Saturday, August 27, 2011

Stand Up Straight

Remember when our mother/grandmother would tell us to "Stand up straight child!" Long ago, posture was taught to young child as a means of teaching manners. Good posture meants good manners, which meants you were taught well in your home.
 Today, posture is not taught much in the home anymore. Is it a concern compared to the society back then, not necessarily. But our bodies were designed to stand tall and straight in order to function properly. When we slouch it ends up causing a number of issues later in life, which we don't want.

Now am I going to walk around with a book on my head in order to achieve this (...maybe...), but you can take small steps to correcting the way you sit and stand in your every day routine.

Steps for good standing posture: (as found on http://www.longevityforyou.com/good-posture.html)

  ·  
Stand with feet hip-width apart (for better balance).  ·   Align ears, shoulders, and hips (Using a mirror for   
     alignment).
  ·  
Unlock both knees (maintaining “neutral” pelvis; avoiding
     pelvis tilting forward).
  ·  
Pull in abdominal muscles.  ·   Inhale naturally.  ·   Exhale slowly while pulling belly button into the spine.  ·   Lift rib cage (straightening rounded upper back; expanding
     the lungs for deeper breathing)
  ·  
Realign head over shoulders (head not leaning backward).  ·   Un-round shoulders (by rotating arms until palms facing
     thighs).
  ·  
Gently press shoulders down, away from the ears.  ·   Pull shoulder blades towards the spine.   ·   Stretch head upwards without tilting backwards

 Good posture also means sitting properly:

  ·  
Sit with neutral pelvis (pelvis not tilting forward).  ·   Do not lean over a desk (head-forward position), putting
     undue pressure on your neck and upper back.
  ·  
Do not rest against the back.  ·   Lift your rib cage.  ·   Press your belly button into your spine  ·   Stick your chin forward and pull back your head and neck.  ·   Keep your head high and flatten your upper back

 These are the benefits from having good posture (again provided by the above website):

 Good body Balance
Lessen risk of lower back pain, neck pain, leg pain, and even headaches
Enhanced Breathing

Good posture also gives the appearance of looking younger and slimmer (yay), while a slouched posture (hunched shoulders,compressed chest) make a person look older.

Or you can always walk around in the privacy of your home with a book on your head ;) Whatever works. I'm going to try to be better at this. Let me know what you think!

~xoxo

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