• On Jun, 13, 2018
•  Jayne Hembruff
•  Uncategorized

Good posture is  effortlessly to incorporate into your life.

Below I share my six steps. The first five are preparatory focusing from the feet up while the last focuses on the ear down. .

Take a few minutes the next time you are standing waiting in a line, sitting in a waiting room, or driving to try these six steps.

Postural Check Ins  while Standing

On Monday, while in a twenty person line to renew my driver’s licence and health card, I thought I would use my time wisely and do a postural check in.

You may be asking what is a postural check in. While for me there are six steps.

The first five steps are preparation for good posture. We start from the feet and work our way up, Then step six you begin from the head/ear and go down.

Step One: Feet. Are your feet directly below your hips?

You can test this by placing your two fist between your feet.

Where are your toes pointing? Point them straight ahead.

Step two: Weight. Is there equal wight under your big toe and baby toe on both feet? Be sure you are not rolling in or rolling out.

Step Three: Hips. Are your hips equal height? Test by placing your hands on both hips.

While the hands are on the hips, push down into the hips feeling your feet being pushed into the floor.

Now you are prepared for good standing posture!  We just set your spine up for success.

Step Four: Spine Float. Allow your spine to effortlessly float up to the clouds.Creating space between each vertebrae.

Step Five: Relax. Big breath out and relax the neck, relax the face. Just enjoy the feeling of your spine floating up on your breath in. And allow your feet to be grounded into the floor.

Step Six: Ear Down. Now, checking in from the ear down. Is your  ear, shoulder, elbow, hip bone, knee and ankle lined up?

Try postural check in the next time you are in a standing line up like at the grocery store, or waiting to see a movie, or waiting to go through security at the airport, or waiting to be seated for your child’s end of year talent or dance show or graduation.

 

 Seated Check In

These days, may of us sit at computers, for long drives, etc. The next time you sit, take a few minutes to do your Seated Postural check in.

There are only a one real differences for good seated posture; the “bum wiggle”

Step One: Feet. Are your feet directly below your knees?

You can test this by placing your two fist between your feet.

Where are your toes pointing? Point them straight ahead.

Step two: Weight. While seated there are two areas to check for equal weight. Is there equal wight under your big toe and baby toe on both feet? Be sure you are not rolling in or rolling out.

Then do the “Bum Wiggle“. Wiggle on your two bum bones. Ensure you have equal wight on both to help set your spine up for success.

Step Three: Hips. Are your hips equal height? Test by placing your hands on both hips.

While the hands are on the hips, push down into the hips feeling your bum bones  being pushed into the chair.

Now you are prepared for good seated posture!  We just set your spine up for success.

Step Four: Spine Float. Allow your spine to effortlessly float up to the clouds.Creating space between each vertebrae.

Step Five: Relax. Big breath out and relax the neck, relax the face. Just enjoy the feeling of your spine floating up on your breath in. Feel your bum bones grounding you into the chair.

Step Six: Ear Down  Now, checking in again from your ear down (purple arrow in image). Is you  ear, shoulder, and hip bone lined up?

Postural Check Ins  while at Work

When you arrive at work, check in with your posture before you begin, It will give you more energy and improve your balance.

Postural Check Ins  while at having fun

What is it that you do to have fun?

Do you play the viola. Once you have tuned your viola, music out and ready to play, check in with your seated posture. It will help with your memory.

Or maybe you fish. After you have your line all set up, and casted,  check in with your posture. Do the “bum Wiggle”, etc.

Perhaps you are a runner. Did you know good posture helps improve oxygen intake allowing which improves your performance? .

Here at Innovative Wellness, we put an emphasis on good posture whether it is a  yoga class, BoneFit or Ballroom Basic class. It is so important to be mindful of our posture to enjoy all the benefits (Read below 6 Benefits of Good Posture  below June 13,  2018 Osteoporosis Canada article for the list)

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Below article is: 2018, June 13 COPING newsletter from Osteoporosis Canada

COPING is brought to you by the Canadian Osteoporosis Patient Network (COPN) www.osteoporosis.ca/copn . 1-800-463-6842 . copn@osteoporosis.ca ?

https://osteoporosis.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018-06-013-COPING-Importance-of-Good-Posture-FINAL-1.pdf

 

Why is it important to have good posture? At some point in our lives we have all heard that it is important to not slouch because it is not good for us. My mother often scolded us for slouching but was it ever explained to us why it is important to sit or walk straight? In grade school we had a class most days where the teacher told us to put a book on our head and walk to the music. When the music stopped, we had to stop without the book falling down. I never gave it a thought but in time I did come to understand why it is healthy to have good posture.

Fact: Falls can cause broken bones. Good posture may help prevent a fall

What is good posture?

When you are standing, your ear, shoulder, elbow, hip bone, knee and ankle should line up. When sitting, you should sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor. You may need a support, such as a cushion, for your lower back.

Here are a number of reasons why good posture is important:

1. It eliminates stress on the spine and muscles, which in turn will help relieve fatigue and improve our ability to perform well.

2. Good posture eliminates stress on the intestines. When our intestines are scrunched up, our food will not digest properly and so we are deprived of important nutrients. In turn it may also reduce reflux problems. When the body is scrunched up, it is much easier for our digestive juices to move up and cause acid burn.

3. It gives our heart and lungs more space to function. When our body is well aligned, our organs are properly spaced and so there is room to breathe well and our heart has room to beat properly. ?

4. It may improve memory. The brain uses about 25% of the oxygen in our body. Since good posture enhances breathing, it allows you to take in more oxygen, and when you take in more oxygen, your brain function improves. ?

5. Good posture keeps your feet firmly on the ground. When the body is well aligned, the centre of gravity flows straight from the top of our head down to our feet and so anchors us to the ground. This is particularly important in preventing falls; if our posture is good, a slight trip is unlikely to throw us off balance and cause a fall. ?

6. You look better with good posture and if you look good, your mood will improve. When we slouch, we really don’t look good and slouching also saps the energy out of our bodies. Slouching shows bulges and it will appear as though we carry more weight. Straighten up and it looks as though you have lost weight because the bulges no longer show.

Perhaps these reasons will encourage you to straighten up and look the world full in the eye! Chances are that you are seated while reading this newsletter. How is your posture right now? Are you sitting straight?

Here are some tips to help improve your posture. ? When you sit, especially when you spend a great deal of time at a desk, keep your feet firmly on the ground in front of you. If the chair is too high and not adjustable, put a small footstool or something similar under your feet. ? The chair should be of a height such that when you work, your arms are level with the desk. Otherwise, there will be strain on your body and you will slouch and have neck pain. ? When you sit, the chair should be sized so that you are able to sit with your back all the way into the seat of the chair. If that is not possible, use a cushion to make it comfortable. Sometimes a rolledup towel can be used if you have no cushion. ? If you are in front of a computer, try to have your eyes about two inches below the top of your monitor so that you will not strain your neck. If you wear bifocals the monitor should be a bit lower. ? Your keyboard is also important; keep your arms straight forward so you can work comfortably. ? Try to do posture exercises for 5 – 10 minutes every day. Go to https://osteoporosis.ca/healthcare-professionals/clinical-practice-guidelines/exercise-recommendations/ for the Too Fit to Fracture booklet and its suggestions for posture exercises. ? Pay attention to your posture as you go about your daily activities. Try to be constantly aware of your posture. If you think you are slouching, straighten up and feel the difference. You will suddenly feel much more relaxed. We hope that these tips will be helpful while you try to develop good posture!