Good posture is more than just standing tall; it’s a crucial aspect of overall health and well-being. Proper alignment of the body can prevent pain, improve physical performance, and boost confidence.

Good posture involves maintaining the natural curves of the spine: the cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), and lumbar (lower back) curves. When these curves are in their natural alignment, the muscles surrounding the spine are balanced and support the body effectively.

Benefits of Good Posture

Reduced Back Pain: Poor posture can lead to chronic back pain by putting undue stress on the spine and surrounding muscles. Correcting your posture helps distribute weight evenly, reducing strain on the back.

Fewer Headaches: Tension headaches often stem from poor posture, particularly from slouching, which increases muscle tension in the neck.

Improved Breathing: Proper posture allows the diaphragm to move more freely, enhancing lung capacity and improving breathing.

Enhanced Digestion: Sitting or standing correctly can aid in better digestion by preventing compression of the abdominal organs.

Increased Confidence: Standing tall with good posture can boost your self-esteem and make you appear more confident.

In Vedic traditions, posture is not only about physical alignment but also about spiritual and mental well-being.

According to Ayurveda, good posture facilitates the free flow of prana (life energy) throughout the body. When the spine is aligned, energy channels (nadis) are open, promoting overall vitality and health.

Mental Clarity: The Bhagavad Gita emphasizes the importance of sitting with a straight spine during meditation to achieve mental clarity and focus. This posture helps in maintaining a calm and centered mind.

Spiritual Connection: In yoga, maintaining good posture is essential for spiritual practices. Asanas such as parvatasana, padmasana, vrikshasana etc.are designed to prepare the body for meditation by ensuring that the spine is straight and the body is relaxed.

Here are some tips for maintaining a good posture

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and weight evenly distributed. Keep your shoulders back and relaxed, and your head level, with your ears aligned over your shoulders.
• Sit with your back straight and shoulders back. Your buttocks should touch the back of your chair. Keep your feet flat on the floor and avoid crossing your legs.
• Use a mattress that supports the natural curve of your spine. Avoid sleeping on your stomach, as it can cause neck strain. Instead, sleep on your back or side with a pillow between your knees.

A few exercises to improve your posture are

Bridges: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips by engaging your core and gluteal muscles. Hold for a few seconds, then lower back down.

Planks: Get into a push-up position but rest on your forearms. Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels. Hold this position to strengthen your core, shoulders, and back

Chin Tucks: Sit or stand with your back straight. Pull your chin back towards your neck, creating a double chin. Hold for a few seconds and release. This exercise strengthens the neck muscles and improves alignment.

Move Frequently: Avoid staying in one position for too long. Take breaks every 20-30 minutes to stretch and move around.

Adjust Your Workspace: Ensure your desk and chair are at the correct height. Your computer screen should be at eye level to prevent neck strain.

Mind Your Posture: Regularly check your posture throughout the day. Use reminders or apps to help you maintain good posture habits.

By incorporating these tips and exercises into your daily routine, you can improve your posture, reduce pain, and enhance your overall health and confidence.

Remember, good posture is a lifelong commitment, but the benefits are well worth the effort.

So sit and stand tall, live long !!

Your date of birth indicates your chronological age, but it may not reflect the actual picture of how your body is ageing. According to Dr Prateek Sharma, professor of medicine at the University of Kansas, simple measures like grip strength, walking speed and VO₂ max could help assess a person’s biological age and life span.

Speaking at a session on Longevity in the Indian Context: Diet, Supplements and Myths, Sharma said the focus is gradually shifting from simply asking how long people live to how many years they can remain healthy and functional.

He said, “Soon, biological age will be measured through indicators such as epigenetics, grip strength, gait and VO2 max, rather than chronological age.”

Biological Age Is Not Equal To Actual Age

Chronological age is the number of years that passed since you were born. Biological age, on the other hand, captures how your well body is functioning as years pass and how quickly it may be ageing.

Two people who are both 50 may have very different levels of muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness, metabolic health, and mobility.

Factors That Shape Healthy Ageing

Dr. Sharma says that apart from genes, lifestyle and environment factors play a key role in healthy ageing.

