Kids are generally not conscious of things like their posture, clothing and other habits. They have to be constantly reminded not to slouch and do things that can end up hurting them. Good posture is very important for kids, it not only allows them to look confident, but it also helps them avoid injuries, bone misalignments or any other issues.

Many things can affect their posture - injuries, weak muscles, and even their genes can play a role. But what kids do every day matters a lot as well. Sitting hunched over while playing video games, carrying a backpack that's too heavy, or getting hurt during sports can all make their posture bad. Good posture helps kids avoid pain and enjoy activities. So, it's important to help them learn good habits when they are young.

Here are some yoga poses that can help your child fix their bad posture and ensure a good foundation for them to grow.

Bridges Pose

This exercise makes the muscles in the bottom and lower back strong. Strong muscles help kids stand up straight. Have your child lie on their back with their knees bent. Then, tell them to slowly lift their bottom off the floor. Make sure they breathe in while lifting and breathe out while lowering. You can make it fun by having them count out loud or blow air while they lower their bottom. This helps them learn to control their muscles.

Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

This pose is like standing like a mountain, strong and tall. It teaches kids how to stand with their bodies in a good line. Start by standing with feet flat on the floor, like roots going into the ground. Feel the weight evenly spread out on both feet. Then, tighten the muscles in the legs, and make the spine grow tall, like the trunk of a tree.

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

This pose is like a cobra lifting its head, and it helps open the chest and make the back stronger. It's a bit harder than some other poses, so kids should be careful. To do it, start by lying on the stomach, then slowly push up with the forearms. Lift the chest off the floor, like a cobra rising up. It's important to go slowly and stop if there's any pain in the back.

Downward-Facing Dog Yoga Pose

This yoga pose helps stretch and strengthen many muscles. It helps the core, hips, and shoulders. Have your child start on their hands and knees. Then, tell them to lift their hips up and back. They should make a shape like an upside-down "V". Tell them to hold this position for a few seconds and remember to breathe normally. This pose helps them become flexible and strong.

Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

When done correctly, this yoga pose can help you fix bad posture and strengthen your back and chest muscles. Imagine your body making the shape of a bow. To do this pose safely, it's important to warm up your body first. This helps prevent any injuries. Bow pose is powerful for improving posture, and helping to open up the chest and shoulders.

We spend a lot of time worrying about skin, hair, weight, and even gut health, but we often ignore our joints.

We depend on our joints for every step, squat, staircase climb, and grocery run. Knees alone absorb forces several times body weight during ordinary activities. Globally, an estimated 595 million people were living with osteoarthritis in 2020, roughly 1 in 13 people on the planet, and a 132% increase in total cases since 1990. Alarmingly, many of us are making lifestyle choices that place unnecessary stress on our joints long before we hit our forties or fifties.

While ageing is the main cause of joint pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility, these issues are increasingly showing up in younger adults, too.

Here are five common habits that could be quietly working against your joint health.

Mistake #1: Improper Footwear Choices

It is really important that your footwear has adequate cushioning or support. The impact of every step travels upward through your ankles, knees, hips, and lower back. Your footwear plays the role of a shock absorber. Gradually, repetitive stress placed on your feet contributes to discomfort, especially if you spend long hours standing, walking, commuting, or exercising.

It is important to choose footwear that suits your activity level. If you exercise regularly, make sure your shoes match the type of movement you are doing, and replace them once the support wears out.

Mistake #2: Going All-In on Cardio and Calisthenics Without Guidance

Social media has made fitness more accessible than ever. It's also convinced a lot of people that every workout needs to be intense. High-volume jumping drills, excessive running, deep-impact movements, and advanced calisthenics performed without proper progression can overload joints, tendons, and ligaments. Unlike muscle, the cartilage cushioning your joints has no blood supply and very limited ability to repair itself once damaged, which is why overuse injuries can have lasting consequences rather than simply healing with time.

Joint problems are often linked to poor exercise choices, but inadequate recovery can also impact them. Not giving enough rest, nutrition, or recovery time causes tissues to suffer due to the stress being placed on them, leading to aches, pains, and overuse injuries.

