Three Tips to Improve Posture

Howdy Readers! It has been a busy couple of months and I just finished my second to last semester of graduate school. (Yay!) I am hoping that I can start to get into the habit of rolling out more blog posts but I am not sure how the next semester will go considering that I will begin data collection for my thesis study.

Today's post will be the first step at getting back into the blogging groove and it will be a short and sweet post about posture. Posture is often discussed, known about by everyone but truly ignored by most in practice. Modern society and modern technology has really been a detriment to proper posture and promotes rounded shoulders, forward head posture, excessive kyphosis (hunch back) of the thoracic spine and excessive lordosis of the lumbar spine. None of these thing postural abnormalities are helping you out as an athlete, runner or human.

Poor posture can reduce breathing capacity, contribute to muscle imbalances, decrease power and performance. and result in injury.  To help combat this issue I am going to give you all three simple things that you can incorporate into your daily life to work on improving posture.

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1. Cervical Retraction into your car seat's headrest.
• Keep your head in contact with the headrest when riding in a car
• Don't extend your neck back into the headrest, tuck your chin to bring your head back (double chin motion = cervical retraction)
• You can also play games like seeing how many chin tucks you can perform into your headrest at each red light or performing 1 long sustained chin tuck for the length of a red light.
• Try making this part of your daily commute and you might notice a lot of benefits!
• This can help with a variety of issues like: 
• Forward Head Posture
• Cervicogaenic Headaches & Migraines
• Rounded Shoulders & Shoulder Impingement
• TMJ/TMD Issues
2. Try to spend less time sitting every day by using a stand-up work station



Avoid these shoes...like the plague.



• People are spending more and more time in seated positions
• This can wreak havoc on your posture all the way up and down the kinetic chain
• Seated work stations can cause issues ranging from contributing to tight hip flexors, carpal tunnel issues, migraine/headaches and more.
• Excessively tight hip flexors and increase lordotic curvature can be very detrimental for athletes or runners in several ways
• Decreased hip extension
• Inhibited Glutes
• and subsequently Achilles Tendon issues.
• If you can't afford or swing a stand-up work station try to take frequent breaks to stand up and walk around. This is great for both your body and your mind as well!
3. If you don't have a stand-up desk, try just taking a knee for a change!
   



• If you can't afford or get a hold of a stand-up desk or aren't allowed to take frequent breaks away from your desk then perhaps you should devote 5-10 minutes a day to taking a knee.
• Get into a lunge position with one knee on the ground (side being stretched) and the other foot ahead of the down knee. 
• If you have sore knees, a hard floor, or patellar tendon issues it might be a good idea to place a pad or rolled up towel under your knee for some cushioning.
• Spending more time in this position (alternate sides!) will help with the aforementioned postural issues.
• However, you need to stand or lunge with good posture like your mother always reminded you to. When I was learning how to tape ankles one of my mentor would always say "fast and crappy is still crappy."
• This mean's standing all day or hanging out in a lunge but having a forward head posture, bent over at the waist or etc will still reinforce bad habits and will not help you achieve any benefits/goals.

These are pretty easy things to incorporate into your day but they require you to do them. Yes, you. You are the person who needs to fix yourself...We have to remember that we are responsible for ourselves and improving any dysfunctions lies within your hands! Self-empowerment can be liberating if you work for it.

Categories: back pain relief, cervicogaenic headaches, improving posture, low back pain, neck pain relief, posture, shoulder pain relief, stand up desk, stand up work station, tight hip flexors