Studies Show Americans Desperately Need To Improve Their Posture

hyIt’s no secret that most people these days have poor posture, and it’s mainly because they’re not thinking about how they should sit. Even as you’re reading this right now, you’re probably fixing your posture. The way that we sit greatly affects our posture and, overall, how our lower backs will react to it long-term.

Some of us can’t control how often we sit. Many of us work office jobs or some of us work at home. Yet there are tons of people who work in retail or work in restaurants and they’re on their feet 24/7. It’s not sitting that’s the issue, it’s how we sit. And there’s been loads of studies conducted on this one global issue alone.

A study conducted in 2016 reported that Americans typically sit about 9 to 13 hours a day. University of Arizona anthropologist David Raichlen shared his thoughts on the comparison of hunter-gatherers, Hadza, to that of Americans. Both groups sit on average quite a lot, but the results of the Hadza shocked Raichlen. The Hadza reportedly sit an average of 10 hours a day. Now, with this information being said, the Hadza also have no reported back, muscle, or joint pain despite sitting just as much as Americans do. Surprising?

Orthopedic surgeon Nomi Khan shared his thoughts on posture and the way most Americans sit.   “Most of us do not sit well, and we’ve certainly been putting a lot more stress on our spines. If we change the way we sit, it will help to decrease back problems. We should sit less, and we should sit better.”

Khan goes on to say that most people sit with a curve in their spine and their behinds curved under. This posture, in turn, puts a load of stress on backs and can turn into more serious issues down the road. He says that it’s easier to see this in others, but we often forget about it for ourselves.

It’s not recommended that you puff out your chest and stuck your butt out to sit up straight, but it’s important to remember not to curve your rear end underneath and hunch over. Sit up straight, relax your shoulders, and straighten out your spine. Your body will adapt to the new posture in time!

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