Does Bad Posture Make You Look Fat?

Bad posture has to do a lot with your physical changes. Sitting or standing slouched is the sole reason behind your pains and internal suffering.

You will constantly need to relax by slumping and slouching on your chair or while performing tasks.

Try to look at yourself in the mirror and notice the changes your body experiences. Not only did you have a bad posture, but you also became a little overweight. The question may arise: "Does bad posture make you look fat?"

The answer is yes. Not only it makes you look fat, but it also makes it more difficult for you to lose weight in that area. Only fixing your entire posture can help you in reducing belly fat.

How Bad Posture Makes you Look Fat?

Unfortunately, people with lousy body postures have asymmetrical fat distribution throughout their bodies.

You may have seen people carrying out their bodies perfectly while being overweight or obese. This is because they have a natural and perfect body posture.

There are many reasons why bad postures can make you look fat and overweight; some include:

• Uneven fat spread on the belly
• Muscles are asymmetrical
• Upper body weight is unevenly distributed to the lower body

Lousy postures discourage your muscles from growing naturally. Some muscles will turn out short when they should be extended in that area, and vice versa.

This can happen to your neck muscles, spine muscles, or even your waist and hip muscles.

Now, talking about bad posture and belly fat. When you are slouched over while sitting or standing, your belly spreads out more, and you appear exhausted as well as defeated.

Also, sitting in a chair constantly while you are working, your waist and hip start to deform.

This usually happens because your lower body finds it difficult to carry the weight of your upper body.

The hips become more extensive, your belly comes out, and hence the whole weight pressure falls onto the hip and abdomen muscles.

Moreover, workers with 9-to-5 jobs have to sit the whole time without having any body movement.

All the fats get stored and accumulated around the abdominal area, making your belly look fatter and your body overweight.

Hence the doctors suggest maintaining a perfect and straight posture while sitting in front of the computers the whole day.

The body will get the signal to spread the upper body's entire weight evenly on your legs.

Also, when you are standing, keep your neck and spine straight. Make sure to align your shoulders evenly by pulling them back; this will help your lower body to suck in the excess belly fat.

Eventually, your body will look less fat and more straight.

Does Posture Affect Belly Fat?

When you are carrying a poor posture, it could cause an anterior pelvic tilt, which means that your pelvis leans forward.

When this occurs, the shape of your back muscle becomes more noticeable, your hips stick out, and your belly extends downwards, resulting in a bigger belly.

Moreover, when your glutes, hamstrings, or abdominal muscles are weak, you experience a bigger belly.

These muscle groups assist you in keeping a correct posture as well as a flatter belly by naturally pushing your hips backward.

The illusion of a bigger tummy is more than just a minor issue; when your pelvis tilts forward, you may suffer discomfort, pain, and tightness across your body.

Quick story

Some experts may argue that correct posture has nothing to do with belly fat. They believe that posture and belly fat are incoherent and have no connections.

The only reason your belly looks fat is because of the calorie you intake while sitting and slouching.

Furthermore, you will eventually gain weight if you keep sitting all day. Either your entire body will become more extended or only your belly area.

Since you are not indulged in any movement or activities, you will become overweight and obese.

However, that does not mean your correct posture will help you reduce belly fat. Posture belly forms when you sit in a slumped position, but sitting straight will not help your abdomen to cut off the fat.

Instead, it will only give you an illusion of a thinner belly.

Tips for Improving Posture and Reducing Belly Fat

Whether or not posture correction connects with belly fat is entirely up to people's assumptions.

However, if you are determined to fix your posture and reduce belly fat, then there are many ways you can imply:

1. Improve your sitting posture

Maintaining a decent sitting posture is highly beneficial. This will help you make your large hips and belly fat less visible and eventually reduce them by pushing them inside.

At first, create and maintain a 90-degree angle between your thighs, calves, and legs. Ensure your shoulders are straight and pulled back and your head upright.

In addition, your head, back, and heel should all be aligned for a straight sitting posture.

It would be best to have your feet flat on the floor. Along with that, ensure not to cross your legs or ankles while sitting.

If you find this exhausting or complicated, you may benefit from the assistance of a supportive chair to maintain a healthy and correct posture.

2. Fix your standing posture

A perfect and natural standing posture is a great way to prevent belly fat and big hips. Basically, this is known as the best posture to reduce belly fat.

The most common way to maintain proper standing posture is to ensure your chin is parallel to the floor.

Also, your shoulders should be pulled back, and your abdomen should be tucked in. This will discourage your belly from hanging out if you have a fat belly.

You can start practicing by standing straight against a wall. Make sure that your arms are naturally at your sides.

Also, ensure the back of your head, shoulders, and hips ultimately touch the wall. This way, you can gradually lose belly fat by including the procedures in your daily routine.

3. Exercises to fix your posture and eradicate belly fat

Apart from improving your sitting and standing posture, you can also do some exercises to improve your posture and reduce your belly fat.

Exercises like planks, squats, and stretches can help you maintain the perfect posture and reduce stomach fat.

One recommended exercise you can do is back extensions. Start by lying on your stomach with your arms by your sides and your palms up.

Then place your head on the floor and continue to look down as you contract your back muscles and lift your chest off the floor.

Now, lengthen through the top of your head, reaching your hands back toward your feet.

Afterward, spread your arms overhead so that your hands are lying on the floor before you.

Lift both legs as high as you can comfortably while keeping your arms and shoulders still and your legs slightly apart.

You can also try exercises like planks, where you have to lay on your back with your elbows right under your shoulders. Also, your hands need to be flat on the floor and your core engaged.

Now, slowly and gradually lift yourself up, keeping your forearms and knees on the floor until your body is straight from your knees to your head. The challenge is to maintain this position for as long as possible.

Once you ace this, you will notice your posture is natural and perfect, and also your belly fat has reduced.

Related post: Can good posture help you lose weight

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can bad posture make your stomach stick out?

Bad posture makes your stomach stick out because the upper body weight gets extremely hard for the abdomen to carry.

Along with that, when you slump in your chair, your spine and neck hunch a bit, giving the illusion that you are overweight.

Once you try correcting your posture, you will notice that your body has become more straight. This will help reduce your belly fat because the abdomen is getting the pressure to suck in the excess muscles inside.

Not only that, but the stomach muscles also get asymmetrical when you slouch because of the uneven distribution of muscle growth.

When should I see a physical therapist or chiropractor for my posture and belly fat?

Carrying a bad posture can affect a lot on your health. It deforms your body, and you may also have health issues in the future.

Even people with the habit of slouching or slumping may suffer various pains and injuries in their back and neck.

Once you realize that you cannot keep your spine straight and your shoulders aligned, understand that this is the time to consult a physical therapist.

Also, when you see that you have a well-maintained body, but your stomach is still coming out, understand that the posture made your belly look fat.

The physical therapist will guide you in improving your body posture and fixing your belly fat.

Conclusion

Bad postures can do much harm to your body, and gaining belly fat is one of them. If the issue of posture correction is not treated beforehand, you may experience more pain and suffering in the future.

This is why you can focus on fixing your sitting and standing posture by including exercises in your daily routine.

Moreover, avoid slouching or slumping at any point during your physical activities. Once you get accustomed to the procedure, you will end up having a great body.