He said, “Genes are important. Genes load the gun, but environment and lifestyle are the ones that pull the trigger as well.”

He added that factors including diet, sleep, physical activity and environment can substantially influence healthy ageing.

Also read: French Court Links Flight Attendant’s Breast Cancer To Workplace Radiation; How Does Flying Increase Cancer Risk?

What Grip Strength Can Tell About Your Biological Age?

Lower grip strength has often been associated with conditions including frailty and sarcopenia. Additionally, research has linked poor grip strength with higher risks of hospitalisation and mortality.

A 2024 review described handgrip strength as a potentially useful health biomarker, although the measurement also needs to account for factors like age, sex and complete body size.

It is important to note that there is no single grip-strength number that can tell everyone their biological age.

Also read: Study Finds The Wealthiest Americans Had Higher Mortality Than The Poorest Europeans

Walking Speed Can Measure Healthy Ageing

The way a person walks can also provide signs about their physical function. Gait speed reflects how multiple systems work together. These systems include muscle strength, balance, coordination, cardiovascular fitness and neurological function.

A slow walking pace can therefore sometimes be an early sign of declining physical function and poor biological age.

Despite promising findings, expert caution that mobility tests are not sureshot ways for predicting lifespan. They are better considered as screening tools that can alert doctors to possible health issues that require further assessment.

Auriel Willette, an expert in brain ageing from Rutgers University said, “A poor or declining result is a reason for a health professional to investigate why function is changing, rather than gauging how long someone will live.”

Grip strength and gait are greatly influenced by age, body composition, injuries, neurological conditions, physical activity, overall fitness, and other lifestyle factors. A temporary decline may not necessarily mean a person is ageing rapidly.

Doctors can potentially use these findings to measures the loss of strength or mobility early. It could help them decide when interventions like exercise, nutrition and treatment of underlying health problems may help.

For years, people trying to lose weight have been told that slow and steady is the safest and most sustainable approach. But a new study is challenging that long-standing advice.

Researchers found that losing weight more quickly may actually lead to greater weight loss that can be maintained over time.

The findings, presented at the European Congress on Obesity 2026, followed 284 adults with obesity, around 90% of whom were women. Researchers compared a rapid weight-loss method with a more gradual approach.

What Did The Study Find?

During the first 16 weeks, participants in the rapid weight-loss group followed a low-calorie diet that started below 1,000 calories a day and gradually increased to around 1,500 calories. The gradual-loss group consumed approximately 1,400 calories a day.

Those in the rapid-loss group lost an average of 12.9% of their body weight during the first 16 weeks, compared with 8.1% among those following the gradual approach. But the researchers were particularly interested in what happened after the initial weight-loss phase.

Both groups subsequently entered a 36-week weight-maintenance program, receiving regular support and guidance on maintaining healthy eating habits.

After one year, the rapid-loss group had still lost more weight overall, averaging 14.4% of their starting body weight, compared with 10.5% in the gradual-loss group.

Also read: Meniscus Tears: Why Runners & Athletes Shouldn't Ignore This Common Knee Injury

Does This Mean Fast Weight Loss Is Better?

The study challenges the idea that rapid weight loss automatically leads to weight regain. It does not mean people should drastically cut back calories or attempt crash diets.

HealthandMe spoke to Dr Rajiv Kovil, Diabetes & Obesity Specialist, S L Raheja Hospital, to understand which approach is truly sustainable for long-term weight loss.

He says, “Scientifically, this reinforces an important concept: the speed of initial weight loss and the sustainability of weight loss are not necessarily opposites. Larger early weight loss may provide metabolic benefits, improve mobility and motivation, and give patients a greater “weight-loss buffer” before biological pressures favouring regain become prominent.”

One of the most important details is that the rapid-loss programme was structured and professionally supervised, with consistent support after the initial weight-loss period.

He further explains, “This was rapid, medically structured weight loss—not unsupervised crash dieting. Participants received continued behavioural and weight-regain-prevention support. Moreover, the results are currently reported from a conference presentation rather than a fully peer-reviewed publication, and body-composition and energy-expenditure data were not reported.”

