Health
Posture perfect: How to stand tall at any age
Standing tall is not just about looking younger but feeling stronger, moving with ease and keeping pain at bay. Posture breaks, Pilates and strength work all help create changes that really add up over the years.
By Paula Goodyer
There’s a secret to looking good at 60 plus – and it’s nothing to do with fighting wrinkles. It’s how you stand. An upright posture, not a stoop, goes a long way to creating an ageless look and can even come with health benefits like less neck and shoulder pain.
Is a smartphone posture’s worst enemy?
Ageing itself can influence posture, but a bigger problem can be too much sitting time, and hours spent hunched over a keyboard or phone, says Dr Rik Dawson, National President of the Australian Physiotherapy Association.
“Besides leading to poor posture, being in a hunched position with your head poking forward can also put stress on the spine, leading to neck and shoulder pain and headaches. It’s becoming so common, there’s a name for it – ‘tech neck’,” he says.
Dr Dawson suggests that you can help counteract this with regular posture breaks, at least every 30 to 60 minutes. If you use a laptop for work, it helps to have it connected to a large monitor so you can look straight ahead rather than hunching over. You should sit upright with your laptop screen at eye level and an arm’s length away – buy a stand to raise your laptop to eye level if you have to.
“Try and limit time on mobile devices,” he adds. “One study found that people using their phones for more than four hours a day were more likely to have a posture where their head poke out in front of their body.”
Sit up straight on the couch…
Sitting in a slouched or collapsed position can encourage a rounded upper back by weakening and shortening muscles in the shoulders and back,” Dr Dawson explains. “Gravity then pulls the muscles forward, because the muscles are too weak to pull them back up. Sitting in a slouched position also means your core stabilising muscles aren’t switched on – this can contribute to a rounded look in the upper back and make it harder to stand up straight.
…or better still, sit on the floor.
Remember how we used to sit on the floor when we were kids? It’s time to revisit the habit.
“Sitting with your legs stretched out in front of you helps promote good posture and core stability, and sitting cross legged promotes hip flexibility to combat stiffness. It also maintains your ability to transition from the floor to standing up. That’s a skill for life that’s worth keeping - if you fall over you can get back up.”
Strong muscles – the antidote to stiffness and stooping postures
Strengthening the muscles that keep us upright goes a long way to maintaining good posture, says exercise physiologist Chris Hughes from Sydney Sports and Exercise Physiology.
“Strength training using free weights like a barbell, kettle bell or dumbbells rather than fixed weights machines are best – they force you to use postural muscles that keep you stable in order to manage the load, and that improves your posture. It’s a more permanent solution than simply trying to remember to stand tall,” he explains.
“Muscle strength can also improve flexibility. Stiffness can be caused by weak muscles but when muscles get stronger and bigger they also get better at recruiting muscle fibres, and this can help you move through a greater range of motion. Just don’t let the idea of strength training spook you because you’re older. We still have the same muscles at 62 that we have at 22 and we can strengthen them.”
More on this: Hello muscles: 10 benefits of strength training
As we age, we tend to get rounded shoulders, so exercises that involve squeezing the shoulders together at the back of the body will help, he adds. “Rowing movements are good – like using a rowing machine or a cable row machine at the gym. Planks and push ups are other good moves that will strengthen your core which in turn can improve posture. If a tree doesn’t have a strong trunk it falls over.”
What about Pilates?
“There’s good evidence it can improve posture and core strength, and reduce back pain,” Rik Dawson says. “Look for a class that emphasises spinal alignment, controlled movement and core engagement, and, if possible, an instructor trained in clinical or rehabilitation Pilates – they can ensure that exercises are safely tailored to individual needs.”
A regular program of Pilates improved Stephanie Hunt sleep and meant she could give up pain medication for hip and shoulder issues. You can read Stephanie’s story here.
Good posture doesn’t mean holding yourself stiffly or obsessing over standing up straight. It means building strength, staying flexible and creating everyday habits that help the body support itself naturally. Strength training, Pilates or even more time sitting on the floor all play a part. And, of course, the other secret behind an ageless look lies in carrying yourself with confidence, energy and ease.
The information on this page is general information and should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Do not use the information found on this page as a substitute for professional health care advice. Any information you find on this page or on external sites which are linked to on this page should be verified with your professional health care provider.
Feature image: iStock/Jasmina007
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