Are you sitting comfortably..? What are 'good' and 'bad' posture?
Good posture
We usually think of 'good' posture as 'back straight, shoulders back and tummy in'. In many respects this posture is 'good', but posture is not necessarily about sitting or standing as straight as possible. Normally the body adopts many different postures in order to do different tasks.
Perhaps it is better to think of 'good' posture as a position in which you:
- feel safe and well balanced
- are able to do everyday tasks easily
- are doing the least amount of damage to your body
This posture is 'good' but bodies normally adopt many different postures every day. Moving into different positions during the day helps the body to remain flexible.
Bad posture
Posture only becomes 'bad' when it causes harm to your body or stops you doing everyday things. This may be happening if you:
- hold one position for a long time
- feel unbalanced and have to use effort to stay upright
People change position regularly. If you look at the way other people sit, you will see many of them in apparently 'bad' postures. However, they will change their position regularly when it becomes uncomfortable and before any damage is done.