From Amanda's very early writing (1990s to early 2000s), shared as it was originally written.
wellness in 8 weeks - 3rd week -physical
This week it's time to explore another aspect of physical wellness - our posture. Posture as we stand, sit, work and sTudy. And about the warning signs our bodies give us when we are about to do damage
Other than when our parents nagged us as teenagers, or when we admire a gorgeous body, when do we consciously think about posture? Not very often. We resent our parents inteference and to be cool we slouch even more so we can be exactly like our spotty peers! And it's on the cards we won't even turn our heads with an admiring glance if the person has poor, unbalanced posture because it's not that gorgeous to look at!!
Yet, unbalanced posture is one of the most insidious causes of pain and discomfort. Because the knee bone is connected to the thigh bone etc, when we stand with our feet aplayed like Charlie Chaplain, our pelvis thrust forward, our shoulders hunched and spine rounded and chin poked forwards (umm, doesn't this sound gorgeous?) we palce enormous stresses on the joints and ligaments of our whole bosy.
So before long we begin to experience the burning, tingling, tightness, stiffness, numbness, heaviness, dragging , discomfort
't this sound gorgeous?) we plas and ligaments of our whole bod Not to mention we look like gorillas!And and pulling - the warning signs our bodies give us to let us know that something is amiss - that damage is imminent. Unfrtunately, most people are completely unaware of these signs because they are not used to listening to their bodies. So the signals become stronger and stronger until they can no longer be ignored or pain explodes.
Take a step towards wellness today and pay attention to the messages your body is giving you. Be especially alert to those warning signs I mentioned. As soon as they appear, notice what position your body is in adn adjust it - if you have been in one position for more than about 20 minutes, reverse that position. If you have ever painted a ceiling, you'll know what I mean! We hold our neck at an extreme angle as we stare up to see what we are doing and the second we return it ot t anormal position, the pain is excruciating! And all we had to do to avoid this was to look down - do the opposite movement - every 20 minutes.
The second step to wellness this week is to be aware of your body position and reverse any position you have been in for 20 minutes.
So back to our day to day posture - the way we stand. This often leads to back and neck pain - and in my opinion, the thoracic spine is the key. That's the area between our shoulder blades - the bit that slouches to make us a hunchback. Have you seen that big lump at the base of the neck is a lot of older (and unfortunately much younger people now) have? Well, that's the fourth adn fifth neck bones slowly fusing because we have a slouched throacic spine which makes us poke out our chin which in turn compresses those two bones. Neck discomfort and pain ensue - not to mention that it's not very attractive.
Here's a simple exercise that will help free up those two joints - it's especially good to do this exercise when you feel any warning signs. I call it the turkey! Keep you chin parallell to the floor and sitting or stanfing straight, pull your face in! Seriously, pull yoru head backwards so you develop a double chin and you will feel the joints stretching.
How can we balance it up and look good again?
The more you do this the better your neck will feel.
Be really aware of how straight you are standing - this exercise will help you balance your posture. There is an easy exercise that will help you unbend your thoracic spine - sit in a chair with a backrest that stops just under yoru shoulder blades - stretch yoru arms up in the air and rock backwards over the back of the chair - make sure the chair is stable and the stretch gentle! And if you have pain doing either of these exercises, do them smaller until there is no pain. (Pain is nature's warning - it is saying 'you need to do this, but smaller" - but if it hurts to do any part of the movement, seek medical advice before you continue). Do this exercise, called 'the rack' as often as you can during the day - you'll love the effects.What about standing - h Firstly, take off all your clothes except yoru underwear and stand side on to a full length mirror. Use a hand held mirror to see waht you look like - notice your feet, hips, low back, thoracic spine, shoulders and chin. Then stand front on and look at the same
There is a simple four step process.
STAND in front of a mirror and check what you look like from the front. If this doesn't give you the motivation to change then your posture must be pretty good!
If you decide you would like to look elegant, taller, impressive, or just plain old good , there is a simple four step process. The steps are simple , remembering to do it is not!
Step one: Make your feet parallel and four inches /10 centimetres apart - this frees up your pelvis.
Step two: imagine you have a clock on the side of your pelvis with four o'clock at the front and 8 o'clock at the back - most people stand with a sway back - their bums stuck out at 8 o'clock. We need to rock our pelvises from 8 o'clock to 4 o'clock and keep it there ; this balances and takes strain off the low back.
Step three: imagine you have a piece of elastic connecting your navel with a spot between your nipples. Without breathing in, elongate that elastic - in other words, stretch your torso but keep your shoulders relaxed. Most people take in a huge breath and tense their shoulders as they try to do this! Concentrate on keeping relaxed! And keep breathing.
Step four: clasp your hands lightly behind your bottom. Keeping your shoulders relaxed, gently stretch your hands towards the floor. This will help to open up your chest.
By now you will be feeling like someone has strapped a broomstick to your back! And you will feel horribly uncomfortable - but the mirror will show you that you look terrific! And if you feel for that lump at the base of the neck it will be gone or much smaller. Persevere because you will soon find this position more comfortable than your usual slump - you'll have less discomfort, more energy and you may even notice people watching you with admiration!!
