Posture, what is it

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Posture

For those of you who believe in Darwin’s theory, humans evolved from a crouched position (primates) to walk up tall on our two legs.

Unfortunately, 21st century lifestyles sees the human race (especially in the modern world) reverting back to the hunched over or crouched position.  Sitting at computers all day at work and then at home all night, as well as slouched over while driving are just a couple of the main causes why this is happening.

This months article is all about posture and how we can all make minimal, but permanent changes to our life to reverse this trend.

What is “correct posture”?

This question is difficult to answer unless you have a reasonable understanding of basic anatomy.  The study of anatomy often involves dissection, in which the body or its organs are sectioned along imaginary lines or planes of the body while it is standing in the anatomical position.

From the front, this position is when the body is standing upright, feet together, arms hanging by the sides, with the palms facing forward and the head straight.

From the side, the body should be standing upright with a straight line being able to be drawn (from top to bottom) through the ears, shoulders, hip and knee.

So, the closer to the anatomical position you can naturally stand, the better your posture.

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What is the importance of good posture?

Our posture affects and impacts into our everyday lives.  Poor posture can lead to a number of health related issues.  It can affect your breathing.

In the gym, poor posture can lead to poor technique while exercising and this in turn can increase the risk of injury.

Our body is designed to move and function in a particular way and any time your body is asked to do something, whilst not in good posture, you are asking muscles to perform a role that they are either: not designed to do, or not designed to primarily do. When this occurs over time, injury can occur.

How can we improve posture?

There are a number of simple but effective strategies that we can all introduce into our daily lives which can greatly improve our posture and therefore our overall health.  Below are a number of different things you can do during your everyday life to implement good posture.

1.         Sit up straight.  It might sound pretty basic, but you will be amazed at how effective simply sitting up straight really is on posture.

2.         Shoulders back.  When we slouch, we generally roll our shoulders forward and this encourages us to not only slouch but also to hunch over.  By pulling our shoulders back and down, we pull ourselves upright and into a better posture.

3.         Tuck your chin.  A vast proportion of the population has what is called “Forward head carriage”.  In layman’s terms, your chin arrives ½ an hour before the rest of you.  While this may look a wee bit funny, it places a lot of strain on your neck as the weight it carries (namely your head) is increased the further forward it is projected.

4.         Activate your TVA.  What is TVA?  It stands for Transversus Abdominus and is part of your inner core. It’s the deep abdominal muscle that wraps around your torso and when activated, provides (among other things) support for your lumbar spine.  Simply breathing correctly (Diaphragmatically) as well as drawing in your abdomen when you exhale will activate your TVA.  This is most effective and can be done standing, sitting or lying so there is no excuse.

 

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