Posture: Where Are My Shoulders?

Now, I’m not exactly sure how to go about convincing you that your posture (which is probably pretty crappy) plays a vital role in your everyday life, and that it has a major impact on your health, how you feel about yourself and also how others see you. Yes, that’s right! Everything you do, starting with getting out of bed in the morning, involves your posture.

Consequently, there are many benefits to improving your posture and becoming more aware of your physical self. Are you moving gracefully through your day? Or are you using all of your precious energy to drag your ass around until it’s time to sleep? Ultimately, better posture increases your energy and puts some pep in your step! The amazing thing is that we start out with perfect posture – I mean, just watch any toddler and you’ll see that their posture is perfect. They stand with their head held high, their shoulders back and relaxed and their pelvis naturally tucked, their posture is perfect…which is why they are so fast and hard to catch. On the contrary, when you ask yourself, “WHERE ARE MY SHOULDERS?," you’ll probably notice that they are not where they should to be. No, your shoulders are most likely hunched up in tension around your ears. Or maybe they’re bent forward, which puts you in a medial rotation. This is not good, as it puts unnecessary strain on the muscles in your upper body.

There are a number of other issues associated with poor posture as well. For example, poor posture affects your oxygen intake. If you are stuck in a medial position for most of the day, then you are mainly breathing from your chest, which means that very little oxygen is getting down into your internal organs – and those organs need oxygen in order to function properly! Better posture, in addition to better breathing, will give you more energy to go about your day.

Here are some tips to improve your posture: Holding good posture requires effort, but it is well worth it in the long run, and it makes you use and strengthen the muscles in your back and abs. Everyone knows that strong abs are an important part of keeping your back strong, especially for all the new moms who are running around and schlepping their babies and baby equipment everywhere they go. Better posture allows your lungs to function as well as they can, rather than squashing them when you slouch down. A strong lung function will have a healthy impact on all aspects of the body. So, stop and take a deep breath every so often (or as often as possible)! What’s more, good posture will help protect your organs, bones, joints and muscles. Maintaining good posture will also help reduce the unnecessary strain and pressure that occurs when the body is placed in an uncomfortable and unnatural position. Many neck and back pains develop as the result of poor posture. This is why it’s so important to act now!

Good posture allows our joints to function at their best. Correct posture strengthens the spine. Often, the spin will become fixed in an abnormal position if we are tired, or if we are slouching for most of the day. This can lead to the constriction of blood vessels and nerves, or even problems with the joints, discs and muscles. Unhealthy mobility of the spine, coupled with all the constrictions mentioned above, will result in a faster decline in your health as you age. So, the next time you are out in a public place, take note of others’ posture. You’ll find that the majority of people have terrible posture – imagine how much better everyone would look it they’d just straighten up! This tip alone should encourage you to become more aware of your shoulders, and to realign yourself immediately if you notice that something is off. Take that deep breath into your internal organs … because you don’t want to grow older and end up looking as bad as some of these folks. When we have poor posture, we place pressure on our joints in unnatural ways, which leads to substantial wear and tear. This could eventually lead to arthritis, and that’s not good at all!

You use your muscles more efficiently when your bones and joints are aligned correctly. Becoming more aware of your posture and your physical self can have a dramatic impact on the way you feel. When you hold yourself in good posture, as opposed to slumping over all day, your body will send signals to your brain that makes you feel happier and more confident. Good posture also changes the way other people see you, because you’ll look more confident to them as well! And if that’s not enough, good posture can even make you look slimmer, since you’ll be using your abs to draw in your stomach muscles, which makes you appear taller, too. In other words, it’s important to straighten up!

And just as important as maintaining good posture, regular bodywork is an absolute must. Every six to eight weeks you need to find a way to get yourself on a massage table for some much needed bodywork…it’s a game changer!

For more information on how to improve your posture, check out, The Alexander Technique.

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