Good morning! Today, Healthline.com is helping us start our workweek off right by daring us to practice proper posture!
First, congratulations to Jessica, winner of the Bestowed Giveaway! Email dareyoutoblog (at) gmail (dot) com to claim your prize.
But for ALL readers: don't forget you can still use the coupon code [ 5OFFBESTOWED01 ] to get $5 off your box order here!
Now, turning it over to Valerie Johnston and her advice on posture:
Proper Posture and the Osteos
Thank you for that useful information on posture while sitting, standing, lying down, and moving! This is definitely something I need to work on, and now I know how!
Dare you to practice proper posture this week, and make it habit!
First, congratulations to Jessica, winner of the Bestowed Giveaway! Email dareyoutoblog (at) gmail (dot) com to claim your prize.
But for ALL readers: don't forget you can still use the coupon code [ 5OFFBESTOWED01 ] to get $5 off your box order here!
Now, turning it over to Valerie Johnston and her advice on posture:
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Proper Posture and the Osteos
As you begin reading
this article, stop! Evaluate your posture;
don’t move a muscle and review what position you hold right now, whether you
stand, sit, or lie prone, just as if you were a dancer or a gymnast, trying to
evaluate the position of your head and each extremity and how those extremities
relate to the body’s core. Now ask
yourself, “Is this good posture, or am I a slouch, a couch potato or a
pretzel?”
What you just did is a
simplified assessment of a more complicated evaluation called osteopathy, which
is a study of the related functions of the body’s structure: bones, muscles, and ligaments. These work in concert to allow the
body’s full range of motion and position.
What sounds like a rock
‘n roll band from the fifties is really an essential review of how efficiently
our bodies will endure over the long haul of a lifetime. The body’s assumed variety of postures,
all made possible because we are remarkably flexible, will absolutely have its
affect on managing the “osteos;” osteoarthritis (a malady of bone joints) and
osteoporosis (a weakening of the bones). A lifetime of poor posture is directly
related to the declining conditions of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.
Proper Posture
Directly stated, good
posture implies that you stand straight, sit straight and lay straight, but
what is “straight?” Is it as if
you are a grunt soldier and your Marine drill sergeant is in your face, close
enough to whisper? But he is
yelling at the top of his lungs, “Stand up, worm!” But you are standing, you mumble to yourself. However, the assessment described above
would say that your feet are splayed, your knees are bent, your gut is a blob
hanging from your spine, your shoulders droop and your head is mounted and
wobbling like a jack-in-the-box.
While good posture does not necessarily imply that you should stand
ram-rod steel straight, your posture should be disciplined to avoid the osteos
later in life.
If we do not have a
pre-existing condition that renders good posture difficult to achieve, we
cannot blame anything but laziness.
When standing, our feet should be flat on the ground, legs straight, not
locked at the knees, but not obviously bent, either. The body is aligned directly over the legs, back as straight
as its natural curves at the neck and base of the spine will allow, arms
comfortably straight, shoulders spread, and neck and head upright and in
alignment with the body.
Sitting straight might
sometimes be compromised by furniture design. If so, find another chair. The upper body ought to have the same alignment as when standing. The legs should bend naturally at the
knees and feet should rest flat on the floor.
Laying prone, on back or
stomach, should adopt much the same posture as standing other than the
feet. If on one side, slight
curvature of the spine and gently tucked knees and elbows will suffice.
Relax. No position taken should impose stress,
which will have its way with the osteos and their effect on the body.
Posture usually implies
a position held while being still.
Is there such a thing a proper posture while in motion? Ask a dancer or a gymnast. Their activities during practice and
competition are judged not only by their maneuvers, but by how well they
position their bodies to a regulated standard of scoring. Our non-competitive posture should do
likewise.
If these postures are
maintained throughout life, we will limit the effects of the osteos, just like
some music should remain in the past.
Valerie Johnston is a health and fitness writer located in
East Texas. With ambitions of one day running a marathon, writing for Healthline.com
ensures she keeps
up-to-date on all of the latest health and fitness news.
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Thank you for that useful information on posture while sitting, standing, lying down, and moving! This is definitely something I need to work on, and now I know how!
Dare you to practice proper posture this week, and make it habit!
IM IN.
ReplyDeleteI know when I have a lot of work (YAY! GRATEFUL!) my posture suffers...
This is a habit I'm working to improve!
ReplyDeleteI definitely need to work on my posture. At work I'm getting better but at home when I blog I slouch badly all the time!
ReplyDelete