We see a lot of kids, teenagers, and adults with poor posture these days. Maybe it was always like this, maybe it wasn't. I haven't been around long enough to know. What I do know is that posture is important for many reasons and that's why it's today's topic.
First impressions: These are something you can never get a re-do of, that's why it's called a first impression. How an individual presents themselves the first time they meet someone is what forms that immediate opinion of their personality, abilities, work ethic, and confidence level. While there are many aspects of presenting yourself, one very important one is posture. If someone has their shoulders slumped or they are slouching, they are conveying to those around them that they are tired and/or insecure about themselves. On the other hand, if you are standing tall with your shoulders back and looking where you are going, you appear alert, focused and confident, which leads us into our next reason to sit up tall.
Posture affects your mood: While your mood often affects how you carry yourself, changing your posture can also alter your mood. Have you ever noticed how slouching can increase that bad mood you just can't shake off? There's your reason.
It's good for your body: Whether you slouch or excessively curve your lower back, poor posture all around puts additional stress on your back and eventually takes its toll. To preserve the amazing creation that is your body, sitting up straight can go a long way to keeping you healthy.
How does this tie into horseback riding? How a person carries themself on the ground normally follows them onto the horses back, and it's often more noticeable than in daily life because of the added movement of the horse. Learning proper posture on the horse and being made aware of how good and bad posture feels is one of our many goals in therapeutic riding to make our students lives better. I've noticed in myself how good posture habits have been learned on the horse and followed me even when my feet are on the ground.
-Felecia
Sources: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/proper-back-posture-neutral-spine-topic-overview
http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/10/16/poor-posture-can-affect-mood-energy/46112.html
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