Focus on gradual progression, proper technique, adequate recovery, and a balanced routine that includes strength training, mobility work, and rest days.

Mistake #3: Constantly Cracking Your Knuckles and Joints

While knuckle cracking is not directly responsible for arthritis, habitual and forceful joint manipulation can irritate surrounding soft tissues and become a repetitive stress habit over time.

Medical attention may be required if cracking is accompanied by pain, swelling, locking, or instability.

Mistake #4: Ignoring the Nutrition Side of Joint Health

Many diets fall short on two nutrients that matter a lot for musculoskeletal health: calcium and vitamin D. Calcium builds and maintains bone strength. Vitamin D helps the body absorb and use it. Inadequate intake of either results in weaker bones, in turn causing poor joint health. Excess body weight adds another layer to this. Not just as an added mechanical load on the joints, but because fat tissue actively releases inflammatory compounds that can accelerate cartilage breakdown. This makes joint health a metabolic issue, not just a structural one.

Calcium sources include milk, yoghurt, paneer, cheese, ragi, sesame seeds, tofu, almonds, and green leafy vegetables. Vitamin D sources include safe sunlight exposure, egg yolks, fatty fish, and fortified dairy products.

Mistake #5: Sitting for Most of the Day

Long hours at a desk, extended scrolling sessions, and prolonged sitting can weaken the muscles that support the joints. This leads to stiffness, poor posture, and mobility issues. Inactivity can also set off a compounding cycle: as joints become less stable and more uncomfortable, people tend to move less to avoid pain, which leads to further muscle weakening, reduced joint support, and faster deterioration over time. Standing up regularly, taking walking breaks, stretching between meetings, and using the stairs keep joints mobile and well-supported.

The Bottom Line

Joint health is the result of small decisions made consistently over time: the shoes you wear, how you exercise, what you eat, and how much you move. Most joint problems don't appear overnight, and many of the habits that lead to them can be corrected before they become long-term issues.

(Dr. Deepak Gautam - Sr. Consultant Orthopedic & Robotic Joint Replacement Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai)

A new study has uncovered how physical activity can help aging muscles repair themselves, explaining why regular exercise remains one of the most powerful tools for healthy aging physiologically.

Exercise Can Help Reverse Muscle Aging: Study

Researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School, working with collaborators from Singapore General Hospital and Cardiff University, found that exercise retains and restores a natural cellular repair system that usually weakens with age.

Their findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), identify a gene called DEAF1 as a muscle aging element, suggesting it could become useful in therapies for preventing age-related muscle loss.

About The Study

Muscles are essential for regulating metabolism, blood sugar levels, and supporting overall health. However, muscle strength begins to decline as you age, increasing the risk of falls, fractures, and slower recovery from illness or injury.

A cellular growth pathway called mTORC1 plays an important role in maintaining healthy muscles by regulating protein production. But in aging muscles, this pathway becomes overworked.

According to the study, DEAF1 levels increase as muscles age, driving excessive mTORC1 activity and disrupting the balance between building new proteins and clearing away damaged ones. This accelerates muscle deterioration.

Under normal conditions, DEAF1 is kept under control by proteins known as FOXO. However, FOXO activity naturally declines with age, allowing DEAF1 levels to rise unchecked and reduce the muscle's ability to repair itself.

Read more: Bryan Johnson's Autoimmune Gastritis Sheds Light On Iron Deficiency In Americans

Exercise Restores Muscle Health

Exercise can reverse this imbalance significantly if the muscles are still optimal and responsive.

Assistant Professor Tang Hong-Wen, lead author of the study from Duke-NUS Medical School said, “Exercise can reverse this process, correcting the imbalance. Physical activity activates certain proteins which lower DEAF1 levels, bringing the growth pathway back into balance. This allows aging muscles to clear out damaged proteins, rebuild themselves properly, and help them stay stronger and more resilient.”

The researchers believe the results extend beyond normal aging. DEAF1 also affects muscle stem cells, which are responsible for repairing damaged tissue but naturally become less effective with age.

