Has anyone ever told you, "Stand up straight!" or scolded you for slouching at a family dinner? Comments like that might be annoying, but they're not wrong. Your posture, the way you hold your body when you're sitting or standing, is the foundation for every movement your body makes and can determine how well your body adapts to the stresses on it.
有沒有人曾跟你說過：「站挺!」或在家庭聚餐時因為你癱在那而責備你？像那樣的批評可能很煩，不過它們並沒有錯。你的姿勢，你坐著或站著時支撐身體的方式，是你身體所做的每個動作的基礎，而且能決定你的身體調適所承受壓力的能力。
These stresses can be things like carrying weight or sitting in an awkward position, and the big one we all experience all day every day: gravity. If your posture isn't optimal, your muscles have to work harder to keep you upright and balanced. Some muscles will become tight and inflexible; others will be inhibited. Over time, these dysfunctional adaptations impair your body's ability to deal with the forces on it. Poor posture inflicts extra wear and tear on your joints and ligaments, increases the likelihood of accidents, and makes some organs, like your lungs, less efficient.
這些壓力可能是像拿重物或以彆扭的姿勢坐著，還有一個我們每天承受的主要壓力：重力。如果你的姿勢並非最理想，你的肌肉就得更賣力地讓你保持直立和平衡。有些肌肉會變得緊繃且僵硬；其它肌肉則會受抑而變弱。隨時間過去，這些不正常的調整動作會損害你身體應付壓力的能力。姿勢不良會造成你關節和韌帶的額外磨損、增加發生意外的可能性，還會使一些器官，像你的肺，功能變差。
Researchers have linked poor posture to scoliosis, tension headaches, and back pain, though it isn't the exclusive cause of any of them. Posture can even influence your emotional state and your sensitivity to pain. So there are a lot of reasons to aim for good posture. But it's getting harder these days. Sitting in an awkward position for a long time can promote poor posture, and so can using computers or mobile devices, which encourage you to look downward.
研究者發現姿勢不良和脊椎側彎、緊張性頭痛以及背痛間的關連，雖然姿勢不良並非造成其中任一疾病的唯一成因。姿勢甚至能影響你的情緒及對疼痛的敏銳度。所以有很多理由要追求正確姿勢。不過現今要保持姿勢正確越來越困難。持續長時間不適的坐姿會造成姿勢不良，用電腦或行動裝置也會，那會促使你低頭看。
Many studies suggest that, on average, posture is getting worse. So what does good posture look like? When you look at the spine from the front or the back, all 33 vertebrae should appear stacked in a straight line. From the side, the spine should have three curves: one at your neck, one at your shoulders, and one at the small of your back. You weren't born with this S-shaped spine. Babies' spines just have one curve, like a "C." The other curves usually develop by 12 to 18 months as the muscles strengthen. These curves help us stay upright and absorb some of the stress from activities like walking and jumping.
許多研究顯示，平均來看，現代人的姿勢越來越不良。那麼正確的姿勢看起來是怎樣呢？當你從正面或背面看脊椎時，所有 33 塊脊椎骨應該看起來疊成一直線。從側面看，脊椎應該有三個弧度：一個在頸部、一個在肩部，而一個在你的腰椎部。你不是一出生就有這 S 形的脊椎。嬰兒的脊椎只有一個弧度，像 C 字一樣。其它弧度通常在 12 到 18 個月時發展，此時肌肉發育增強。這些弧度幫助我們站直並吸收一些像走路和跳躍的活動所造成的壓力。
If they are aligned properly, when you're standing up, you should be able to draw a straight line from a point just in front of your shoulders to behind your hip, to the front of your knee, to a few inches in front of your ankle. This keeps your center of gravity directly over your base of support, which allows you to move efficiently with the least amount of fatigue and muscle strain.
如果脊椎骨正確排列，當你站立時，你應該能畫一直線，從肩膀前的一點連到臀部後方，再到膝蓋前方，再連到腳踝前幾英吋的地方。這讓你的重心保持在支撐面正上方，使你能以最不疲憊且肌肉最放鬆的方式有效率地移動。
If you're sitting, your neck should be vertical, not tilted forward; your shoulders should be relaxed, with your arms close to your trunk; your knees should be at a right angle, with your feet flat on the floor. But what if your posture isn't that great? Try redesigning your environment. Adjust your screen so it's at or slightly below eye level. Make sure all parts of your body, like your elbows and wrists, are supported, using ergonomic aids if you need to. Try sleeping on your side with your neck supported and with a pillow between your legs. Wear shoes with low heels and good arch support. And use a headset for phone calls.
如果你坐著，你的脖子應該垂直，而非向前傾；肩膀應該放鬆，手臂向身體靠攏；你的膝蓋應該呈正確角度，腳平放地面。不過萬一你的姿勢沒有那麼正確該怎麼辦？試試重新規劃環境。調整螢幕讓它齊於或稍微低於視線高度。務必讓身體所有部位，像是手肘和手腕，都有支撐，如果你需要的話，使用符合人體工學的輔助器具。試著脖子有支撐著側睡，然後雙腿間夾一顆枕頭。穿低跟且有良好足弓支撐的鞋子。戴耳機講電話。
It's also not enough to just have good posture. Keeping your muscles and joints moving is extremely important. In fact, being stationary for long periods with good posture can be worse than regular movement with bad posture. When you do move, move smartly. Keep anything you're carrying close to your body. Backpacks should be in contact with your back, carried symmetrically.
另外只有正確姿勢還是不夠。讓你的肌肉和關節保持活動是非常重要的。事實上，以正確姿勢長時間維持不動可能比姿勢不良規律地動還糟。當你真的在動時，動得聰明。把你拿的任何物品靠近身體。背包應該接觸背部，對稱地背著。
If you sit a lot, get up and move around on occasion. And be sure to exercise. Using your muscles will keep them strong enough to support you effectively, on top of all the other benefits to your joints, bones, brain, and heart. And if you're really worried, check with a physical therapist, because yes, you really should stand up straight.
如果你很常坐著，偶爾起來走動一下。一定要運動。活動肌肉能維持肌肉強壯，足以有效率地撐起你，除此之外還有所有對關節、骨骼、腦部以及心臟的好處。如果你真的很擔心的話，向物理治療師諮詢，因為沒錯，你真的應該站挺。
