Good Posture Is Sexy. . . And Good For You

pain reliefanatomy
Written By Lisa Day Harvey
woman sitting in front of lap top working with poor posture

Good posture is sexy. Standing up straight is instant magical makeover.

What else can make you look - and feel:

  • Tall

  • Youthful

  • Powerful

  • Lean

  • Captivating

  • Confident

So quickly?

For a fascinating lesson on how your posture influences not only how you look but other’s perception of you as well as the hormone levels in your body, this TED talk from Amy Cuddy is a must watch!!

Bad posture on the other hand. . .  well, it has its effects on the body too:

  • Tension headaches

  • Neck pain

  • Shoulder pain

  • Shallow breathing (which leads to more neck tension)

  • Back pain

The tricky part is that posture is a habit. You many not think much about it until you find yourself rubbing your neck and shoulders at the end of the day.

1930's chart showing skeleton in alignment in good and bad posture

Even back in the 1930’s (long before cell phones) there was concern about bad posture.

Once you catch it . . . then what?

The body likes to stand up straight. The bones and joint align nicely and no extra effort is required of your muscles. However, holding your head and shoulders forward, takes work - a LOT of it. With every inch that you lean your head forward, the weight on your spine increases by approximately 10lbs. So a head that weighs 10-12lbs can exert up to 42 lbs of force on your neck and upper back if you bring it forward 3" inches to look at your phone. 😳

Over time the muscles get exhausted which leads to pain - and adaptation. Some muscles become overly tight, others become chronically over stretched and our body lays down extra layers connective tissue to help hold our muscles in this unnatural position.

Which means, when you try to stretch and stand up straight, it’s hard - it may even feel impossible!

It’s also totally possible to rewind the effects of bad posture.

I work on this with my clients all the time and I swear to you - it’s MAGIC. Aches and pains disappear. They move better. They feel better. They look 10 years younger.

In this video (originally recorded as a Facebook Live session, I cover 3 quick easy moves you can do at home with a foam roller to release tension in the upper back, neck, chest and shoulders to reverse the effects of a day staring at a screen. These magical moves can be done daily. Give them a try and let me know in the comments how they feel for you or if you have any questions about them.

Lisa Day Harvey

Known for her knowledge of the body and empowering positivity, Lisa Day Harvey is a Pilates teacher in Jupiter, FL.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lisa was initially drawn to Pilates to relieve the pain of multiple neck, back and shoulder injuries (a car accident, sports injuries, and concussions among them), worsened by long work days at a desk. After years of working with one specialist after another and trying seemingly everything else with little success, she was amazed at how quickly she not only found relief from pain but additionally built strength, toned and reshaped her body, improved coordination and posture (growing almost a full inch due to spinal decompression), and regained a sense of ease and delight in her body.

This experience of transformation led her to become a teacher, now specializing in working with injuries and chronic pain.

Based on her own experiences, Lisa believes that pain is simply the body’s way of asking you to do something differently and that injuries can be your greatest teachers if you slow down and pay attention to their signals. Having experienced the possibility of moving without pain first hand, she delights in empowering her clients with the knowledge, tools and felt experience to challenge, strengthen and enjoy their bodies

http://www.LisaDayHarvey.com
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