When people think of good health, posture is often the last thing that comes to mind. 

Not many people realize it, but good posture is incredibly important for your overall health. In fact, good posture is right up there with eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep at night. Good posture is important in many ways, and the following is a list of just a few of them.

• It prevents overuse of muscles and muscle strain because it allows the body to work more efficiently.
• It helps to keep joints and bones in the correct alignment, which will drastically decrease the wear on joints that can lead to joint pain and degenerative arthritis.
• It minimizes your risk for injury because it reduces the amount of stress placed on the ligaments that support the spinal joints.

How do you maintain good posture?

Good posture isn’t always easy to maintain, and there are many things that could prevent you from standing or sitting correctly. In fact, in our last blog, our Santa Fe chiropractor even talked about how cell phones are hurting posture and leading to back problems. Luckily, there are many things you can do to maintain good posture. The following is a list from our chiropractic center of a few tips to help you maintain good posture:

• Pay attention – It is easy to slump forward and forget about maintaining good posture, which is why the most important tip we can give you is to pay attention! Be conscious of how you are sitting and standing at all times.
• Start exercising – The stronger your muscles are, the easier it will be for them to support your spine properly.
• Have your vision examined – Poor vision is a big reason that many people slump over at work, and if you find yourself squinting and leaning towards your computer, you need to have your vision checked!