{"id":11432,"date":"2019-03-08T12:16:57","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T19:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/somaticmovementcenter.com\/?p=11432"},"modified":"2019-03-14T10:08:59","modified_gmt":"2019-03-14T16:08:59","slug":"10-shocking-ways-posture-affects-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/somaticmovementcenter.com\/10-shocking-ways-posture-affects-health\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Shocking Ways That Your Posture Affects Your Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

10 Shocking Ways That Your Posture Affects Your Health<\/h1>\n

Our posture\u2014the way we sit and stand\u2014is rarely genetic or out of our control. It’s simply the result of chronic muscle tension pulling our skeleton out of alignment.<\/strong> This muscle tension builds up over time as a result of our daily movement habits and our reactions to stress.<\/p>\n

In other words, muscle memory<\/em><\/a> determines our habitual posture.<\/strong> I’ll tell you how to retrain your muscle memory and change your posture at the end of the post, but first read these 10 ways that your posture affects your health\u2014they’ll probably shock you!<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>

1. Your posture can increase or decrease your testosterone levels.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In 2010, Amy Cuddy of Harvard University and Dana Carney and Andy Yap of Columbia University tested the effects of what they call \u201cpower posing,\u201d<\/a> and found that posture has a direct effect on testosterone levels.<\/p>\n

In the study, test subjects had to spend two minutes sitting in either high-power or low-power poses. High-power poses were expansive and open, meaning that the subject expanded their body to take up more space and brought their limbs away from the center of their body. Subjects in low-power poses took up less space and brought their limbs in closer to the center of their body.<\/p>\n

The study found that after just two minutes, high-power posers experienced a spike in testosterone levels, while the low-power posers experienced a drop in testosterone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Testosterone is often thought of as the male sex hormone, but it plays a role in many important bodily functions in both men and women. In addition to regulating libido and reproductive health, testosterone promotes muscle and bone growth, stimulates the creation of red blood cells, increases the production of skin collagen, improves spatial memory and mood, and increases self-esteem and confidence.<\/p>\n

If spending just two minutes in a posture can create a measurable shift our testosterone levels, imagine the effects of spending a lifetime in a certain posture?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read more about high-power<\/a> and low-power<\/a> postures.<\/p>\n

And check out Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk<\/a>!<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>

2. Your posture can increase or decrease your cortisol levels.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The same 2010 study<\/a> tested the effects of power posing on cortisol levels. After two minutes, the high-power posers experienced a drop in cortisol, and the low-power posers experienced a rise in cortisol.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cortisol is a hormone that our body releases when we’re under stress. It can help us handle short-term stressors, like being physically attacked. Unfortunately, sustained high levels of cortisol\u2014which many of us experience as a result of ongoing psychological stress\u2014can contribute to a long list of health problems:<\/p>\n