These are all definitely things our parents have told us growing up. Our parents would repeatedly command us to perform these actions until they were ingrained in our psyche. As a child we wouldn’t think much of it; just another phrase our parents loved to preach. But now more than ever, these words have real weight. As technological advances infiltrate every facet of our lives, poor posture has become a growing concern in all age demographics. From kids slouched over a desk at school or hunched over an iPad at night watching Netflix, to college students permanently attached to their laptops and adults working 60 hours in an office cubicle. 

Bad posture is an epidemic around the world affecting millions of individuals. When dealing with health issues people often overlook the importance of posture when searching for root causes. Poor posture causes more mental and physical health complications than most people know.These complications can have long lasting effects on your overall well-being, for the rest of your life. 

Posture is defined by the way in which our skeleton and muscles hold our bodies up right while standing or sitting. It affects a wide array of our bodily functions from breathing to muscle growth. If you ever have one of those days where you experience a random ache or pain and are confused by how it came about or what method of treatment you should undertake, then poor posture is likely to blame.

Once you begin down the path of poor posture, you will develop stress on your spinal joints and discs.You then have two options, either correct your posture which will relieve the stress or continue down that path accumulating stress until it becomes so weak that permanent damage occurs.

3 Problems Caused By Poor Posture

1. Increase In Depression and Stress

Studies have shown that those with poor posture had a decrease in testosterone making them feel less confident. They would also see increases in cortisol level, which increased their levels of stress and lowered their self-esteem. Those with good posture would have more positive hormones running through their body increasing their confidence and allowing them to be the best version of themselves.

2. Adversely Affects Your Spine

Poor posture changes the alignment of your spine which begins to apply pressure to your trunk and lower back. Prolonged periods of poor posture cause your spine to re-align into certain shapes. Over time you will lose the natural curvature of your spine and begin to develop deeper health issues in your lower back causing pain and discomfort.

3. Digestive Trouble

Poor posture is often overlooked when trying to diagnose problems with your innards. While we can easily see the effects of poor posture on your shoulders and back, your internal organs aren’t so visible. Sitting and standing slumped over forces your intestines to constrict which in turn makes digestion uncomfortable. Posture can also have a detrimental effect on your metabolism causing unwanted weight gain. The body's internal organs have been designed to operate naturally, so we should minimise obstacles for that to occur.

Changing from a habitual incorrect posture will take time and constant awareness.The effects of prolonged poor posture can cause long term damage for your health and well-being.