BACK IN MOTION

Did you know that the month of May is posture month? My role as your chiropractor and posture expert is to educate you on good posture. Since many of you are back at the office, I feel now is a good time to start new, better posture habits.So to celebrate posture month - better late than never - for the next 30 weeks I will be posting a new posture tip and exercise that you can focus on for the week, so you can slowly start building ideal posture habits at the office and in your day-to-day life.

Click here to find out how!

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So, how did those week #1 photos come out?

Do you have a bit of work to do on your posture?

Remember good posture begins with good spinal alignment, so if you realise you have some work to do on your posture and you are going to take up the challenge, it's a good idea to start with an adjustment.

Click here for week #2's tips on better sitting.

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Exercise for the week - Child's Pose

Check your posture foundation - stand tall in good shoes!

Posture is how you balance your body, which starts with your feet, the foundation of your posture.

Click here to read on.

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Exercise for the week - Cat Cow

Now that you are (hopefully) sitting better - see week #2 -  Proper Sitting Posture tip in case you missed it; this weeks focus is going to be on improving how you interact with your technology. Tech, texting and computing have made posture the new major public health issue. Prevent neck pain, backaches, and other postural bio-mechanical problems by using tech intelligently.

Here's the link for more info.

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Exercise for the week - Standing Forward Fold

Having good posture is more than that moment in time captured when having  a picture taken, it's about how your body is moving throughout life.

 

All body motion – from walking and running, to working and playing – begins with your internal perception of “standing tall” which makes focusing on posture awareness a first step towards real change and improvement.

Training proper alignment with posture-in-motion can begin with something as simple as walking.

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Read here how to walk strong.

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Exercise for the week - Chest Stretch

So now that you're walking taller and stronger after last weeks tips, let's use the stairs to engage your core, practice good upright posture and all while taking a posture break. The key to maximum core muscle benefit is keeping upright, with head over hips. In other words, stay tall and stack each posture zone.

Find out here how to walk tall on stairs.

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Exercise for the week - Standing Cat Cow

If you don’t balance, you fall down! 

Our bodies would fall forward without muscles pulling us back.  We’re unconsciously using our muscles reflexively to balance when we sit, stand, sleep, or work.

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Habits - good or bad, postural or preventative - train the body to balance differently. Then injury trains the body to move in ways that avoid pain.  So over time, the body adapts to these new postural balance positions, and even if you change habits or the pain goes away, the unbalanced patterns of motion persist.

 

We often believe we’re standing straight and upright because our brain is being told by our senses that we are balanced, even though actually, we’re not.

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Click here if you want to find out how to check how balanced you are and how to correct this.

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Exercise for the week - One Leg Balance

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These posture control exercises work by aligning your perception of where your body is with objective reality.  You may think your head is aligned over your torso and pelvis in good posture, but if you can’t lean comfortably against a wall with each zone touching the wall, then something is out of line.

 

Align each PostureZone with a Wall Lean

• Stand one foot away from a wall (back to wall)

• Lean back so your buttocks and shoulders touch the wall

• Keep your head level – that’s a MUST!

• Don’t look up! It’s okay if your head doesn’t reach the wall.

 

The point of the exercise is to align your upper body and hips, and then to pull your head back into alignment as best as you can, while keeping your head level and eyes straight ahead.

• Take 5 slow breaths and TRY to press your head back towards the wall each time you exhale.

 

Ready to advance?

• Move feet a bit closer to wall and repeat.

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Read more...

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Exercise for the week - High Plank

When people spend most of their lives sitting, over time their physical bent over posture starts to feel normal.

Better posture means better alignment of your body, with head, torso and pelvis stacked in a line over your feet. 

Weaker posture is when you're bent forward through the upper back and your head has a forward position where the ears are not in line with the shoulders.

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Evaluate your posture with the Floor Posture Test.

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Exercise for the week - Downward-Facing Dog

Evaluate and change your work posture

Feet  [PostureZone 1]

• Are you comfortable with both feet flat on the floor? This is a better choice than crossing your legs. Or even better, try a box under your feet to get your knees level with your hips.

Pelvis/Hips  [PostureZone 2]

• Do you sit all the way back in your chair? Or perched forward with your feet underneath?

• Try moving back in the chair taking advantage of the back support to sit taller.

• Adjust your chair tilt during the day to relieve stiffness.

Torso/Upper Body  [PostureZone 3]

• Are your shoulders square to your keyboard?  It’s not good to spend the day in a twist.

• Can you use your mouse without shifting your upper body? You may need to move it closer.

• Is your keyboard at the right level? Your shoulders should be relaxed, not hiked up around your ears when typing. So make sure your chair is the right height that your desk is at elbow level and your forearms can rest comfortably on the desk.

Head  [PostureZone 4]

• Is your head level when you look at your monitor? If you crane your head or hunch over to see, it’s time to stop and adjust your monitor height to eye level.

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Click here to see how to set up your workspace and for this week's Pigeon Pose stretch to open up your hips.

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Nowadays many people sit an average of 13 hours a day.  Sitting folded in front of a computer or desk reduces your body awareness. Meanwhile, just like clay, over time muscles, ligaments and other soft tissue are molding your body, and folding you into weak posture.

Poor posture isn’t just about neck and back pain. When your chest is folded, the lungs are compressed, restricting your ability to take a deep breath.

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​How to take a posture break.

Mindful posture, standing your tallest, is important because it’s the beginning of moving tall.  Balanced posture means muscles exercise more symmetrically,  minimizing joint stress and helping you breathe your fullest. Retraining strong alignment and awareness in posture and motion can begin with being aware when you walk.

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Click here to learn how to check your different posture zones to be more mindful when you move. ​

Sleep well and you might wake up smarter!

Everyone knows sleep is important, but until recently no one knew exactly why.

Now research shows that waste products from the brain’s metabolism accumulates in the fluid surrounding nerves during the day, and then gets flushed out and eliminated when you sleep. The fluid is called cerebro-spina fluid (CSF), and the study found poor sleep was associated with a buildup of a substance (b-amyloid) in CSF associated with Alzheimers.  Get a good night’s sleep!

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Here's some tips on what to look out for in a mattress. Also an amazing stretch for if your back is stiff.

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