1. Clothes Look Better

Although you may not have thought of fashion as one of the reasons to stand up straight, how your clothes look is affected by your posture. When you stand up straight your clothes will fall into place much better. Just think of the actresses who have great posture and how fantastic they look on the red carpet. Standing up straight really can make a difference in how your clothes look.

2. Instantly Slimming

Would you like to know a secret to looking like you lost weight when you haven’t? Standing up straight will instantly make you look slimmer. Your stomach gets pulled in and your torso is elongated. Both of these things result in your waist looking much smaller! Looking slimmer certainly isn’t a bad reason to stand up straight!

3. Works Core Muscles

Another benefit of standing up straight is that it works your core muscles. Having good posture works your abdominal muscles as well as your back muscles. In fact, if you aren’t used to standing up straight you might notice your back muscles getting tired. Standing up straight really is like a mini core workout!

4. Better Alignment

Having poor posture can result in alignment problems throughout your entire body, which can also result in a lot of pain. At times the alignment in your spine can be so bad that you have to have it adjusted by a chiropractor or a doctor of osteopathy to get pain relief. Since no one wants to have to go to the doctor, it is better to have good posture and prevent alignment problems to begin with.

5. Less Back Pain

Having poor posture can result in a lot of back pain, especially in the low back. The two main reasons poor posture causes pain are weak muscles and bad alignment. As you already know, both of these problems can be solved with good posture. If you have low back pain, you will be happy to know that standing up straight will help decrease your pain.

6. Increased Energy

You may be surprised to learn that standing up straight can help you have more energy. Slouching compresses your lungs, which makes it much more difficult for your body to get the oxygen it needs. This can leave you feeling fatigued. Fortunately, just improving your posture will help your lungs get all of the oxygen they need, which can help you have more energy.

7. Confidence

When you stand up straight you appear much more confident, which can actually help you feel more confident as well. Slouching makes people appear closed off and timid. Yet, simply standing up straight will make a person appear much more confident and open. As someone who has struggled with confidence at times, I can tell you that standing up straight has actually helped me feel more confident.

Good posture is something that should be practiced by everyone, especially since it has so many benefits. While I am not perfect, I always try to stand up straight, and inevitably I feel better when I do. Do you make an effort to have good posture?