The benefits of good posture - Murat Dalkilinç

Translator: Sam-Haendell W. THOSIAC

Has anyone ever told you, "Stand up straight!"

Eske janm gen on moun ki di ou, “Kanpe dwat!”

or scolded you for slouching at a family dinner?

oubyen ki few rete fem nan on dine familyal ?

Comments like that might be annoying, but they're not wrong.

Komante konsa ka anniyan, men yo pa fo.

Your posture, the way you hold your body when you're sitting or standing,

posti ou, jan ou kenbe ko ou le ou chita oubyen kanpe,

is the foundation for every movement your body makes,

se fondasyon tout mouvman ke ko ou fe,

and can determine how well your body adapts to the stresses on it.

e ou ka determine koman ko ou adapte ak stres ki ladann yo.

These stresses can be things like carrying weight,

Stres sa yo ka bagay tankou leve pwa,

or sitting in an awkward position.

oubyen chita nan on posisyon biza.

And the big one we all experience all day every day: gravity.

e pi gwo a ke nou eksperimante Chak jou, gravite.

If your posture isn't optimal,

Si posti ou pa optimal,

your muscles have to work harder to keep you upright and balanced.

misk ou yo gen pou travay pi plis pou kenbe ko ou anle e byen balanse.

Some muscles will become tight and inflexbile.

Kek misk ap vin sere e enfleksib.

Others will be inhibited.

Lot yo ap vinn inibit.

Over time, these dysfunctional adaptations

Apre tan, adaptasyon disfunksyonel sa yo

impair your body's ability to deal with the forces on it.

enpe ak abilite ko a pou travay ak fos ki sou li a.

Poor posture inflicts extra wear and tear on your joints and ligaments,

Move posti enflije tiraj ak potaj anplis sou jwent ak ligaman yo,

increases the likelihood of accidents,

li fe grandi kantite aksidan ki ka rive yo,

and makes some organs, like your lungs, less efficient.

e fe kek ogan, tankou poumon, mwen efisyan.

Researchers have linked poor posture to scoliosis,

Recheche yo relye move posti ak skolyos,

tension headaches,

mo de tet,

and back pain,

ak doule nan do,

though it isn't the exclusive cause of any of them.

malgre li pa koz esklisif youn nan yo.

Posture can even influence your emotional state

Posti ka menm enfliyanse eta emosyonel ou

and your sensitivity to pain.

e sansibilite w pou doule.

So there are a lot of reasons to aim for good posture.

Alos gen anpil lot rezon pou ou cheche on bon posti.

But it's getting harder these days.

Men li vinn pi di denye jou sa yo.

Sitting in an awkward position for a long time can promote poor posture,

Chita se yon posisyon biza pou on lon moman ka promouvwa move posti.

and so can using computers or mobile devices,

e alos le ou ap itilize laptop ak mobil devis yo,

ki ankouraje ou gade anba.

which encourage you to look downward.

Many studies suggest that, on average, posture is getting worse.

Anpil etid sigjeste ke, an mwayen, posti a ap vin pi mal.

So what does good posture look like?

Donk ak kisa on bon posti sanble?

When you look at the spine from the front or the back,

Le ou gade kolonn vertebral la de devan oubyen deye,

all 33 vertebrae should appear stacked in a straight line.

tout 33 veteb yo ta sanble youn sou lot nan on liy dwat.

From the side, the spine should have three curves:

de kote yo, kolonn vetebral la ta dwe gen 3 koub:

one at your neck, one at your shoulders, and one at the small of your back.

Youn nan kou ou, youn nan epol ou, epi youn nan ti porch valiz do you a.

You aren't born with this s-shaped spine.

Ou pat fet ak kolonn vetebral from S.

Babies' spines just have one curve like a "c."

Kolonn vetebral bebe yo nik gen on koub tankou on c.

The other curves usually develop by 12-18 months

Lot koub yo nomalman develope nan zon 12-18 mwa

as the muscles strengthen.

pandan misk yo ap pran fos.

These curves help us stay upright and absorb some of the stress

Koub sa yo ede ou kanpe e absobe kek nan stres yo

from activities like walking and jumping.

de aktivite tankou mache ak sote.

If they are aligned properly,

Si yo byen aliye,

when you're standing up,

le ou ap kanpe,

you should be able to draw a straight line

ou te dwe rantre nan on pozisyon vetikal

from a point just in front of your shoulders,

de on pwen avan komansman epol ou,

to behind your hip,

jiska deye ren ou,

to the front of your knee,

pase devan jenou ou,

to a few inches in front of your ankle.

jiska kek inch devan cheviy ou.

This keeps your center of gravity directly over your base of support,

Sa kenbe sant gravity ou direkteman anle baz sipo w,

which allows you to move efficiently

sa ki pemet ou bouje efektivman

with the least amount of fatigue and muscle strain.

ak mwens fatigue ak doule nan misk.

Si ou ap chite, kou ou ta sipote vertical,

If you're sitting, your neck should be vertical,

not tilted forward.

pa plonje desann.

Your shoulders should be relaxed with your arms close to your trunk.

Epol ou ta sipote relaks ak bra ou pre twon ou.

Your knees should be at a right angle with your feet flat on the floor.

Jenou ou ta sipote nan on ang 90 degre ak pye ou plat ate a.

But what if your posture isn't that great?

Men kisa ki ap pase si posti ou pa dwat?

Try redesigning your environment.

Eseye redisiy environman ou.

Adjust your screen so it's at or slightly below eyelevel.

Ajiste ekran ou poul ka anba nivo vizyon zye ou.

Make sure all parts of your body,

Rete si ke tout pati nan ko ou,

like your elbows and wrists, are supported,

tankou koud ou ak pwanye ou sipote,

using ergonomic aids if you need to.

pandan wap itilize egomnomik ed si ou bezwen sa.

Try sleeping on your side with your neck supported

Eseye domi sou on kote ak kou ou sipote

epi on zorye nan mitan janb ou.

and with a pillow between your legs.

Wear shoes with low heels and good arch support,

Mete soulye ak semel ki pa two wo epi on bon nivo sipote nan ach yo,

and use a headset for phone calls.

e itilise on kask pou apel telefonik yo.

It's also not enough to just have good posture.

Li pa selman sifizan pou ou gen on bon posti.

Keeping your muscles and joints moving is extremely important.

Kenbe misk ou ak jwent ou an mouvman ekstreman enpotan tou.

In fact, being stationary for long periods with good posture

An efe, rete nan on station pou on lon moman ak bon posti

can be worse than regular movement with bad posture.

ka pi mal ke mouvman regile yo ak move posti.

When you do move, move smartly.

Le ou resi bouje, bouje entelijaman.

Keep anything you're carrying close to your body.

Kenbe nenpot sa ou ap pote pre ko ou.

Backpacks should be in contact with your back carried symetrically.

Sak yo dwe an kontak ak valiz ou pandanw wap potel simetrikalman.

If you sit a lot, get up and move around on occassion,

Si ou chita anpil, kanpe e mache on ti kal pa okasyon,

and be sure to exercise.

e rete si ke ou fe ekzesis.

Using your muscles will keep them strong enough to support you effectively,

Itilize misk ou ap kenbe yo ase fo pou sipote ou efektivman,

on top of all the other benefits to your joints, bones, brain and heart.

e anle tout lot benefits yo pou jwent ou, zo ou, sevo ou ak ke ou.

And if you're really worried, check with a physical therapist,

E si ou enkye tcheke ak terapis fisik ou a,

because yes, you really should stand up straight.

paske wi, ou ta dwe vreman kanpe dwat.