Stand Up Straight

Standing and sitting up straight with good posture has a multitude of benefits.

I was walking in my neighborhood today and saw someone I know slumped over. At first, I thought maybe something was wrong. A few moments later they walked away, and they seemed fine.

When I saw them, it immediately reminded me to stand up straight.

I know many people have reasons why their posture is slumped over or otherwise not ideal. But so many of us, including myself, slouch or hunch despite having nothing wrong with us making us do so. I catch myself doing it all the time.

Vanity is the reason I began to consciously remember to stand up straight.

A while back I was chatting with a friend and he suddenly stood up straighter while mentioning he tries to stand up straight because it makes him look thinner.

I had never thought of that. We were both standing in front of a storefront window in which we could see our reflections. I stood up straighter, glanced in the window, and thought to myself “Wow, he’s right. I look thinner.”

Wanting to look thinner shouldn’t necessarily be the reason to stand up straight and have better posture, but I’m human and that was the push I needed to do it.