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LET’S TALK “POSTURE”
It is with great helplessness that I stare at pedestrians crossing while waiting on yet another red traffic light to turn green. Ever glanced into that window image to check how straight you are looking while walking? Or even standing?
I look at my clients as aerials – a tuned, straight aerial has a good signal and gives you a great picture. From the side I need to see a straight line running from the ear lobe, to the shoulder, to the hips, knees and ankles. From the back, it is important to see a straight line from shoulder to shoulder (not one that drops lower) and the cheek folds also need to be in alignment. There will be the natural curvatures – cervical and lumbar spine – which need to be neutral in alignment. In other words, do not try get rid of the curvature in your lower back or neck - those are supposed to be there and only becomes a problem if it’s too curved. In a balanced symmetrical position, your head sits on top of your spine, which houses the vital lifeline, the spinal cord.
Your body’s alignment or posture is the window into your spine. It tells you about your core strength, your balance. Bad posture does not merely belong to the sedentary or old or unfit. It transcends all demographics and affects people from all walks of life daily. It also knows no age limits. From birth to death, posture is one of the most important components to a healthy life and should not be neglected. Our peers always reprimand on straight walking or sitting without slouching. They knew the aerial had to be straight for a clearer picture.
So why then are we looking more and more at people with backache? Constant fatigue and lack of energy? Poor sleep patterns or insomnia? Headaches and migraines? Permanent damage to joints, muscles and ligaments? Arthritis? Impaired athletic performance? Pinched or trapped nerves? Decreased range of motion? Early degeneration of the spine? Jaw pain and sinus issues? Looking 10 kg fatter than what you are? Decreased lung capacity by up to 30%? Blood flow to the brain? Affects of hormonal health? Noisy mouth breathing, snoring and sleep apnea? Harmful effects to vision and hearing? Pain in your neck, shoulders or upper, lower or middle back? Lack of confidence? Dizziness, vertigo and balance issues? Burdened digestive system?
Your Forward Head Posture could be the cause of these problems above. A huge postural defect. When your head is pulled forward the additional pressure on your neck, shoulders and back rises dramatically causing serious tissue damage. When your head sits perfectly on your on your neck and shoulders, the body adapts naturally to holding the weight. So if you are sitting all day, or texting all day, our neck is pulled forward by your head and this puts pressure on the spine. A human head weighs 10 to 12 pounds. Take frequent breaks from your every day position, which will become a habit, which is much easier to create than to correct.
We are the creators of our own lives. You will become what you are all day. Being in a prolonged position most days for long periods, will lead to what you will be and bad posture is first on the list here. It becomes impossible to control. Our bodies react to what we programmed into our hard drives. This can vary from trauma, injury, stress, being sedentary and training methods. Your body also becomes very comfortable with being inactive and we see that we are just the sum of what we program ourselves to be.
Lack of movement as well as having poor ergonomics and sitting positions at work all lead to bad spinal health and an overall poor body. It is very seldom that bad posture is an unavoidable condition e.g. car accident or birth abnormality. Yet even then, we have the control over our physical body and we can work on these conditions without neglect.
Because of our lifestyles, extra care should be given with training programs to strengthen and lengthen the correct muscles, ligaments and tendons. If we look at the sitting position, the hip flexors are in a position which will eventually limit your anterior pelvic tilt which in turn contribute to postural problems. Training should concentrate on the posterior chain strength as well as trunk mobility. The chest area is a focus point to assist in the kyphotic and forward head posture. Muscle imbalance awareness, as well as the correction thereof, should be a focal point. Poor exercise technique can lead to compensatory patterns and thus injuries.
One movement to erase out of your training regime would be the sit-ups and crunches as these pull the chest even more forward and contribute to the rounded shoulders and extended neck. During this exercise the spine is not free to move as we are designed to do.
With compromised posture we open ourselves to all the previously mentioned conditions and problems. Good posture leads to efficient movement patterns. It also provides us with better health, enhanced sexual performance as well as a more youthful, tall appearance.
The success formula is yet again merely an easy mathematical sum – an active lifestyle plus good eating habits and ergonomics at work equals great posture and body alignment. This leads to a great picture!
And please, ensure that your fitness sessions are done with correct form and neutral body alignment. It pays at the end of the day to invest in a well qualified trainer to keep an eye on your execution of movement. Only then training can add years, youth and health to your life!
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