Good Posture Helps You To Lose Weight

It may sound impossible but it is possible. Many people don’t believe by just sitting or standing straight you can lose weight. In fact, by sitting up, or stand straight you are exercising your muscles to be taut and firm. Though standing is more efficient in losing some weight, but a normal person in an average spends 4 to 5 hours in standing position which is comparatively less than 8 hours he spends on sitting.

You may be aware of health welfare programmes cautioning you, not to sit for more than three hours.

In truth, it is how you sit, not how long you sit. I am going to explain this to you with some rational facts.

Good posture is one kind of exercise to strengthen your muscles and to lose calories. This is because a lot number of muscles are put into action, to steady your body in that pose such as standing up straight, keeping the back straight and abdomen tight.

People who improve their posture see positive results ,not just physically but also mentally and emotionally.

At work places or at home sitting in erroneous way, placing items beyond normal reach (phones, keyboard, the things you use often)straining your neck to read computer screen affects your normal body posture. These behaviours lead to hunched shoulders, a very good layer of fat in the lower part of the body and tense muscles.

Do your posture self -check

• Find a flat supporting wall
• Lean on the wall, with your heels, back of the body pressing against it.
• Just pass, one of your hand, between the wall and your lower back.
• The space should only be about the width of your hand. If the space is larger than expected, and you must know there is a problem with over curvature or body posture.
• Too much curve in the lower back will pull your head forward and round your shoulders. This posture looks unattractive and lead to variety of physical strains and pains throughout the body.

• At office adjust your chair and other essentials in a way that, not allow you to slouch.
• At home buy a balance ball chair and train yourself to sit straight.
• Sit with both feet firmly on the ground.
• Keep your shoulder back and head raised.
• Keep your lower abdomen tight.

It is always better, to practice a good posture. Our body muscles lose their elasticity when stretched beyond their limit. Your muscles will adapt these positions,if you keep them in for extended periods.( it is like an ordinary rubber band when it is stretched to its limits it regains the shape when stretched beyond from its normal shape for a longer time it loses its original shape) The same thing happens to body muscles when stretched and strained beyond their limit, they lose their original shape.So if you sit with a slouch for a longer time, your muscles remember and try to keep this position.

1. Rounded back.
2. Drooping chest and shoulder.
3. Head protruding forward.
4. Tilted pelvis and hips.
5. Collapsed arches in feet.
6. Body rotation.
7. An elevated shoulder and hips.

How good posture can be helpful in losing weight?

Even at rest your body burns a significant amount of calories. This is known as your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and it includes the calories burned for the most basic human function such as breathing and pumping of blood. Men typically burn more calories than women, as muscle burns more calories than fat, and men typically have more mass than women. A sedentary 200lb man will burn about 2,230 cal per day whereas a sedentary 200lb woman will burn about 2030cals.

You are always burning calories even while sitting at your desk or relaxing at home. An average person burns 70 to 90 cal when sitting at a table, however it depends on the length of time they are sitting. The more you weigh the more calories you will burn. While a 150lb woman will burn 36 calories while sitting for thirty mts and 200lb while200lb man will burn 40cals

Sitting up straight and practising good posture will increase your calorie burning while sitting.. Sitting up straight instead of leaning back in the chair requires to use the muscles in your abdomen. You will feel a slight tightness in your back and pelvic region and while you may not feel the muscles of your abdomen doing this..Sitting up straight doubles the BMR ,effectively you may lose 75 to 80 calories in 30 minutes. If you manage to sit up straight for long hours you will be definitely be toning your muscles in your back and abdomen and also burning extra calories to do that.

The straight posture increases your lung capacity ,helps you to breath better. The increased intake of oxygen rise the metabolic rate in cells ,burning fat. Stretching your muscles while you are sitting also helps you to burn more calories.

Some other simple methods are you can flex your feet, rotate your ankles, stretch your leg,arms, face muscles, drumming your fingers, moving head in circles, even rolling your eyes help you to burn some extra calories.

Do this simple test and know

• Place your palms against the lower part of your stomach.
• Gradually blow out all the air.
• Now take a deep breath.
• If your stomach does not expand when you inhale then you are probably a shallow breather.

It may be surprising to learn that simply by doing something you do 20,000 times a day a little better you can burn off more calories than rigorous exercise.

According to a study conducted a simple breathing exercise can burn off 140% more calories than riding a stationary bike, that is if you do some deep breathing for just 30 minutes a day you can burn off 350cals. ( where an average 125lbs person walking at average speed of 3.50mph for 40 minutes covering 2.33 miles burn just 187 calories)

Studies indicate that most people only use about 23% of the oxygen capacity of their lungs. By training yourself to breath correctly you can increase that to 75% and maximise your body’s calorie burning abilities. When your body has more fuel , it is used to burn more calories and fat.

How to do deep breathing by sitting?

Deep breathing is also called diaphragamatic, abdominal and belly breathing (babies does this) Here are the steps

1. Inhale through your nose evenly, at about five count and allow your diaphragm to relax and your stomach push out.
2. This allows more air to enter your lungs.
3. Hold your breath , at a count of 7.
4. Now exhale slowly through your nose or mouth at count of 10. The more the carbon-di-oxide you release out , the more you will feel fresh and active.

Sitting up straight and taking deep breaths, can help you to shed some weight and tone your muscles. At work place, take a break at every two hours (set an alarm or a remainder in your phone) do the both for five minutes, you will feel much better than before. Regular practice helps to retain the shape and to lose weight quicker. The improved posture of your body not only take away some calories but also unwanted strain and stress from your body systems and help you to feel better in many ways.