“Sit up straight and pay attention!” I bet you can hear your 5^th grade teacher’s voice in your head right now. And while she might have insisted you sit up so you could pay attention better, she may have been onto something regarding your health, too.

Let’s face it. Many of us don’t practice good posture, and our modern lifestyle is not making things any easier. As computer usage becomes an integral part of many jobs, we find ourselves sitting in front of a screen for several hours a day. Or if you travel for work, you may be sitting on a plane or behind the wheel for hours and hours each week. With all that sitting, it can be easy to slouch or just kind of take a “relaxed” approach to your posture.

So what does it really matter? Why is good posture important? Are there actually any benefits to your health? In a word: yes.

First of all, good posture means your bones and muscles are aligned as nature intended. It also helps your joints and ligaments all work together. In addition, your digestion and even organ positioning may be negatively affected by poor posture. Even if you don’t feel the negative effects right away, they may show up later in your life if you consistently don’t pay attention to your posture.

And poor posture can just make you just plain feel bad. It can prevent you from getting good sleep, it can make your muscles tire more easily, and it can cause your neck and back to be sore or to ache.

So what can you do? First of all, you should consult the Mequon and Cedarburg chiropractors at ProHealth. Through a series of adjustments and ongoing chiropractic care, they can help you un-do the negative effects of poor posture. In additional, they’ll help you move forward doing the right things to keep you healthy and prevent problems from arising.

So make a decision to pay attention to your posture. The benefits you’ll get will surprise you!