Hygiene and correct postures are very important in improving our physical appearance. Therefore, as we have learnt in first lesson, we should take care to maintain our personal hygiene, e.g. cleanliness of nails, teeth, hair, body etc. Also we should use correct postures in day-to-day activities thereby we can increase the efficiency and minimize accidents.

In this lesson, you are going to learn about the factors that affect the physical appearance and correct postures while doing daily activities correctly.

One day, the teacher of Health Science told the class that she wanted to appoint a monitor for the subject. Every body in the class suggested that Piumi was the most suitable. So the teacher asked Piumi to come forward. Piumi was seated straight, leaning on the back of her chair, with both feet steady on the ground and hands on her desk. She stood up moving her chair back without making a noise and walked directly to the front of the class with a smiling face. She stood straight in front of the class and everybody could see her cleanliness and the neatness of her dress. First she thanked everyone. At that moment every body could see her healthy white teeth. She had also combed and tied her hair neatly in a knot. Her nails were well-trimmed. She had an appropriate weight for her height. She always wore a smile on her face and it was obvious that she was concerned with her physical appearance.

‘‘Piumi is watchful of everything. She helps us a lot and advises us too.”

‘‘It was Piumi who taught us how to carry the chairs correctly. ”

‘‘Yes, she knows how to do them correctly. So she never falls sick and comes to school every day. ”

‘‘Teacher, therefore Piumi scores good marks in every subject.”

Piumi’s distinctive characteristics were:

Cleanliness
Proper maintenance of teeth, nails and hair
Cleanliness and neatness of books and the dress
Well-built • Smiling face and being happy
Following correct postures
Good health.

Correct posture always adds to the appearance.

Correct postures are the correct way we keep our body during a certain situation or activitiy. That means how we coordinate our head, body and limbs in day-to-day activities. In postures, the spine plays a very important and major role. It is important to maintain the balance when the spine bears weight.

Situations where we should maintain correct postures

1. Standing

2. Walking

3. Sitting

4. Lying

1. Correct Standing

The head and the spine should be straight.
Ear, shoulders, elbow, hip and ankle are in a vertical straight line.
Two feet are kept apart a little and both feet should bear weight equally.

There are several postures which we adopt in standing.

i) Stand at attention

ii) Stand at ease

iii) Stand ease

i) Stand at attention

Head, back and knees are straight, looking forward at the eye level.
Shoulders are parallel to the ground.
Hands are kept on either side of the body with fists clenched
The feet are kept in a “V” shape and heals touching each other.

We should stand at attention when we sing the national anthem or the school song or when the national flag is hoisted.

ii) Stand at ease

The head and the back are straight, looking forward at the eye level.
Shoulders are parallel to the ground.
The hands are kept at the back of the body with the right palm on the left and the fingers crossed-on each other.
The hands are pushed downwards as no space is visible between the elbows and the body.
Feet are kept apart and both feet bear weight equally (the gap between the two feet is approximately, equal to his or her shoulder breadth).

We normally, stand at ease in an assembly etc.

iii) Stand ease

The body is in a loose comfortable posture.
Hands are kept on either side of the body. The hands are folded a little at the elbows and kept at the waist line.
The body and limbs are relaxed.

This posture is taken when we have to stay long as in an assembly or a lecture.

2. Correct walk

The heel has to touch the ground first. Next the ball touches the ground and finally the toe.
The head and the body are straight and balanced, but relaxed.
The toes are directed forward in the direction we walk.
Hands are folded a little at the elbows, and moved forward and backward rhythmically with the left arm and right leg moving forward, and the right arm and left leg moving backward.
One sole always touches the ground.
The gap between each step is almost equal.

When we walk the correct posture must be maintained as above

3. Correct sitting

There are different postures for sitting. Let us first consider about sitting on a chair.

The head, shoulders and hips are in a vertical straight line.
The body is straight and leaning against the back of the chair.
The neck and the back are straight.
Hands are on thighs and if it is an arm chair, hands are kept on the arms. At school, both elbows are kept on the desk.
Hips, knees and ankles are bent at 90o at the joints .
Both feet are kept steady on the ground.

It is very important to use a chair suitable for the age in order to maintain this posture accurately.

When ever we sit, the correct posture must be maintained as above.

We engage in various activities in our day-to-day life; lifting and putting down heavy things, pushing, pulling etc. If we do not do these activities maintaining a correct posture, it can harm the spine, other bones and muscles of the body and affect our health.

What should we do when lifting and putting down a heavy object

We should select a weight that suits our capacity. Bend from the knees and lift the object while maintaining the balance of the body. When lifting and putting down, the heavy object should be kept as close to the body as far as possible. Both hands should be used to bear the weight.

Things we should not do when lifting something heavy.

Lifting the object keeping the knees straight.
Bending the body from the waist.
Using only one hand.

What should we do when pushing and pulling objects?

The legs should be kept in a way that it will help to balance the body. Both hands should be used. The object should be of movable weight.

Harmful effects of bad postures.

Muscles, bones and joints can be damaged.
Meet with accidents.
Bad postures in childhood can lead to above mentioned illnesses during early adulthood.
If you continue to adopt bad postures, you might get used to them and find it difficult to correct them.
Productivity and efficiency can decrease as a result.

Instances where bad postures can be seen in day-to-day activities.

When standing on one leg only one leg bears the weight of the body and both legs are not bearing the weight equally.
Hunching while walking and sitting.
Wearing high-heeled shoes.
When walking, keeping the toes directed inwards or outwards, rather than keeping them directed forwards.
At school, sitting only on a smaller area of the chair (because the other part of the chair is used to keep the bag).
Rocking the chair while being seated
Using inappropriate chairs when using the computer (simple chair without wheels is appropriate. If adjustable chairs are used, they should be adjusted properly).
Carrying a school bag of an unbearable weight (more than 10% of the body weight, and not carrying the bag on both shoulders).

Let us Learn More

Healthy school bag

Select Correctly

A bag pack that is healthy, with shoulder straps is most suitable for carrying heavy weights but causes minimal harm to ones body. The height of the back pack or the bottom of the bag should not be below the buttocks of the user.
The shoulder straps that are wide, well padded with adjustable buckles should be used. It will then cause minimum harm to the blood vessels and nerves on the neck and will fit the body tight.
A waist band should be present and it would help to keep the bag tight and also help the hip to bear additional weight.
There should be many compartments so that the weight could be distributed equally. wearing the back pack correctly
The weight of the bag It should be 10% of the childs weight. The weight should not exceed 15%.
pack the back pack correctly The heavier books should be closer to the back of the body and it should be packed in such away that the contents should not move about. The books should be packed according to the time table putting in books and material required for that day only.
wear the back pack properly Hang the bag on both shoulders. Tighten the straps so that the bag fits on the back tight. Fix the buckle of the waist band and tighten it properly. Don't allow the bag to hang loosely. The bottom of the bag chould not be more than four inches below the waist level.

Let us put it into practice

1. Give examples for various wrong postures of the following. Illustrate some of them.

standing
walking
sitting

2. Using the following criteria evaluate whether your school bag is healthwise suitable.

Now we know....

Personal hygiene and correct postures increase our physical appearance.

It is very important to follow correct postures when standing, walking, sitting and lying.We must follow correct postures in day-today activities such as lifting and lowering heavy objects and pushing and pulling objects.

Bad postures can cause accidents, damages and disabilities. Correct postures help to lead an efficient, healthy life.