【医疗健康】The benefits of good posture 保持好姿势的重要性

KK1029

演讲双语

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.

有没有人曾经告诉过你: 不要弯腰驼背，亦或是因为你在家庭晚餐的时候肩背佝偻而训斥你吗？但所谓忠言逆耳，他们并没有错。

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. 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.

姿势，也就是你掌控自己身体的方式，例如坐姿和站姿，不仅是你肢体做出每个动作的基础，也能决定你的身体能承受多大压力。这些压力可能来自于重物的搬运，或者不正确的坐姿。还有一项每天都在影响我们的: 万有引力。

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.

如果你的姿势不标准，你的肌肉需要更紧绷来保持身体的直立与平衡 一些肌肉将会变得紧绷而且僵硬，还有一些会被拘束从而让人不自在。随着时间流逝，这些功能失调，将会减弱你身体对外来压力的抵抗性。

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. 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.

不良的姿势会给你的韧带和关节增加额外负担，从而撕裂它们，也会增加事故发生的可能性，同时让某些器官的工作效率降低，比如肺。 研究证明，不正确的姿势可导致的症状有: 脊柱侧凸、神经紧张性头痛，以及背疼。尽管不良姿势这并不是这些症状的唯一诱因，姿势甚至可以影响你的精神状态，以及你对痛觉的敏感度。

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

所以保持好的姿势是很必要的。但最近保持好姿势越来越难了。长时间别扭的坐姿会进一步加重不良姿势，电脑和手机的使用也会有同样效果，因为电子产品会促使你向下看。很多研究表明，通常来讲，人们的姿势越来越糟糕。

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.

所以正确的姿势看起来是什么样的呢？当你从前方或者后方观察脊椎时，所有的33根脊椎骨看起来应该在同一条直线上。从侧面观察，脊柱应该有三个曲线：一个在脖子处，一个在肩膀处，还有一个小弯曲在背部。

You aren't born with this s-shaped spine. Babies' spines just have one curve like a "c." The other curves usually develop by 12-18 months as the muscles strengthen. These curves help us stay upright and absorb some of the stress from activities like walking and jumping.

这个S曲线不是与生俱来的。婴儿的脊椎只有一个弧度，就像字母C一样，其他的弯曲通常会在12-18个月发育成型，与肌肉力量的增长同步。这些弯曲帮助我们直立，并帮助我们分担一部分来自于走路和跳跃的压力。

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. 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.

如果对齐良好的话，当你站立时，你能够画上一条直线，从你的肩膀正前方，经过臀部的正后方，穿过膝盖的前方，直到你脚踝前方几英寸。这让你的重心正好在你的支撑面的正上方，让你能够更有效率的移动，同时减少了肌肉的绷紧与疲劳。如果你正坐着，你的脖子应当是竖直的，而不是向前倾斜；你的双肩应当放松，双臂靠近躯干；你的膝盖应在正确的角度 且脚掌平放接触地面。

But what if your posture isn't that great? Try redesigning your environment. Adjust your screen so it's at or slightly below eyelevel. 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. 不过万一你的姿势没有那么好呢？试着重新设定你所处的环境。调整你的屏幕，使其刚好或略低于你的平视视线。确保你身体的每一个部分，比如肘和腕关节，都有支撑物，必要的时候使用人体工程学的辅助设备。试着侧睡并让脖子得到支撑，以及双腿之间夹一个枕头，穿低跟或能支撑足弓的鞋，并用耳麦接电话。

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

但是，仅仅拥有好的姿势是不够的。保持关节和肌肉的持续运动是非常重要的。事实上，长时间以正确的姿势保持静止不动，甚至比用不好的姿势做寻常运动更糟糕，所以要明智的移动，保持你所搬运的人或物靠近你的身体。 背包需要对称地紧贴在背上。如果你长时间坐着， 每隔一段时间起身在周围走动一下。另外一定要锻炼，经常锻炼肌肉让它们保持强健， 以便于让它们更有效地为你服务。另外这对你的关节，骨骼，大脑以及心脏都有好处。而且如果你实在比较困扰，你可以去找理疗师做检查。因为你真的应该站直！

精选单词

scold   /skoʊld/   

n. 责骂；爱责骂的人   

vt. 骂；责骂   

vi. 责骂；叱责

slouch   /slaʊtʃ/

n. 下垂；笨拙的人，懒散的人；懒散的样子

vt. 使下垂

vi. 没精打采地站；耷拉

optimal   /ˈɑːptɪməl/

adj. 最佳的；最理想的

upright   /ˈʌpraɪt/

n. 垂直；竖立

adj. 正直的，诚实的；垂直的，直立的；笔直的；合乎正道的

impair    /ɪmˈper/

vt. 损害；削弱；减少

exclusive   /ɪkˈskluːsɪv/

n. 独家新闻；独家经营的项目；排外者

adj. 独有的；排外的；专一的

spine   /spaɪn/

n. 脊柱，脊椎；刺；书脊

align   /əˈlaɪn/

vt. 使结盟；使成一行；匹配

vi. 排列；排成一行

fatigue   /fəˈtiːɡ/

n. 疲劳，疲乏；杂役

adj. 疲劳的

vt. 使疲劳；使心智衰弱   vi. 疲劳

vertical    /ˈvɜːrtɪkl/

n. 垂直线，垂直面；垂直位置

adj. 垂直的，直立的

tilt   /tɪlt/

n. 倾斜；（意欲赢得某物或战胜某人的）企图，尝试

v. 倾斜，翘起；俯仰（摄影机）；以言词或文字抨击

trunk   /trʌŋk/

n. 树干；躯干；象鼻；汽车车尾的行李箱

adj. 干线的；躯干的；箱子的

vt. 把…放入旅行箱内