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<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\n(Photo courtesy of Yulia Pantiukhina, unsplash.com)<\/em><\/p>\n Proper posture affects us in so many subtle and not so subtle ways. May is “Posture Month” and I just came across this wonderful article by\u00a0Dr. Steven Weiniger. Weiniger is a posture expert, speaker and author lectures globally on improving posture for longevity, health, pain relief and aging well. In an effort to get this valuable message to as many people as possible, I am happy to repost Dr. Weiniger’s article in its entirety.\u00a0For an interview with Dr. Steven Weiniger\u00a0<\/strong>(Bio<\/a>),\u00a0call 770-922-0700.<\/p>\n “5 Steps to Standing Taller for Posture Month<\/strong><\/p>\n With more of us developing a permanent slump from sitting behind a computer, smartphones and texting, posture is gaining new recognition as a growing health problem. Sitting is a bent posture, literally folding the torso over the pelvis.\u00a0 Texting locks the hands together causing the shoulders to roll inward. The combination means chronically tight back, neck and chest muscles.\u00a0 Plus, as we get older gravity combines with muscle imbalances to make people feel and look older than they really are.<\/p>\n If you spend your day with folded posture, suffer with back pain or live with aching shoulders and neck, you may want to do some work re-balancing your body.\u00a0 The posture solution professionals recommend begins with learning how to stand tall. And while awareness is the beginning, if you\u2019ve had a back problem improving posture takes more than thinking about it.\u00a0\u00a0 Retraining posture patterns requires stretching the tight areas and strengthening the neglected ones.\u00a0 And don\u2019t forget to also look at the ergonomics of how you interact with your sitting, standing and sleeping environments.<\/p>\n Posture Reality Check<\/strong> How to Stand Tall<\/strong> Your body is accustomed to moving how it\u2019s been trained, so the challenge begins with learning the feeling of stronger alignment. Posture is about balance, not just about being straight.\u00a0 No matter how crooked someone\u2019s posture is, as long as they are vertical – the body is balancing.\u00a0 Posture is the sum total of what you are doing with your each part of your body individually -head and shoulders, belly and hips – to keep from falling down.<\/p>\n The key to improving posture is aligning each body region, or PostureZone.\u00a0 Muscle stress and joint strain is minimized when the head is well balanced over the torso, the torso over the pelvis, and the pelvis over the feet. Like a stack of children\u2019s blocks in a tower, better PostureZone\u00ae<\/sup> alignment strengthens stability and control, as well as reduces the risk of injury.<\/p>\n Next is retraining your body\u2019s perception to true reality, one PostureZone at a time. Yoga practitioners have taught this kind of mind-body focus for thousands of years, but you can start now with this 5 step exercise taught by posture expert, Dr. Steven Weiniger and posture specialists globally who teach StrongPosture\u00ae<\/sup> exercises.<\/p>\n 1- Stand Tall:<\/em><\/strong> \u00a0Not Stiff.\u00a0 Relax, and lengthen or float your head toward the ceiling. Continue to focus on standing taller as you take each of these 5 slow breaths, being aware of each PostureZone. Repeat 2 or 3 times a day, and don\u2019t be surprised when you feel lighter and your chest feels more open. After a few weeks others will often notice a difference as well.<\/p>\n Your Sitting Posture Environment <\/strong> Many better designed chairs have adjustments for this, plus there are affordable sit-on-top supports to optimize how the pelvis is cradled. Back supports you lean back against haven\u2019t been shown to help long-term, and some believe that these may add to sitting problems by holding the spine in a curve without engaging the muscles you need to stay tall.<\/p>\n Posture is an under-appreciated aspect of health, and one you can do something about. May is Posture Month, so now\u2019s the perfect time for a posture picture reality check. Be sure to note how your PostureZones are aligned, and then file the pictures away to compare to next year\u2019s posture check. Begin working towards improvement with the steps outlined above and start standing and sitting taller to look better and feel younger.<\/p>\n 1 <\/sup>Slouch at Your Own Peril: Hunching at Work Leads to Hunching All the Time Wall Street Journal wsj.com\/news\/articles\/SB40001424052702304034804579636512794009226\u00a0 Updated June 25, 2014, quoting orthopedic surgeon Allston Stubbs<\/p>\n AUTHOR:<\/strong>\u00a0 Dr. Steven Weiniger, posture expert, speaker and author lectures globally on improving posture for longevity, health, pain relief and aging well. He has trained thousands of physicians and therapists in StrongPosture\u00ae protocols. He authored Stand Taller Live Longer, An Anti-Aging Strategy<\/a>.<\/em>His\u00a0expertise has been featured on NBC, ABC, FOX, AARP Prime Focus, Real Simple, SHAPE, Women’s Health and countless other publications internationally.\u00a0<\/em>Read\u00a0Full Bio – Dr. Weiniger<\/a>“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gallery.mailchimp.com\/9bb4217acf14471575ad2373a\/images\/ede0b3ee-c43a-481d-89e0-2fe326be1e8c.jpg\")
Do you know what it feels like to stand with good posture? \u00a0Our grandparents knew the importance of standing tall, and now science is catching up.\u00a0 In \u201cSlouch at Your Own Peril: Hunching at Work Leads to Hunching All the Time,\u201d<\/em> the Wall Street Journal reported on new studies showing what chiropractors and orthopedic surgeons know: Posture is the 800lb gorilla when it comes to health and wellness1<\/sup>.<\/p>\n
\nTo observe and benchmark what the world sees when you think<\/em> you\u2019re standing straight, today\u2019s posture exercise professionals take a standardized picture. People can do this themselves with a phone camera and a friend. Just stand tall, and snap a few pictures. One each from the front, back and side.\u00a0 A clean background like a door can approximate the posture grids used by the pros.<\/p>\n
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<\/strong>When most people try to \u201cfix their posture\u201d they just pull their shoulders back. The problem is they can\u2019t hold the position for more than a minute (which is just as well because they\u2019re nearly always doing themselves more harm than good).<\/em> When you pull your shoulders back the head juts forward into forward head posture (FHP).\u00a0 Also known as tech-neck, it\u2019s precisely the problem caused by too much texting and typing. Especially when there\u2019s a posture problem, you want to first stabilize the pelvis \u2013 addressing posture by only repositioning the shoulders usually makes body alignment worse.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gallery.mailchimp.com\/9bb4217acf14471575ad2373a\/images\/0ae44f60-c61f-440d-a74b-b08b928229b4.jpg\")
5 Steps to Standing Taller<\/strong>
\nFocus and take one slow deep breath during each of these 5 steps:<\/p>\n
\n2- Ground your feet<\/em><\/strong>: Slowly come up onto your toes, and then your heels. Roll your feet out, and then in. Press all four corners of your feet into the ground.
\n3- Center your pelvis<\/em><\/strong>: Arch your low back and then tuck your pelvis. Find the center point as you lengthen your spine.<\/em>
\n4- Open your torso:<\/em><\/strong> Lift shoulders up, and roll them back. Keep your neck lengthened and head tall as you pull your shoulders back down.
\n5- Level your head:<\/em><\/strong> Look straight ahead, and tuck your chin slightly to keep it level.<\/p>\n
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<\/strong>Improving your sitting environment begins with becoming aware of your alignment.\u00a0 An expensive ergonomic chair is a waste when it\u2019s not adjusted to keep you aligned.\u00a0 Pay extra attention to the tilt of your pelvis, it\u2019s the base you\u2019re sitting on.\u00a0 A forward tilt helps align the pelvis squarely under the torso for best mechanics in the lumbar spine and discs.<\/p>\n