Targeting the gene could potentially improve muscle recovery after surgery, illness, or conditions such as cancer, particularly in people who are unable to exercise.

“Exercise tells muscles to 'clean up and reset.' Lowering DEAF1 helps older muscles regain strength and balance, almost like hitting the rewind button. With millions of older adults at risk of muscle decline, understanding DEAF1 could lead to new ways to protect muscles and improve quality of life,” said Priscillia Choy Sze Mun, first author of the study.

Healthy muscles are essential for far more than movement. They help maintain balance, support metabolism, regulate blood sugar, and enable people to stay independent as they age.

The study also confirms that regular exercise not only strengthens muscles but also helps retain their ability to repair themselves at the cellular level. In short, staying physically active remains one of the most effective ways to protect muscle health and promote healthy aging.

Cardio has long been the gold standard for heart health, while yoga is often seen as a way to enhance flexibility or relieve stress. This has led to a debate over which is better for overall health.

On the 12th International Yoga Day 2026, HealthandMe turned to experts to understand the ultimate regimen for heart and overall health.

Is the Debate Warranted?

Dr. V Mohan, Chairman of Dr. Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, told HealthandMe that yoga and cardio exercises provide a lot of health benefits.

Rather than viewing yoga and cardio as competing options, they should be seen as complementary forms of exercise, he said.

Dr. Sudhir Kumar, Senior Consultant Neurologist at the Institute of Neurosciences, Apollo Hospitals, echoed a similar view, noting that the debate between yoga and cardio is often framed incorrectly because they are not competing interventions and offer complementary benefits.

Yoga vs Cardio

The experts explained that both forms of exercise work in different ways.

Brisk walking, running, cycling, jogging, and swimming are cardio exercises that help improve cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, and calorie burning.

On the other hand, yoga focuses mainly on balance, strength, flexibility, stress management, and emotional well-being.

Dr Sudhir told HealthandMe that aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, running, cycling, or swimming, has the strongest evidence for improving cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂ max), reducing cardiovascular risk, enhancing insulin sensitivity, and lowering the risk of diabetes, heart attack, and stroke.

Dr Mohan added that yoga helps improve balance, strength, flexibility, stress management, and emotional well-being. Chronic stress can increase cortisol levels, and elevated cortisol levels can cause uncontrolled blood sugar levels and may contribute to weight gain. Yoga helps address these issues while improving overall quality of life.

What Is An Ideal Fitness Regimen?

Dr Mohan said an ideal fitness regimen should include both cardio exercises for metabolic and cardiovascular health, and yoga for stress management, boosting self-esteem, and long-term sustainability.

Dr Sudhir said that for overall health, neither should be viewed as a substitute for the other. Current scientific evidence supports a combination approach: regular aerobic exercise for heart and metabolic health, strength training for musculoskeletal health, and yoga for flexibility, recovery, and stress management.

"The best exercise is ultimately the one that is sustainable and becomes a lifelong habit," he said.

Both Have an Important Role

Vadodara-based cardiologist Dr Pruthvirajsinh Puwar, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, shared that both play an important role.

"Cardio activities like walking, running, or cycling help strengthen the heart muscle, improve blood circulation, and control weight. Yoga, on the other hand, helps reduce stress, improve breathing, balance blood pressure, and calm the nervous system," he said in an Instagram post.

He suggested combining both — regular physical activity for strength and yoga for balance and relaxation.

How Yoga Benefits Heart Health

Several studies have claimed the benefits of yoga for reducing the risk of hypertension, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, which are key to reducing health risks as well as improving overall health.

One of yoga's most significant benefits for heart health is its ability to promote relaxation of both the body and mind. Emotional stress triggers the release of hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which can constrict blood vessels and raise blood pressure. Through controlled breathing and mindfulness, yoga can help counter these stress-related effects.

Feelings of anxiety and depression are also common after major cardiac events, including a heart attack, bypass surgery, or a diagnosis of heart disease. When incorporated into a broader treatment plan, yoga can support stress management and emotional well-being during recovery.