How Your Posture is Impacting Productivity

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Remote work is more popular than before, and this is because the COVID19 pandemic evolves unpredictably. And the amount of people that are working from a desk all day is incredibly high.

Considering that most of these workers spent the day sitting and are likely to spend the evening watching television or lounging on the sofa, you can say that their lives are more sedentary than active. 

Sitting 8 hours at a desk might be the dream job for some people, but it comes with negative effects on your posture and physical health. If you do not use your muscles, they will get weaker and weaker and they will not be able to sustain your bones healthily. 

This is easy to notice at people who do not have a good posture while working at a desk. Their shoulders are bent forward, their spine curved, and back or neck pain is more and more severe.

And no matter how odd it may sound to you, the way you stand has an important impact on your mental health too. If you have a bad posture, it is more likely to feel sad, depressed, helpless, or hopeless.

Besides, the posture you have impacts the impression you form on other people. A poor posture comes with negative effects both on your physical and mental health. Good posture might be the solution you need to be more productive.

People struggle to find their productivity now that most of them work remotely. If you are used to working in a productive and neat environment, switching it for your home might halt your productivity.

You can get burnout while working from home too. And this is because people do not have clear boundaries that separate their professional life from their personal lives. 

You must admit, this comes as a huge challenge for people who were enjoying working from the office, chatting with colleagues in breaks, and having lunch with them. On top of this, they were having a strict routine that helped them channel all their energy on the tasks they have to do.

Having to work in a very-familiar environment that was formerly associated with relaxation and can have a negative impact on your productivity. 

Is it possible to improve your productivity positively by adopting a good posture?

Experts in medical topics from assignment help UK say that this is possible. Let’s find out how. 

#1. A Good Posture Reduces Pain 

If you constantly slouch over your desk while working, you probably started having neck or back pains. This is because most people do not pay attention to the ergonomics of their offices or what type of furniture encourages them to have a poor posture. 

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What’s really happening here is that by adopting a poor posture you put too much stress on some parts of your body. This means that some of them have to work twice to sustain your spine and bones. They will be more developed than other muscles, so a poor posture will become more comfortable over time, but more painful. 

A good posture helps you reduce pain. By standing straight and tall, with your chin aligned, your muscles will develop evenly. Besides, you prevent neck and back pain from appearing, and your working schedule will be smoother. 

Feeling constant pain prevents you from focusing on what you have to do. Your brain is constantly distracted by your neck or back pain, which can turn to bring a halt to your productivity. It’s like you eliminate distractions while working, and a good posture can help you do this in the long-term. 

Muscle pain can appear if you have a poor posture, as some of them are really tight to sustain it. This will cause muscle pain not only while you are working, but every time. So, it will impact negatively all your life, not only your professional one. 

#2. A Good Posture Improves Your Mood

This might seem odd to most people, as they fail to see the connection between their body and their mind. But researchers have proved that a good posture improves your mood and it can help you think more positively. People who have a good posture are perceived to be more self-confident, trustworthy, and respectful, so this has an important impact on their productivity. 

A good posture makes you trust yourself more and feel capable of facing any challenge. It is a chain reaction that leads to increased productivity. A good posture gives you the feeling that you have the necessary resources to accomplish your tasks.

And simply this mindset, who promotes positivity, helps you become more productive. It is about that instinct that it is easily observable in animals too. Whenever they feel threatened and scared, you can see them crouching down. When they feel confident, you can see them stand tall and ruffle or flatter their fur or feathers. This sends a powerful message to their competitors: that they are strong, powerful, and confident. 

The way you feel at certain moments can have a direct impact on the decisions you make. Thus being said, a good posture positively impacts your mood, which in turn has increased your productivity. You feel you can do more and you can accomplish your tasks, so you will focus on your goals. 

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#3. A Good Posture Increases Your Lung Capacity

When you are working bent down over your desk, you actually decrease your lung capacity. They are crowded, so you do not have access to the amount of oxygen you need. Of course, this does not mean that you are suffocating, but studies showed that you decrease the oxygen intake by up to 30 per cent. 

So, what happens when your lung capacity is decreased and how does this affect your productivity? The thing is, oxygen is transported to your heart, muscle, and tissues and it helps them perform well. When you do not get the amount of oxygen you need to help them work at high standards, they begin to get sick. 

Like this, heart diseases can easily appear. Besides, you can start feeling fatigued and tired, and all these prevent you from being highly productive. You can experience difficulties when trying to solve problems, brainstorm for solutions, or just focus to accomplish an easy task. 

Many people think that these problems are caused by something else. But a poor posture is indeed capable of preventing you from achieving your efficiency and productivity at work. An increased lung capacity along with good breathing increases the amount of oxygen your brain, heart, muscles, and other organs receive, thus helping you be more active, sharp, and productive. 

Conclusion 

Now that more and more people are working remotely and over 80% of them have office jobs, it is important to pay attention to your posture. If you adopt a poor one, it has a negative impact on your physical health and your productivity too.

A good posture increases your lung capacity, thus the oxygen intake too. It reduces pain and it improves your mood, so it comes with all the ingredients you need to increase your productivity. 

Tiffany Harper
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