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Good Posture Is Important |
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When you are talking about good health, Posture ranks right up at the top of the list. It is as important as eating right, exercising, getting a good night's sleep and avoiding potentially harmful substances like alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Good posture is a way of doing things with more energy, less stress and fatigue. Without good posture, you can't really be physically fit.
Just how important is Good Posture?
When you are talking about good health, Posture ranks right up at the top of the list. It is as important as eating right, exercising, getting a good night's sleep and avoiding potentially harmful substances like alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Good posture is a way of doing things with more energy, less stress and fatigue. Without good posture, you can't really be physically fit.
Posture is a window to your health. As a Personal Trainer, "Bad Posture" should immediatley alert you to the muscular and sometimes skeletal imbalances that cause it. Surprised? Well, you're not alone. The importance of good posture in an overall fitness program is often overlooked by fitness advisers and fitness seekers alike. In fact, the benefits of good posture may be among the best kept secrets of the current fitness movement.
The good news is that almost everyone can avoid the problems caused by bad posture...and you can make improvements at any age.
Poor Posture - How Does it Happen?
Often, poor posture develops because of accidents or falls. Bad posture can also develop from environmental factors or bad habits. This means that you have control.
Posture-related problems are increasing:
* Today we are a society that watches more television than any previous generation.
* More and more people are working at sedentary desk jobs or sitting in front of computers (like you right now, so please take notice of how you are sitting).
* Cars are crowding our roads, resulting in accidents and injuries.
* Many cars have poorly designed seats.
In most cases, poor posture results from a combination of several factors which can include:
1. Accidents, injuries and falls
2. Poor sleep support (mattress)
3. Excessive weight
4. Visual or emotional difficulties
5. Foot problems or improper shoes
6. Weak muscles, muscle imbalance
7. Careless sitting, standing, sleeping habits
8. Negative self image
9. Occupational stress
10. Poorly designed work space
11. Bad habits
Poor Posture & Pain
A lifetime of poor posture can start a progression of symptoms in the average adult. Early symptoms are:
Fatigue - your muscles have to work hard just to hold you up if you have poor posture. You waste energy just moving, leaving you without the extra energy you need to feel good.
Tight, achy muscles in the neck, back, arms and legs - by this stage, there may be a change in your muscles and ligaments and you may have a stiff, tight painful feeling. More than 80% of the neck and back problems are the result of tight, achy muscles brought on by years of bad posture.
Joint stiffness and pain - at risk for "wear and tear" arthritis, or what is termed degenerative osteoarthritis. Poor posture and limited mobility increase the likelihood of this condition in later years.
Self-Test for Posture Problems
The Wall Test - Stand with the back of your heels touching the wall. in perfect alignment the back of the head will touch the wall, your buttocks should be touching the wall and your shoulder blades should touch as well. Check the distance between your lower back and the wall, your fingers should fit in the gap and the fat pad of the hand should not pass through. The head should sit centered on the shoulders, the rib cage should sit centered over the hips, and the hips should sit centered over the feet. If all this exists you are close to having excellent posture. If not, your posture may need professional attention to restore the normal curves of your spine.
The most common posture deviation is the head translating forward off the wall, this would indicate a loss of the cervical curve and tightness in the muscles of the chest and front of neck. A huge gap in the low back is also a very common posture deviation. This indicates an increase in the lumbar curve, usually accompanied by forward rotated hips. There will be tightness of the hip flexors and a proportional weakness of the hip extensors. No space in the low back is less common and more complicated to correct. Lateral posture deviations are also indicative of a more complicated problem and should be followed up with a set of weight bearing X-rays(eg:A standing x-ray).
If you have any of these it indicates abnormality and spinal subluxation. If there is a symptom, pain, loss of function, inflammation it is recommended to consult a Chiropractor or a primary health care provider. If not, it is time to create a balanced fitness regiment utilizing resistance exercise and flexibility techniques. |
