Practically every part of the body deteriorates at some point in time. It is all a part of the aging process that is inevitable for everyone regardless of their stature in life. Carrying or lifting things now becomes a conscious effort, even simple chores like climbing up the stairs or sitting can be daunting.
What Happens To Our Body When We Age?
By the time you reach your 50s or 60s, you will probably notice something peculiar. You might observe half an inch or one-inch difference in your height. This is a natural process brought about by the shrinking of your spine.
Your spine is made up of vertebrae and between them are discs that serve as a cushion. As time goes by, these discs lose their form and begin to thin down. Add to that, your cartilage and connective tissues lose thickness and elasticity. All these things might not be cosmetically noticeable at first. However, this could have been prevented if we exhibit good harmony to our body through proper posture, healthy eating, and regular exercise.
Posture is one thing not everyone takes seriously, but it is very important as it promotes independent lifestyle and movement. Having proper posture improves your balance and symmetry. It can prevent you from having hunched shoulders, back pains, and shrinking spine. In part, it also makes you look good and feel good. All in all, having good posture is a good indicator of how well you will age later on in your life.
What Are The Advantages of Good Posture To Seniors?
There are many health problems brought about by poor posture, and correcting the habit can go a long way. Nonetheless, good posture has to start somewhere. The perfect place is the spine. Few know that our spine carries about 10 pounds of weight everyday. Once you hunch forward, gravity pulls it further causing the spine to tighten. A series of consequences follows after.
For one, this can be the cause of headaches. As you hunch forward when sitting, tension in the cervical vertebrae is built up, causing it to be out of alignment. And over time, misalignment causes blood vessels to be pinched, limiting their capability to supply blood to the brain, which later promotes migraines and headaches.
Poor posture can lead to back pain. As you slouch, the muscles and ligaments in your back struggle and are pressured to maintain your balance. Pulling the muscles, especially in the lumbar area where most weight is carried, causes back pain. Over time, this habit can cause fast degeneration of the spine, which can lead to serious complications like osteoarthritis, scoliosis, and osteoporosis.
Poor posture also compresses internal organs, decreasing their functionality and efficiency. Studies also show that slouching has a major effect to digestion and blood flow. Because of this, seniors can develop hypertension or low metabolic rate, and put them at risk of heart attack, stroke, and even diabetes and obesity. Add to this, hunching the back makes the rib cage constricted, leaving the lungs as well as the heart limited space to function well. More so, too much pressure put on the spine can press important blood vessels, limiting proper blood flow, which is essential for nourishing and originating these vital organs.
Now that we know how our bad posture habits can cause tremendous health risks to our body, making a conscious effort to change this through posture exercise training can turn the tables. Through proper posture, seniors may no longer experience chest pains, back aches, headaches, and will have better digestion. And if you are still not convinced, further benefits of good posture affect a senior's state of mind. It has been proven that sitting or standing upright can promote positivity, which gives more confidence to our own thoughts and decision making.
In an experiment, having good posture showed that seniors developed better memory recall. Although this is not yet proof that proper posture can slow down the process of Alzheimer's, having the spine properly aligned while standing or sitting makes neurotransmitters communicate faster from the brain to every part of the body, making it easy to retain memory.
Good posture can also eliminate depression. By sitting and walking straight, energy levels are boosted. People with poor posture are prone to panic, anxiety, and shallow breathing, making it hard to overcome negativity. Good posture improves circulation, oxygenating the body well, and boosting perception and thinking, leaving one more at peace and ready to face any problem that may come the senior's way. Getting involved in an elderly exercise program is a good way to start.
Indeed, for seniors to start thinking about their posture early on can help them grace their way through the aging process. And if proper posture is complemented with regular exercise and healthy diet, aging for any senior will just be another phase that they can enjoy more and benefit from.
Marjorie Jaffe is the owner of Stay In Shape Personal Training Services and specializes in Senior Personal Training as well as issues of the back. Visit Personal-Training-In-NYC.com to learn more.
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