Stop Slouching – Sit and Stand Straight

The previous Great NEWS post was on using the Power Plate for Perfect Health and today we discuss why you want to Stop Slouching – Sit and Stand Straight. The post on Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture evolved into a ten part series with expanded content to help educate and empower more people. Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture is essential for your long term happiness, health and harmony so this week we discuss how important it is for you to Stop Slouching – Sit and Stand Straight.

The original blog post shared my top ten tips to help maintain a peak performance physiology for life. It offered short summaries regarding simple suggestions for Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture to prevent physical challenges from becoming worse. A few sentences are usually not enough to inform, influence and inspire you to change a habit and take adequate action therefore this post is offering a reminder and more detailed explanation of one simple tip that can help improve your quality of life now and in the future.

Many people share with me ongoing pains and problems that refuse to go away. These may have resulted from a number of individual or collective causes. Even if you have not experienced this yet, applying these suggestions may help prevent them from occurring. Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

When you begin to notice and understand the alignment, muscles and posture of other people and yourself you may or may not see the numerous issues that are developing or already occurring that spells pain and suffering.

Common contributors include: bad posture, car accidents, chair design, child birth delivery issues, computer monitor placement, couches, ergonomics, falls, high heels, imbalanced muscle development, improperly fitting shoes, injuries, low quality shoe inserts and support, mattress/ sleep problems, military service injuries, overdeveloped muscles, pillow size, poor alignment, posture, sports injuries, stress, tight muscles and tendons, underdeveloped muscles, unnatural gait running and walking and many more. Many things can directly and indirectly cause annoying pains and problems.

In Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture Tip 6 we suggest you Stop Slouching – Sit and Stand Straight. When you begin to notice and understand the alignment, muscles and posture of other people and yourself you may or may not see the numerous issues that are developing or already occurring that spells pain and suffering.

Slouching Affects Your Alignment

It is imperative to avoid slouching when you sit or stand because this can harm your emotional, mental and physical energy and health. While this may sound like a lecture from your mom to sit tall, stand tall and walk tall let me assure you there is a wealth of information in her loving advice. To condition and train your body and mind for peak performance physiology you want to become aware of key factors like alignment and posture.

In much the same way that the alignment of your vehicle wheels can affect your driving and tire life your physical alignment can affect your mental and physical abilities and the quality of your productive life. Misalignment can cause pain and suffering that is debilitating and devastating to your finances, health and well being.

The body depends on exercise to build strong bones, joints and muscles.

Back pain, headaches, hip problems, knee issues and neck aches are some of the most common reasons that people will seek pain relief from chiropractic or medical professionals. Most of these are caused by alignment and structural issues that became worse over time or are the result of accidents and injuries that did not heal well and let to alignment problems. Alignment and posture issues can easily compound into much more serious problems over time. .

Nutrition is another component that can harm or help your skeletal system. An excessively acidic diet combined with poor nutrition can lead to skeletal degeneration and severe problems. You must provide the complex carbohydrates, enzymes, fats, fiber, minerals, phyto-nutrients, protein, trace elements and vitamins the body needs to help maintain your structural alignment and integrity for health and vitality.

Lack of sufficient weight bearing exercise is also a contributing factor to weak bones and joints. The body depends on exercise to build strong bones, joints and muscles. Many people quit exercising as a result of alignment and posture problems that became worse over time and inhibited their ability to exercise. Rather than deal with the alignment issues to begin exercising again they give up and start going down hill and deteriorate even further.

Tips to Enhance Your Posture

There are simple things you can do while sitting which are great ways to enhance your posture for long hours of computer, studying, TV or work such as:

• adjust your monitor height
• use an adjustable ergonomic chair
• sit on a Swiss exercise ball
• use a Scandinavian kneeling chair
• take breaks and do chair yoga
• take stand up and stretch breaks.
• egoscue exercises
• watch TV while standing up
• use a foot rest

The sooner you identify any alignment, muscle or posture issues, and begin to address them, the sooner you can prevent more damage and stop the progression from becoming even worse.

While walking it is also important to keep the head held high and not leaning forward. When the head leans forward and the shoulders are hunched it puts an excessive amount of strain and stress on the muscles along the back and neck. This can lead to back aches, headaches, neck aches and other complications. With erect posture the arms should swing naturally and back and hips should move easily.

While walking tall the feet should land parallel to each other and not with toes pointed outward like a duck walk. The legs should have a natural gait and the whole body flows gracefully. Many people have an unnatural walk with feet turned out, the hips and back locked or contorted with minimal arm swing. Many people are so out of alignment they limp and have distorted hips and a twisted spine. These are signs of poor posture and tense muscles that over time result in muscle impairment, misalignment and pain.

Realign Yourself

Even if you are experiencing many of these conditions today that does not mean they cannot be corrected. In fact the sooner you identify any alignment, muscle or posture issues, and begin to address them, the sooner you can prevent more damage and stop the progression from becoming even worse. There is always a way to correct structural issues by adjustments, exercise and proper posture. Yes it does take awareness, commitment, determination and persistence to focus and take action each day towards maintaining alignment, muscles and posture for health and vitality. Remember your body is the temple and transportation for your heart, mind and spirit so take great care of it and it will serve you well.

This Great NEWS post focused on how important it is to Stop Slouching – Sit and Stand Straight. As part of the ongoing series on Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture you now have even more reasons to add this to your rituals and routines for health. My outcome is to educate, empower and excite you to enjoy this ten week series inspired from Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture to Stop Slouching – Sit and Stand Straight.

What is your current Gap?

What are you doing for Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture? How is your alignment and posture when you sit, stand and walk?

Mastery Action Plan (MAP)

Find a chiropractic doctor, Egoscue specialist or ergonomics expert and identify any alignment and posture issues that may be developing.  When I met with a exercise and physical therapy trainer after the Houston Marathon Health Expo they demonstrated exercises and the Power Plate to help strengthen muscles needed for core strength and stability.

Call to Action

What comments, commitments or questions do you have regarding your alignment, muscles or posture?

Next week the Great NEWS blog will share:

Pain Free with Egoscue Method