POSTURE: A KEY TO HEALTH

Few things will impact your health as much as posture. You don't need crazy contraptions buzzing between your shoulder blades to have good posture. All you need is body awareness and the simple tips I've laid out below. 

No one has perfect posture all the time. Poor posture tends to creep up when we are tired or bored. It is our genius body's way of conserving energy. Once in a while, it is okay, but the more you can catch yourself and correct these tendencies, the better.

A common misconception is that having good posture means being rigid and stiff.  That is not true. A healthy body is both strong AND flexible. 

Our bodies are like a tower of blocks with muscles holding them together. The structure is stable when the blocks are aligned on top of each other. When a block or two is shifted from the center of the structure, often compensation in the alignment of the other blocks must be made for the structure to continue standing. Shift a few more blocks and more compensations will be needed until the structure ultimately falls.  Our bodies' blocks, the bones, have a unique way of stacking on top of each other for maximum stability and effective function. Knowing how to put your body in that ideal alignment will make the tower that is your body more stable and less susceptible to injury. 

Some people mistakenly think good posture means to have a straight spine. This is not true. A healthy spine has natural curves, as shown in the picture below. A flat, straight spine is not the goal. 

Ideally, an imaginary line should run from the crown of your head through your ear canal opening, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle, as pictured on the right. 

The great thing is that we can assess our posture quickly using our phones. Prop your phone up and set the delay timer so you can take a profile shot and evaluate how you line up.

Pay particular attention to the two most common posture mistakes I see: 

1. Where is your ear canal opening? It should be positioned over your shoulder.
2. Make sure your upper body is stacked over your lower body. (The shoulder dot over the hip bone dot.) 

1. Balance your weight evenly. I love a sassy hip just as much as the next girl, but save it for when you need to make a point.  Ask yourself, is my weight in one leg more than the other? If so, balance it out.
2. Unlock your knees. Your knees don't need to be bent, just not locked out. This simple act will shift your upper body over your lower body and does wonders for alignment. 
3. Are your hips pushing forward? To combat this, shift your torso forward over your lower body.  Staggering your feet in standing can help decrease this tendency.
4. Roll your shoulder blades back and down.  “A proud chest,” my Pilates teacher likes to say. Imagine wearing a gorgeous necklace that you want the world to see.
5. Old Insecurities? Girls who feel insecure about their breasts can develop postures that last into adulthood. A visual statement of femininity, many women have a complicated relationship with their breasts.  Forward shoulder posture is a common tactic to disguise breasts. Remind yourself that you are safe and can own your femininity. Your breasts are nothing to be ashamed of.
6. You've got a good head on your shoulders. Make sure your head is over your shoulders. A great way to test this is to stand against a wall. If your shoulders are touching, the back of your head should be touching.  

Good posture is self-care. Unfortunately, it has taken on a reputation as arrogant or stuffy, but it is crucial to the healthy function of the body’s systems. 

Posture even affects how our organs function: 

Slouching can prevent the lungs from fully expanding during inhalation. Slouching can also decrease the amount of room our other abdominal organs have to function and can slow digestion. An excellent way to combat this is to Imagine you are a marionette dangled by a string from the top of your head.  To get an idea for this feeling, gently pull the hair on the crown of your head as pictured.

Poor Alignment can lead to injury:

Shoulders that are too forward can impinge the joint and cause shoulder pain.  The simple act of rolling the shoulders back and down and imagining cracking a walnut between the shoulder blades can help to give you an idea of where the shoulders should be. “A proud chest,” my Pilates teacher likes to say. Imagine wearing a gorgeous necklace that you want the world to see. 

Poor Posture Can Make Abdominal Separation Worse

If you didn't know, abdominal separation or diastasis recti does not only affect pregnant women.  Anyone can get it, and poor posture can make it worse. 

The body's muscles have a “happy length”: not too long or short. If they are overly stretched, they can’t produce force effectively.  If they are excessively shortened, they can’t make force effectively.  When someone stands with their hips forward and upper body back, the rectus abdominus muscles are overly stretched. Mindfully stacking the upper body over the pelvis can decrease the strain on the rectus abdominus so that it can strengthen and heal.  

Jaw and TMJ Pain

Head posture affects the jaw and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) as well. If you have TMJ issues, it is crucial to consider your postural alignment. Is your head forward forward? Are your shoulders rounded? Those positions can strain the TMJ and the surrounding muscles, thereby preventing the joint from being aligned for effective function. 

Good posture is not vanity - it is health. I will tell you this, though, you will look more attractive with good posture. 

Simple daily habits can make a big difference in improving your posture: 

1. Sit with a lumbar roll behind your back. A rolled-up towel will do the job. 
2. Hold your devices at eye level when you use them to decrease strain on the neck and shoulders.  
3. Balance your weight  evenly between both sides of the body in standing and sitting, 
4. Roll your shoulders back and down periodically to decrease the tendency of the shoulders to round forward.  
5. Mindfully retract your head over your shoulders periodically during the day to decrease strain on the spine.  A simple way to check your head position during the day is to stand against a wall. With your heels against the wall, does the back of your head touch the wall too? It should. 
6. Shavasana for 3 minutes daily allows your body to settle and realign itself. 
7. Reach up and stretch your body during the day. Your genius body knows where it needs to be. Let it stretch and align itself. 
8. Walk like you are being lifted off the ground from the crown of your head like a marionette. That lifted focus will help the rest of the body's alignment fall into place.