NOT FOUND: posture.jpgFirst things first. I must give a special thank you to Dolly Ketcherside of North Highlands. It’s so nice to know someone reads my monthly column. While writing is quite therapeutic for me and always a good reminder of those habits I need to continue including in my lifestyle, my primary reason for passing on the information is to encourage, inspire, motivate and educate our readers to make healthier choices for their lifestyles. So, when someone lets me know they are reading and getting something from my writing, I am happy.
Dolly stopped by last month to bring me a little gift. It was a plate of some yummy homemade cookies, a beautiful glass and a little container of milk. Dolly had read my article on comfort foods and remembered that my preferred choice is chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk! That was truly one of the most thoughtful and tasty gifts I have received. Thank you again, Dolly! What a blessing.
Time to get down to this month’s subject. I tried to get away from it, but with the blue skies and warmer days peeking through recently, I realized it’s time to address one of our regular, tried and true, necessary, “you’ll thank me later” topics: Posture.
I’d like to think I have pretty good posture, both when standing and sitting. After all, it was a regular “encouragement” from my mom while growing up, inferring that I would stay like that (slumped, sluggish and lazy), if I didn’t sit up straight. Much of my earlier education was spent in Catholic school with regular posture check ups from Sister Enda, Sister Fidelma and Mother Gemma. These decorated members of the posture police used a ruler behind the knees or shoulders if there was even the most minimal slouch detected. With all this intense postural training, one would think I was an expert. Not exactly. I still catch a surprising reflection from a picture window and notice I am not standing as tall and regal as I think I am. To keep me completely humble, a friend gave me a picture that was taken while I was unaware and I was undoubtedly slouching. I can feel the disappointed look on my mother’s face now.
As I look back, I clearly see how important it is for young children to develop proper posture habits in order to maintain solid muscle and bone strength and alignment. It is so much easier to begin a good habit at an early age when our bodies are more cooperative. Don’t let that discourage you, though. It’s never too late to start. That’s the beauty of our amazing bodies. The way our bodies were created makes it imperative that we do our part in allowing our systems to function properly. Good posture plays a vital role in how the rest of the body performs.
Your spine is strong and stable when you practice healthy posture. When you slump or slouch, your muscles and ligaments struggle to keep you balanced. This leads to unnecessary fatigue, back pain and a number of other problems.
The reason the hint of blue skies and sunny days prompted me to talk to you about the importance of good posture is that we have been curled, cuddled, bundled and cramped all winter and sometimes we neglect to maintain proper posture.
To begin working on improving your posture, keep in mind that your body has gotten used to poor posture. The muscles and ligaments have settled into improper support and will feel a slight challenge in getting back to proper alignment. You will need to make the choice to “re-train” your muscles to stand and sit straight. Realize it may be uncomfortable for a little while, but it’s like training for anything – practice is required.
The first thing I ask you to do is to pull in your belly button while you are reading this. In order to do that you will most likely need to:
* sit up straight
* pull your shoulders slightly back
* lift your chest
* lift your chin a bit
If you are standing, add to the list:
* keep your feet parallel
* weight evenly distributed between both feet
Now, hold in your belly button. How are you feeling? Many of you will agree that this is nowhere near comfortable. In fact, some may feel pain because those core muscles are weak.
Make it one of your second quarter goals this year to improve your posture. You will breathe better, think more clearly, have more energy and even look pounds thinner. A partner to good posture is regular stretching. If you sit or drive long periods of time, take a regular quick break to stretch your neck, shoulders, upper and lower back and legs. Take a series of slow, complete, deep breaths while stretching and you will feel your stress leaving, muscles relaxing and your clarity and energy increasing.
Our bodies require some special attention in order to continue strong throughout the race of life. Working on simple things like good posture will not cost you anything but a few minutes a day. The results will be well worth the investment. Make the decision to honestly assess your posture with a goal of improving it so that good posture becomes a new way of life for you.