Straighten Up For National Posture Month
May 11, 2009 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Easy Health Tips, Exercise, How To
With May being National Correct Posture Month, it seems only right to think about ways to improve the posture.
Sitting at the computer for hours on end has, I’m sure, increased my habit of slumping so a few reminders and tips on how to straighten up won’t go amiss.
Here’s what Dr Greg Thielman, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy at the University of Philadelphia, suggests in the way of tips and exercises…
Evaluate your workstation: A workstation is anywhere that an individual spends a notable amount of time daily and for many of us, our primary workstation is standing or sitting at a desk. “If you’re sitting, don’t drop a ton of money on an ergonomic chair. Instead, position the chair to provide lumbar, shoulder, and if needed, head support.”
Perform daily exercises: Dr. Thielman recommends regularly exercising the large muscles on the front and back of the thigh, the abdominal muscles, and performing three exercises daily:
- Pelvic Tilt: “While sitting, push your pelvis back into the chair, hold it for three seconds and then relax. This tightens and strengthens your abdominal muscles,” explains Dr. Thielman.
- Chin Tucks: “Also while sitting, put your pointer finger on your chin and push straight back. Be sure your head isn’t tilted up or down and this exercise will realign your spine and combat forward head position.”
- Lean Back: “Lastly, most of what we perform at our workstations forces us anterior, so we’re constantly bending forward. To straighten the spine, stand-up, put your hands on your lower back, and lean back. This exercise combats the effects of being in a forward position.”
Invest in supportive shoes: Stiletto heels may look good, but Dr. Thielman warns they don’t do women any favors in the posture department. “There is no such thing as a good high heel shoe.” Shoes that cover the top of the foot are ideal. “Each brand fits differently, but the key is to find one that works for you and that gives the much-needed overall support.”
Pretty solid advice. But as a gadget geek, I thought I’d go a little further and check out the iPosture, a little round electronic disc that is designed to improve the posture. Oprah approved, it looks interesting. Apparently you wear it on your chest, either as a pendant, hooked to the bra strap, or stuck directly to the chest and every time you slouch, it alerts you via a brief vibration to sit or stand upright.
Sounds interesting and I’m contemplating ordering one. But in the meantime, I’ve downloaded the free iPosture App to my iPhone will spend the rest of the month checking it out.
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I had no idea! What good timing! I just got an Embody chair from homeofficesolutions.com and it did a huge number on my back. So much for mid afternoon fatigue! And my mid afternoon latte!
Bad posture is an epidemic in the USA. The web is filled with 5 minute no effort solutions that either cause additional failure or don’t correct bad posture at all.
First, what is good posture and how do I get there? Good posture is found in small children as they sit and walk until about age 5. Their back is straight and shoulders are square. You can achieve this basic position by standing against a wall, place your heels, buttocks shoulder blades and head against the wall. That is good posture.
Next, let’s examine the devices that cause additional failures. They consist of devices that pull you into an erect position. One might think this is the correct way to attain good posture. In fact, it is a compounding bad solution. When you are pulled into a position your critical back muscles relax and do no work, they atrophy. Additionally, the iPosture device does alert one to a forward bend, sagital posture change, but that is not a compromising position. One can have good posture while bending forward at the waist.
The right solution is exercise. We all hate that but a simple device exists that will help train you to attain good posture then help you maintain that posture. The forward movement of the shoulders and resulting head forward movement is the epidemic posture failure, coronal posture change. This position is found while sitting at a computer, driving, running and virtually every daily endeavor. PostureTek™ by Perseus Athletics (www.perseusathletics.com) is a shirt worn daily for several weeks to teach you the correct posture and reminds you with a subtle and silent vibration of a coronal slouch. You are the device that straightens the bad posture, building muscle strength. After several weeks you will find your back is stronger, you posture is better and you are aware of the slouch and make the corrections. Many people find they wear the shirt several times a week as a training reminder. PostureTek is a comfortable, unique training system to help you attain then maintain proper posture.