Five causes of poor posture you need to know

It is estimated that a good number of the population suffers from bad posture. This is especially true considering we spend tons of hours sitting down looking down at our phones and computer screens. Unfortunately, bad posture can lead to back pain, shoulder pains and even headaches. In order to avoid bad posture, you need to be aware of what causes it.

Here are five causes of bad posture that you need to be aware of and do something about it.

Being obese causes you to have extra weight in the abdominal area. This causes your lower back to be pulled forwards by the stomach weight thus causing bad posture.

As you age, your posture is likely to get worse. This is because posture heavily depends on the muscle supported by your legs and spine. Aging weakens these muscles and thus making it hard to maintain good posture. You can minimize the effect of age on your posture by doing exercises that will strengthen your lower back.

If your feet are placed uncomfortably and unnaturally, it will have an effect on your posture. This is especially so when your feet are rolled inwards. It causes your back to slouch and your knees to bend. Holding this position for long will make your entire body tired thus affecting your posture even more. It is recommended that you always keep your feet upright and wear comfortable shoes so as to ensure comfortable foot placement.

Holding one position for too long will cause you to be tired which may worsen your posture. While standing up straight is one way to achieve good posture, holding this position for too long gets harder over time. This will then cause the muscles supporting your back to tire which in turn causes the shoulders and spine to sink lower, worsening your posture. It is therefore recommended to avoid holding one position for too long.

The type of clothes and shoes you wear do affect your posture. If you are used to wearing pencil heels for instance, they will affect your posture. Other things that will negatively impact your posture include wearing tight clothes, low waist jeans, wide belts, boots and high heeled shoes. This is because they all affect your center of gravity thus harming your posture.