Keep Your Posture Healthy in Midlife

When I was much younger, nothing pained my heart like seeing older adults struggle with their posture or movement. It made me scared of aging. How do you look so fit and great at a young age, only to start having a not-so-good posture in midlife?

Over time, I started seeing other people in their midlife with great postures, so I learned that you can still have a healthy posture in midlife.

Posture is classified into dynamic and static posture. Your dynamic posture refers to how you carry yourself when running, walking, or bending. Static posture refers to your posture when sitting, standing, or sleeping. A healthy posture entails that your dynamic and static posture should be intact.

It is common for people to have a bad posture in midlife because of their everyday lifestyle. 

Most people live a life and have a career that doesn’t require constant movement. We are always seated behind a desk or bent over our computer. Sometimes, we don’t have time to do little exercises like walking and running. So, when we start approaching midlife, all these affect our posture. 

Bad posture doesn’t just affect your appearance; it will cause other problems. It can affect your body balance and increase your chances of falling. It can affect your joint movement, cause neck, shoulder, and back pain, make your spine more susceptible to injury, and affect your digestion.

So, what can you do to keep your posture healthy in midlife?

Your spine contributes greatly to your posture. If you can maintain the three curves on your spine, your posture will be great and healthy. Your spine has three curves (at the neck, middle of the back, and lower back). A healthy posture seeks to maintain these three curves.

So, here is how you can keep a healthy posture in midlife.

Maintain a straight posture while sitting

If your work entails always sitting at a desk for a long time, ensure that you sit up while maintaining a tall posture. Practicing a good sitting posture takes time because it requires mindful practice. But here is what you can do. 

Ensure you position your keyboard, chair, phone, and everything you use to work correctly. 

Use a seat that will make your feet flat on the floor and ensure your knees are lower than your hips. You can get a footrest if your feet can’t touch the ground.

Also, don’t use a seat that won’t support your upper and lower back. No matter how demanding your work is, always stretch and walk around for a while.

After sitting for a while, try to relieve your muscle tension by stretching. 

Exercise regularly

The idea of exercise always sounds tedious when you are in your mid-age, but exercise doesn’t have to be vigorous.

You can perform simple exercises that will help you strengthen the muscles around your back, abdomen, and pelvis.

One of the most effective exercises is the plank exercise. 

This is how you can do the plank exercise: 

• Lie with your face down
• Extend your legs
• Bend your elbow directly under your shoulder
• Keep your palms flat on the floor
• Your feet should not be more than hip-width apart
• Your elbows should not be more than shoulder-width apart
• With your forearm on the ground, use your toes to lift your body. 
• Keep raising your body as long as your strength permits.

You can start the plank exercise daily until your body adapts. If you begin to feel pain, you can stop.

Also, yoga, tai chi, and other mindful exercises can help you maintain a good posture.

Maintain a good posture while standing

Standing straight and tall is the best way to maintain a good standing posture. Avoid the temptation of bending over regularly.

While standing, push your shoulders back and pull your stomach inside. Ensure you maintain a head level; don’t bend or extend your head. Your hands should hang at your sides, and the balls of your feet should carry all your weight.

Lastly, your feet should be shoulder-width apart. It might take a while to adapt if you are not used to this, but it will help your posture.

Be mindful of your weight.

If you master the art of standing, sitting and exercising regularly without maintaining a good weight, your efforts will not yield a tangible result. 

Being overweight or obese is common in midlife. When you are overweight, you will be hurting your spine, pelvis, and the muscles in your abdomen. All these will contribute to giving you low back pain. Being overweight will not only affect your weight negatively, but it will also cause other health conditions like cardiovascular diseases. To maintain a good weight, always exercise to burn out exercise fat. 

Also, choose diets that are low in fats and carbohydrates. Food high in fat and calories is the main cause of weight gain. Some foods low in calories include cabbage, carrots, broccoli, asparagus, apples, fennel, grapefruits, etc.

Avoid high-heeled shoes

Yeah, there is no doubt that high-heeled shoes add an extra flavor of poise and elegance to our appearance and walking steps. So, most of us women will always go for them. But it is best to wear low-heeled shoes towards midlife or if you are already middle-aged. This will reduce the pressure on your muscles, unlike high-heeled shoes that cause pressure.

When there is less pressure and you are balanced, it will help you maintain a good posture.

Maintaining a good posture in midlife is difficult, but following the steps outlined in this article will help you keep a good posture.