Stand Up Straight
Karen, from Wellness Works NW gave me another writing assignment. Posture. Posture is the position in which we hold our bodies while standing, sitting, and lying down. Having good posture helps our muscles, joints, and ligaments.
Let me share something about myself. I don’t have great posture. It isn’t something that I pay that much attention too. Do you, my dear reader?
Most of us don’t pay attention how we stand while waiting in line at the grocery store or the post office. We don’t pay attention how we lay in our beds so that our joints, muscles, and ligaments are aligned. I know I don’t. Our bodies are balanced by our core muscles, joints, and ligaments of our back, side, pelvis, and buttocks. These parts of our bodies form a sturdy central point for our upper bodies and our lower bodies so that they keep us strong and balanced.
Our muscles, joints, and ligaments become inflexible and that decreases our range of motion. The good news is that we can work these muscles, joints, and ligaments so that they become flexible and strong and in return that helps our balance. While doing physical therapy I did some balance exercises. I felt like I was an old person and therefore rejected these exercises. I am admitting that was a wrong mindset. Even the mundane boring exercises that we may get from our physical therapist helps our bodies become balance and stronger so we can go on to more complicated and fun exercises.
Having bad posture causes these things:
- Chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain
- Foot, knee, hip, and back injuries
- Muscle atrophy and weakness
- Difficulty breathing
- Digestion issues
- Impingement and nerve compression
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
Good posture is:
- Chin parallel to floor
- Shoulders even
- Arms at your side with elbows straight and even
- Abdominal muscles braced
- Hips even
- Knees even and pointing straight ahead
- Body weight distributed evenly on both feet
During my research for this article I found a great website that has some ways to see how your posture is and exercises to correct your alignment. I will be sharing the links below.
Just to share, I’m finally getting up the nerve to start working on my own posture. I hope you will do the same.
Be well my friends.
Here are some links I would like to share with you:
- American Chiropractic Association: Tips To Maintain Good Posture
- Body Building: Posture Power: How To Correct Your Body’s Alignment
- Harvard Health: Why Good Posture Matters
Jamie Holloway lives in the Portland, Oregon area. Since October 2011 she has been sharing her Journey Toward Health and Wellness with Vasculitis through her blog at JamieChasesButterflies.com. As most of her articles will be about Men’s Health, Jamie intends to write her articles as though she was sharing important information with her brother, nephews and friends. We hope you are as inspired as we are with the raw candor Jamie uses in her writing. If you would like to help support Jamie’s writing efforts please Donate now.