Sit Up Straight

“SIT UP STRAIGHT”

How many of you have been told that at least once in your life?

I know I have.

Parents.

Grandparents.

Teachers.

PE teachers.

Physiotherapists.

Chiropractors.

Pretty much everyone, especially when I was younger.

Because I looked like this! 

No matter what I tried, I always ended up back here! 

Now, how long were you actually able to sit up straight for?

If I’m honest, it takes me only maybe twenty or thirty seconds before I would return to this posture. 

I used to think that was just laziness or maybe even weakness. 

Or maybe a lack of discipline.

I think many of us assume that. We know what we’re supposed to do. We just don’t do it; it's too hard! 

But over the years I’ve started looking at posture from a completely different perspective.

Instead of thinking about muscles, I’ve started thinking about the nervous system (brain and nerves), because ultimately it’s our nervous system that controls our outputs.

And once you look at posture through that lens, you realise why “sit up straight” almost never works in the long run.

If I give you an example from my office recently. 

A young woman came in after starting her first office job.

She’d done everything people tell you to do.

She bought the ergonomic chair.

Got a sit-stand desk.

Had an ergonomic assessment.

Raised her monitor.

Adjusted her keyboard.

Set reminders on her phone to get up and move.

She even bought one of those posture harnesses.

And one of the little posture zappers that buzz every time you slouch.

She’d seen chiropractors.

Physiotherapists.

Massage therapists.

An osteopath.

An acupuncturist.

Every intervention helped.

For a while.

But somehow she always ended up back in the same position.

I don’t think that’s because she wasn’t trying.

I think her nervous system simply kept returning to the position it trusted, to the position it felt it was safe in. 

This is the way I think about it.

We’re trying to change the output without changing the input.

“Sit up straight” is an output instruction.

But your nervous system is organising your posture based on the information it’s receiving from the environment around you.

If those inputs don’t change…

Why would the output?

It’s picking this position as the most appropriate based on the information it is getting from your environment. 

Think about breathing.

If I asked you to slow your breathing down, you probably could.

You’d take a slower breath.

Then another.

Then another.

But what happens when you stop thinking about it?

You go straight back to breathing the way you were before.

Why?

Because you haven’t changed the reason you were breathing faster in the first place.

Maybe you’re anxious.

Maybe you’re stressed.

Maybe you’re unfit.

Maybe there’s something physiological going on.

Whatever the reason, until you change the input, your body keeps returning to its default.

Posture works in much the same way.

One thing people often don’t realise is how closely posture and breathing are connected.

The muscles around the top of the rib cage are involved in every breath you take.

When your breathing speeds up, those muscles start working harder.

They tighten.

Over time that can begin pulling the head forwards.

Again, that’s the output.

The interesting question is what changed the breathing in the first place?

There was one study that really made me stop and think about this.

Researchers looked at 160 people.

Half had a more forward head posture.

Half had a more typical head position.

They weren’t just measuring posture.

They also looked at autonomic nervous system function.

The group with more forward head posture showed greater sympathetic nervous system activity.

In other words, they were spending more time in what we think of as a fight, flight or freeze state.

Now, I’m extrapolating a little here.

The study doesn’t prove one causes the other.

But I don’t think that’s the most interesting part.

The interesting part is that posture and nervous system state appear to be closely linked.

Maybe posture isn’t just mechanical.

Maybe it’s part of a much bigger system.

Here’s something I’d like you to try over the next day.

The next time you get an email from your boss asking for something urgently…

Notice your body.

The next time someone cuts you off in traffic…

Notice your body.

Your toddler starts screaming.

Your kids are arguing.

You’re thinking about a relationship that’s becoming stressful.

Notice your body.

Do your shoulders come up?

Does your jaw tighten?

Does your breathing change?

Does your head drift forwards?

You didn’t consciously choose any of that.

Your nervous system did.

Your brain changed its assessment of the environment.

Your posture simply followed.

Maybe the goal isn’t to sit up straight.

Maybe the goal is to help your nervous system feel safe enough that good posture becomes the position it naturally adopts.

Next week I’ll talk about one of the biggest inputs your brain is constantly paying attention to.

Your eyes.

And why they might be running your posture more than you realise.

Disclaimer: This article is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered individual medical advice. If you have persistent pain, neurological symptoms, or concerns about your health, please consult an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Dr. Paul Whatling
Move. Focus. Flow.