I have a confession to make. My entire life, I’ve had really poor posture. I have no idea how/when/why I picked up this bad habit, but it’s something I’ve always been embarrassed and self-conscious about. Can anyone else relate?
My terrible posture has become such a bad habit that the constant quip from my husband now is, “Stand up straight!”
He’s not wrong for correcting me. When I started doing some research, I discovered that our posture can actually have a big impact on our confidence, mood, and happiness. And since I am all about adding more happiness to my life and yours, I figured this was worth researching further.
The Science Behind Good Posture
It turns out there are some pretty incredible benefits to having good posture. Here are just a few of them:
- Using a power pose which includes good posture, literally changes your hormone levels. It leads to an increase in testosterone, which gives you confidence, and a decrease in cortisol, which reduces your fear and anxiety.
- Good posture can also impact our decision making. A recent study by Harvard and Columbia showed that people in an expansive, powerful pose are 45% more likely to take on risk than those in a constricted pose.
- The simple act of sitting up straight can lead to us remembering positive memories or thinking about positive things in general.
- Walking with good posture can increase our energy levels while walking in a slumped position can do the opposite.
Trying out the UPRIGHT GO
How Can You Improve Your Bad Posture?
These studies inspired me to do more to fix my posture. While it’s great that my husband is constantly reminding me, I needed to take a more proactive approach to fix my constant slouching.
That’s where technology comes in. I recently discovered the UPRIGHT GO and decided to give it a shot.
The UPRIGHT GO is a small sensor you place on your upper back, between your shoulders with a hypoallergenic adhesive. The device communicates with an app on your phone via Bluetooth to help you keep track of your posture.
When I first tried the product, I will admit I was a bit skeptical. Nothing has helped me with my posture in the past, so I wasn’t sure how a device could finally get me standing up straight. But now that I’ve been using the product for a few weeks, I have seen positive results.
The device has a training mode and a tracking mode. When you’re training, you set your posture with the app and then the sensor vibrates every time you start slouching. While it was quite annoying at first because it kept vibrating, I realized it was because my posture was indeed that bad! Using the device was actually a wake-up call for me because I realized that I constantly sit slumped over.
Now that I’ve been using the product for a while, I keep it in tracking mode more than training mode because my body now automatically shifts back to a better posture when I start slouching.
Courtesy of Upright Technologies
Not Ready To Try Technology For Your Posture?
There are alternatives that can help with your posture if you’re not ready to use technology. In addition to the Upright Go, I have started standing more while working. Not only is this good for your posture, but studies have shown that ‘occupational sitting’ is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and increased overall mortality. Yikes!
If you want to start standing more in your home office while working, try this affordable stand-up desk on Amazon which easily converts from a seated to a standing desk.
Now that I know the benefits and health advantages of good posture, it’s definitely a new habit I want to cultivate.
What about you? Do you struggle with maintaining good posture as well? If so, what have you done to break the bad habit of slouching? Please share in the comments below!
This post contains affiliate links. You can view my disclosure here.
Interested in reading more about wellness and self-care? Read about 5 wellness trends I can’t live without and my favorite how to get better sleep.
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