off-guard. Walking sluggishly also suggests the target is tired, another good opportunity for the attacker.

FrozenVoid• 10 years ago

Posture is the prime visual signal people at distance give off. Intimidating/confident people are walking as if they are paleolithic warriors staring at the horizon. The key is developing neck muscles with head/shoulder exercises and not bending down for "comfortable viewing/holding" of mobile devices.

drewjaja• 10 years ago

I would recommend Foundation Training exercises for anyone with bad posture or back issues. I've been doing Foundation Training for the past couple of weeks and it has definitely helped with my posture. You can watch how to do their main 'Founder' exercise on youtube.

wodenokoto• 10 years ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp84tCkNiFg

Posture Affects Standing, and Not Just the Physical Kind

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