Dr Kovil goes on to say that truly sustainable weight loss should never revolve around the number of kilograms lost.

He said, “The message therefore is not “faster is always better.” It is that obesity treatment should move away from an arbitrary obsession with the rate of kilograms lost.”

Dr Marie Spreckley of the University of Cambridge said the study involved an intensive intervention with frequent professional support, meaning the results may not necessarily translate to unsupervised dieting in everyday life.

Dr Dimitrios Koutoukidis of the University of Oxford also cautioned that the study was based on limited data from a conference abstract and mostly involved women.

Also read: Walking Becomes Harder With Age Not Just Due To Weaker Muscles; Study Says Your Ankles May Be To Blame Too

Why Slow Weight Loss Has Been Recommended?

The traditional argument is that gradual weight loss is easier to maintain and may reduce the risk of losing muscle or encourage weight regain.

But experts say the new findings suggest the speed of weight loss itself may not be the main factor determining whether weight comes back. What may matter more is what happens after the weight comes off.

Dr Adam Collins of the University of Surrey noted that metabolic adaptation and reductions in lean mass appear to relate more closely to the total amount of weight lost than simply how quickly it was lost.

Dr Kovil concludes, “In obesity medicine, the real endpoint is not how slowly you lose weight—it is how safely you lose fat, preserve muscle and maintain the metabolic benefit. Sustainability is determined less by the speed of weight loss and more by the quality and continuity of long-term treatment.”

If there is something common to active individuals, then it is the habit of downplaying knee pain as "just a strain." Runners complete races despite feeling some discomfort, weekend football enthusiasts freeze their knees and return to the game, while fitness lovers believe that the pain will go away after a few days of rest.

Sometimes the pain fades away. Yet sometimes it remains, showing signs of a meniscus tear, one of the most common knee injuries among active individuals.

What Is A Meniscus Tear?

The meniscus is a semi lunar ‘C’ shaped fibrocartilage structure that acts as a shock absorber between the thigh bone and the shin bone. The meniscus cushions the knee and stabilizes the joint every time the person runs, jumps, squats, or turns.

In case of awkward knee twisting (especially when the foot is firmly pressed to the ground), the meniscus can be torn. Such injury can be often found in sports such as football, basketball, tennis, and badminton, as well as among leisure runners.

Also read: Walking Becomes Harder With Age Not Just Due To Weaker Muscles; Study Says Your Ankles May Be To Blame Too

What Happens If You Keep Running On A Torn Meniscus?

Many people mistakenly believe that a meniscus tear is always accompanied by severe pain. In reality, many people will continue running or playing after the injury as the symptoms are manageable at first. Patients may experience swelling within the same day, pain when going up the stairs, or experiencing the knee catching or being unable to completely straighten. These are the red flags that should be addressed, and not ignored.

Disregarding any of these symptoms can be detrimental. Continuing to stress the damaged knee may lead to aggravating the tear and putting more strain on the adjacent cartilage, thus increasing chances of developing early osteoarthritis. The sooner the injury is diagnosed, the higher chances a person receives help with preserving the meniscus, which is extremely important for the knee function for many years.

Also read: What Is Zone 2 Cardio? The Workout Everyone Is Talking About

Does Every Meniscus Tear Need Surgery?

Treatment performed in each case is not identical. Minor tears may be treated with physiotherapy, modification of a person’s lifestyle, and specific exercises aimed at making the muscles supporting the knee stronger. Severe tears or ones that cause recurrent locking or instability of the joint require certain surgical intervention like arthroscopic repair or balancing.

Probably, the most disregarded part of the process of healing is rehabilitation. Pain can go away before the knee gets its strength back, and that is the reason for many athletes getting injured again. A systematic return to activity helps to promote optimal healing for the knee.

When Should Athletes Seek Medical Advice?

If you are someone who likes to run or play sport, knee pain should never be an issue that becomes accepted. Often your body can let you know when there is something wrong. Paying attention to those early signs and being quick to seek medical advice can mean the situation can be managed properly.

By Dr. Attique Vasdev, Vice Chairman, Orthopaedics, Medanta Gurugram