Posture 101
Did you know that posture all starts with your core?
And, no, I don’t mean having a 6-pack or visible ab muscles. Your “core” is the space on your body from your knees to your shoulders (not including your arms). It comprises of all of the muscles in your upper legs and your torso. There are SO many muscles that work to support your spine, hips and shoulders. THAT’s the core I’m talking about.
How often do you find yourself hunched over a desk, your phone, leaning forward while you drive?
Hell, I’m doing it right now as I type this.
The less we pay attention to our posture, the more we are going to find ourselves with aches and pains unrelated to exercise. Daily life activities continuously pull us forward and down - think about it, how many of you actively walk backwards daily?
We are bipedal, ambulatory creatures. We were made to walk forward. Our feet, eyes, etc all point that way for a reason (even though mom always said she had eyes on the back of her head….). It’s natural that this continued action, plus the affects of gravity on our bodies, have younger and younger generations of humans hunching forward and developing rounded shoulders. Kyphosis, the exaggerated rounding of the upper back and spine, is something that is generally preventable and can be worked against with proper mobility, training and posture work.
Okay, so, how do we work to stand up taller?
Well, exactly like that.
Step one is simply this: anytime you feel yourself leaning forward and rounding your upper back, take 10-15s to sit tall, gently brace your core and pull the shoulders back and down the spine.
Digging a little deeper… Let’s break down “good posture” to help you stand taller:
“Neutral Spine” is the position of the spine when the ears, shoulders, hips, and ankles are vertically aligned.
This position can be achieved by standing with heels I" - 2 " from a wall with head, shoulder blades, and buttocks against the wall. The natural curvatures of the spine in this position are your NEUTRAL alignment.
Remember: Postural defects might prevent this degree of alignment.
Good posture for you, and good posture for someone else might look a little different. Remember, we all have different bodies. But our keys here are clear:
Stack the ears over the shoulders, shoulders over the hips and hips over the center foot.
Gently engage your abdomen - not actively “squeezing”, but you’re aware of the core muscles being active.
Shoulders roll down and back on your spine - think about “tucking” your shoulders into your back pockets, or standing proud through your chest. Try to make sure your hips don’t sway forward or back when you make this adjustment.
Remember that this might not be a comfortable position at first. It’s something to work towards, to get used to. We’ve spent however many years we’ve been alive on this earth standing, walking and moving a certain way, and adjustments to posture take time to actively make changes for the better.