Posture Perfect
“Sit up straight.” Your parents probably told you this. We place little importance in our posture other than it makes us look better. Posture has a massive impact not only on your health and longevity but also your physical and mental performance.
Correct posture is achieved when you use mostly ligaments against gravity as opposed to muscle. With poor posture one uses muscle to oppose gravity, resulting in fatigue and over time, spinal decay.
The 13 Core Elements:
1. Stay as mobile as possible. The human body was not designed to sit for long periods. The 20/20 rule means that after sitting for 20 minutes you should take a 20 second break by standing up, stretching, or moving your eyes.
2. Perform spinal hygiene exercises daily (attend the wellness workshop to find out what this is).
3. Exercise your core muscles regularly.
4. Avoid crossing your legs. If you find it more comfortable to cross your legs, there is a strong possibility you have a misaligned pelvis. If you must cross your legs, do it equally on both sides, preferably at the heels.
5. Avoid slouching. Again, if you find this more comfortable, it is a strong indication your posture is in need of help. Keep your shoulders back and your lower stomach tucked in. Your ears should be over your shoulders. Having your head forward is very common, and the damage to your health is devastating.
6. Assess your own posture by looking at yourself in a full-length mirror. Do your ears and shoulders look level? How about your pelvis? Place your hands on top of your hips and look if they are even.
7. Have a friend look at you from the side. The middle of your knee, hip, shoulder and ear canal should be in a straight line perpendicular to the ground.
8. Make sure you have proper footwear. It is common to pronate excessively affecting the entire spine. Usually these problems can be corrected with custom orthotics and correct footwear. Does your foot ware wear unevenly, do you have calluses on your feet?
9. Make sure you sleep on a supportive mattress. There is no one perfect bed; typically people need to find one that suits them. As a rule of thumb, if you lie on a bed for 15 minutes in a store it should give you a good indication whether it is comfortable and supportive.
10. The ideal position when sleeping is on your side. It will keep your spine in a neutral position.
11. Move your wallet to your front pocket. Sitting on your wallet puts a continuous torque on your pelvis.
12. Have patience. Postural changes take time and work.
13. See a chiropractor. Unless you have your subluxations adjusted, it will be impossible have perfect posture, not to mention the amazing health benefits associated with unclogging your innate regulatory system.
For more detailed information about spinal hygiene exercises please schedule a consultation with me or attend my introductory Wellness Workshop, it’s free.