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I know I've been talking about diet lately, and I wanted to get back to more physical aspects of the body for today's article... specifically posture. Posture is king in the sense that if you have good posture, so many other aspects of physical wellness are in place. That includes a certain amount of strength (especially in the core muscles), flexibility, and awareness of the body in space. These are all very good things, and give you a base to improve from, such as increasing your core strength further, increasing your flexibility, and increasing your movement coordination.
So, what is good posture. Good posture is defined by the specific relationship of the major body segments in relationship to each other, in a specific activity (especially sitting or standing). Good posture helps you resist the pull of gravity most efficiently with as little muscle use, or energy expenditure, as possible. As we explore what good posture is in the next bit, understand that your body might have restrictions that resist proper alignment. Most restrictions can be changed to allow the body to align, and self care methods such as self-myofacial release, stretching, and exploring the boundaries of your range of motion will help you toward that end. What is good posture? Let's have you explore in your own body. Here is a simple exercise. - Stand without shoes with your feet hip width apart, toes facing forward (slightly out is okay too).
- Shift most of your body weight to your heels so that it really feels like most of your weight is directed straight down through them.
- Keep your knees straight, but don't lock them.
- Rock your pelvis back and forth (you can think of tucking your tailbone under, and then doing the opposite) a few times, and let the pelvis settle into a comfortable position. This position may change a bit as you align your upper body.
- Take your naval (belly button) back and up toward the spine at the bottom of the rib cage (in the back of the body). This is a back and up move, not just back, and not just up. Use your belly muscles to do this, and don't hold your breath. Continue to breathe while bringing it back and up. This can be really hard at first. Give it time.
- Take your sternum (i.e. breastbone) up and forward (while maintaining your weight in your heels). This one was very hard for me to do, and how figured it out was to walk around leading with the sternum. That is the same feeling of lift in the sternum you want while standing. Some people think of an imaginary string attached to the sternum pulling it up and forward.
- Bring your shoulders wide. Think wide and not back. Working on creating wider shoulders will usually bring the shoulders to the proper resting position.
- Lastly, lift the head up from the top of the head and position it front to back so that the ears are over the shoulders, which are over the hips and over the ankles. You can place a moderately heavy book on top your head, pushing it upward... this is the kind of lift you are working to achieve naturally.
Even though none of this may feel natural for you to do today. Keep practicing this and it will become easier and easier. Again, stretching out short areas, self-myofascial release, and massage can all help this occur more quickly, but even practicing a few times throughout the day makes a big difference.
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