Move More For Better Posture

Posture Myth #7 "A brace or corset is an effective way to improve your posture"

Lets start with the basics. Pain is a posture problem and posture is a lifestyle problem which needs a lifestyle cure.

Braces work for your teeth because there are no muscles there and you don't have joints in your teeth - they don't move individually. So called 'posture braces' restrict your natural movement. Your body needs more, not less movement!

Notice how the girl in the picture on the right has her right shoulder higher than her left! (click on the picture to enlarge)

A brace is not going to address the elevated right shoulder, because the brace doesn't understand why it's there and can't address the cause. If 'muscles move bones' (and they do!), then you need to remind the muscles what they are supposed to be doing in order to put the bones back where they belong.

An Egoscue exercise (or e-cise) program will treat the whole body, addressing the specific compensations and dysfunctions present.

There's More To Your Posture Than Your Back

Posture Myth #6 "'Posture' refers only to the alignment of the spine"

For most of us, as kids we became used to every day chides like 'sit up straight' or 'stand up tall' from our parents and school teachers. And while they may never have actually said it, the assumption was that they were primarily refering to the alignment of your spine.

This notion has penetrated our psyche to the extent that the vast majority of people, tend to believe that posture is only a reference to the position of the spine. Yet, in actual fact, posture refers to the alignment of the whole body - from the foot position, to the tilt of your pelvis and the sideways lean of your head.

Your posture is a snapshot of your muscles ability to function correctly - form follows function! So, the position of your feet in your standing posture can reveal a great deal of information about how the muscles of your pelvis are able to do 'their job' and why you have that back pain.
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Is Visualisation Enough to Improve Your Posture?

Posture Myth #5 "Visualising a better posture will help you to maintain one"

Visualisation (or imagination) is a useful skill to have. After all, without the imagination of inventors and innovators we would certainly not have the luxuries of modern living.

When it comes to our health, the ability to see or visualise things better than they currently are (sometimes called hope) is an important step. We need to have goals beyond the absence of our symptoms.

The next step is to have a plan. This plan must be achievable and must be measurable. How will you know when you are making progress?

Will you see it the difference? Or will you feel it?

TAKE ACTION!

That's right, a plan needs action to be meaningful. You have over 600 muscles in your body which require and are designed to respond to physical stimulus. Give them the right movement and they will pay you handsomely.
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Posture Myths #2

"You should check your posture regularly in the mirror and correct it accordingly"

Observing your posture in the mirror is a great idea. When you do, you should ideally do so in your underware (or naked!) in a full length mirror if possible. Look for:

Are your shoulders level?

Is one hip higher than the other?

Do your feet point straight ahead?

Where do your knees point?

Are you 'knock kneed' or 'bow legged'?

Is one side of your body closer to the mirror than the other?

The answers to these questions will tell you a lot about any postural imbalances you have. Then you can go about addressing them.

So, how do you address the imbalances? Well consciously attempting to correct them doesn't work!

You see, each muscle has specific functions that it is designed to do. When your posture is compromised you know that there are muscular dysfunctions and consequent compensations occurring.

Consciously correcting the misalignment does nothing to address the functional deficit. What you need, is to to remind the muscles of their proper function with exercises designed to do so.

To start now, click here to get a FREE Egoscue ecise menu appropriate for your particular posture.

See more controversial myths about posture here
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Relax You Abdominals For Better Posture

Following on from yesterdays 'Posture Myths' post...

Here are a few things to consider regarding contracting your abdominals:

• The diaphragm is an important postural muscle. Consider that the average person takes in the region of 23,000 breaths daily, yet only 10% of people are are said to actually recruit their diaphragm. If in addition you begin to contract the abdominals you are further inhibiting proper function of the diaphragm.
• The abdominals work to flex the trunk, in opposition to the majority of the muscles of the back which are extensors of the spine and trunk.
• You, as a typical person already spend 11 or more hours sitting - IN FLEXION.
  
• What you don't need is more flexion - you need balance!

The body works as a unit. You need to address your posture wholistically, from head to toe restoring the balance from left to right and the dynamic tension from front to back.
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7 Controversial Myths About Posture

There is a lot of talk about posture from well meaning 'experts' and magazines are full of 'posture tips'. Below are a few of the common myths that you are being told about posture:

1. Contracting your abdominal muscles (your transverse abdominals) supports your spine and allows you to stand up taller and with less pain.
2. You should check your posture regularly in the mirror and correct it accordingly.
3. A strong 'core' ensures a good posture.
4. You should maintain a straight spine (sitting or standing)
5. Visualising a better posture will help you to maintain one
6. 'Posture' refers only to the alignment of the spine
7. A brace or corset is an effective way to improve your posture

We'll look at these in a little more detail over the next post or two, to understand them within the bigger picture.