ShFIT Talk #9 - Posture

We see it all the time, looking around the store, the office, even sitting at home in the evenings. BAD POSTURE!

It seems to be everywhere but what causes it, what effects does it have on us and what are some of the things we can do to help with this!?

(I type while laying across my couch glancing over at my reference books)

Bad posture comes from all directions!

• Technology (Looking at our phones = Tech Neck)

• Working at our desk we slouch forward

• High Heels or Worn out Shoes

• Crap Bras or heavy bags/purses

• Sitting on your wallet - yes that twists your pelvis and throws off your spine!

• Repetitive movements

• Pregnancy

• Age - As we get older gravity is a bitch

• Weight

• POOR Nutrition!

• Surgery/Injury - scar tissue & long term immobilization

• Heck even OVER TRAINING! You have seen them at the gym

It is like we can’t win….but that is only at first glance, because we can!

We accept the way these things make us maintain poor posture and we develop bad habits.

There are 2 types of posture:

• Static - how you present yourself in a stance

• Dynamic - how you maintain posture when doing stuff!

First we lose the dynamic then we lose the static

Holding and then having bad posture can lead to a number of health complications including muscle imbalance, spinal dysfunction, joint degeneration, respiratory problems and high blood pressure, among other things.

None of those things sound good, but working with a trainer can not only help you identify the imbalances/distortions that your body has taken on -> because you do different stuff in your day to day life then your neighbor so a “blanket fix” wont work.

But they can help you correct it!

What are some of the postural distortions:

• Lower Crossed - giving the body an anterior pelvic tilt

• Upper Crossed - pushing the head forward and rounding the shoulders

• Pronation Distortion - giving you flat feet and knock knees

How do you correct this?

Stretch the tight muscles, the ones that are over acting and pulling your body into the “bad posture”

Strengthen and develop the weak muscles to help your body correct the muscles imbalances and correct the “bad posture”

Sounds super simple right?!

If only, it takes time and dedication along with a little bit of knowledge.

You have to spend time stretching those tight muscles with different movements and SMR while then developing the weaker muscles. You don’t want to go from one distortion right to another. This is why working with a trainer will help you to go in the right direction. Plus, working with someone who tells you is easier than trying to take the time to research it and figure it out yourself.

All of our trainers are experienced and take the time to work with their clients to correct these muscle imbalances and to get them heading in the right posture direction.