Powerful posture isn’t just an aesthetic ideal
Back in the old days, people used to obsess about posture (see this video on posture from the 50s for an example). These days we tend to think of posture as just something uptight people think about for the sake of aesthetics. Well guess what — it isn’t just about being uptight or overly aesthetically oriented (now quit calling me names!). Read more…
Gretchen Reynolds is wrong about stretching
If you’re a radio listener, you may have heard this story from NY Times health writer Gretchen Reynolds. In this interview, she talks about two major points: sitting is bad for you and stretching is pointless and/or bad for you.
So let’s talk about the two main points, see just how wrong her advice is on the second point, and see what information you can use to help keep yourself healthy, happy, and pain free: Read more…
Posture is a window into your golf swing
I don’t golf, but I do know something about sports that require you to twist and turn (I play hockey, after all). And I’ve been saying for a while that muscle balance matters, no matter what activity is your life’s love. For you golfers, here’s an article that really drives the point home on posture and golf swing performance: Birmingham academic finds the key to the perfect golf swing.
From the article:
“Posture is really important in how it affects a golf swing,” said Dr Bridge.
“If you are sitting at a desk all day using a computer and a mouse, then your muscles and body get used sitting down, so it will have an effect on your golf swing if you go and play nine holes after work.
“It’s the same for younger players who play on computer games as their arms are locked and tight as a result.“Posture really impacts on how you swing the golf club…”
Specific, careful training is everything. If you spend 10 hours a day, 5 days a week sitting at a desk and spend only 4 hours tottering around the golf course, is it any wonder you feel like you get worse at golf with every passing year? You’ve got to keep your muscles balanced for activities besides sitting at a desk!
Sue beat her hip pain and walked away from pain killers
Sue wasn’t able to walk anymore because her right hip and knee hurt too much. She didn’t know what to do, and her doctors kept telling her to rest and take pills until everything got better. She wanted a better way, and she found a better way!
By working on the balance of the muscles that were pulling things out of place, Sue was able to increase her range of motion, release the tension that was causing her pain, and get back to walking the six miles a day she wanted to do. All it took was the right stretches and exercises to get her body back to the right alignment.
Why is posture important?
Posture isn’t just an aesthetic concern. Yes, people do judge you based on the way you stand and hold yourself, but that isn’t the only reason it’s important. It’s also important because it shows you how your muscles are working.
When muscles in the front of your body are too tight and short, you slump and slouch. When muscles on the right half of your body are too weak to do their jobs, you tend to slant to the left. If muscles of the back of your shoulders and neck don’t do their jobs, you end up with shoulders hiked up to your ears and a head that juts forward.
A quick assessment of your own posture gives you immediate clues to how balanced your muscles are functioning. One shoulder high? One shoulder low? Hips twisted? Head forward? It can be corrected.
You just have to take the time to do it.
Tommy beats his back pain
You’ll find this new addition on the back pain testimonials page:
I came to Matt Hsu as a last effort to help me with my severe back pain. I have been hospitalized twice due to several blown discs in my lower back. I have tried physical therapy, chiropractors, acupuncture, and massage therapy and nothing helped me for longer than a day. I was on heavy medication several times a day including morphine and muscle relaxers which only took the edge off.
Matt found several postural issues that I had and identified weakness in my legs and ankles. After doing several exercises which Matt designed specifically for my issues and paying more attention to my posture and lifting techniques, I am virtually pain free and am almost entirely off of any pain medication. Matt has changed my life.
~Tommy P. HVAC technician
San Diego’s Doctors and Surgeons want to improve their posture too
When I was younger, I used to think that everyone in the medical world was immune to pain. I spent a lot of time seeing doctors for various injuries, tweaks, and strains. The doc would X-ray me, tell me I’d be fine, and send me on my way. I used to think that all the doctors and nurses I came in contact with probably knew everything they needed to know to stay pain free and that they went about their days without the misery of pain. I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older and seen more and more folks from the medical community that it’s (unfortunately) not true! Read more…
Know someone taking Bi Yan Pian?
Get these out of your medicine cabinet.
This is a quick public service announcement unrelated to posture…
If you or someone you know is taking Bi Yan Pian, please read this bulletin from Health Canada about excessive amounts of mercury in the pills.
I found out first-hand about the side effects, and they weren’t pretty!
A simple technique to help when you’re frustrated with your progress
Getting out of pain can take time. You might feel frustrated at times. When those times hit, it’s important to mentally rewind and take an inventory on your body and your abilities.
With that in mind, one mental technique I use for myself and with clients is one that I’m sure has a fancy name in sports psychology (but I don’t know what it is). So let’s call it the “mental rewind technique that helps you keep making progress in everything you do.” Or maybe just “mental rewind” for short. Read more…
More balance despite “old age”
I often work with people who have issues with their balance. I think in generations past, this was a problem that seemed mostly relegated to people 50 and above (give or take a few years). And so lots of people would say it was an issue with age.
These days, it doesn’t seem that way at all. At least not to me. I’ve seen countless people in their 20s and 30s come in the door with major balance issues. And I’ve had people in their 70s come in with fabulous balance. So I don’t think it has so much to do with age as it does with something one 75-year-old client has taught me.
The older you get, the more you have to do to maintain your body.
And it’s not JUST because you’re getting older. It’s because our lives have also gotten more sedentary. We sit and sit and sit and don’t realize what an effect it has on our bodies. Luckily, we’re starting to wake up to the problem and acknowledge that it is a problem. So you have age, which means you gotta do more to keep your body feeling good, AND you have your lifestyle working against you.
So what’s the way to combat worsening balance? Well, you can’t reverse time (there’s not an app for that yet), but you can do one thing that will help you FEEL younger.
Move! Move your body intelligently and in ways that re-awaken the right muscles the right way. That doesn’t mean you should end your workday by doing a five hundred pound leg press. It means challenging your body gently and effectively constantly.
One quick thing you can do after a long period of sitting is balance on one leg. Just get out of your chair, stand near a wall or desk, then pick up one leg and try to balance for a minute. Switch legs. See what happens. It’s not as easy as it sounds. You may find you can’t even do it for 15 seconds. You’ll also find that it’s going to be MUCH harder at the end of a long period of sitting since the hip stabilizers often get shut down by long periods of sitting. This little exercise throughout the day can help improve your balance and reawaken some of those poor hip muscles that you squash all day long in your office chair. Give it a shot and see what happens! As your body’s balance improves you’ll be surprised at how much younger you start to feel.
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