If someone told you that improving just ONE thing about yourself would result in more energy, an improved mood, a better looking body, reduce your chances of injury and target cellulite and bodyfat – WOULD YOU BELIEVE THEM? Well, if your answer is ”NO WAY,” then allow me to let you in on the surprisingly simple answer.
It’s your POSTURE!
Yes, that’s it, and that’s all. The following blog post will explain exactly how embarking on a posture-healing training program will result in all of the changes mentioned above. Making the decision to improve your posture will take a great deal of daily mindfulness for it in the beginning, but after 2 weeks you will prefer to sit, stand, move and live with better alignment because your body will not tolerate your old movement patterns, as they are energy draining and create unnecessary muscle tension and lack of oxygen delivery to the body.
The first thing that is addressed in the Golden Method Training Program (read more about that HERE.) is posture. Once the foundation of the skeletal system is in proper alignment, then we move forward with goal-specific exercise programming. First and foremost, the biggest advantage of proper posture is having access to more OXYGEN. Oxygen is the body’s universal currency, and by limiting the supply everything slows down. Imagine the path that oxygen takes from the moment you inhale through the nose while standing with proper alignment. It travels from the nasal cavities – pharynx-trachea-primary bronchi-secondary bronchi-tertiary bronchi-bronchioles-alveoli (the site of gas exchange)- and finally throughout the body via the blood stream. If you are sitting all day with rounded shoulders, contracted chest and abdominal muscles, tight hips and flexed knees, then the oxygen delivery pathway is highly compromised because it is compressed. Bodyfat and cellulite will most likely start to accumulate over these inactive muscles (abs, glutes and back of arms) because bodyfat prefers to be stored over less active muscles.
Posture improvement also leads to an increase in energy and mood. This is attributed to proper lung expansion resulting in more oxygen delivery throughout the body. Simple awareness throughout the day with regards to how you are sitting, standing and moving will afford the diaphragm and rib cage to inhale and exhale to a greater degree. Better posture = more oxygen from nose to lungs = more oxygen delivery to body= more oxygen to muscle cells = more metabolically active muscle cells = more ENERGY = better mood. Studies have shown your metabolism can be increased by as much as 18% with more oxygen delivery from better posture.
If having more energy, less bodyfat accumulation, and an improved mood wasn’t enough to want to improve your posture, then here is one more thing – proper posture allows the body to become stronger and reduces the risk of injury. Think about a car that has been in a wreck, or is out of alignment. Maybe it will still drive, but it will make noises, not be as fast, and eventually will start affecting all other parts. This is analogous to improper spinal alignment. Since the spine is the foundation for all other body parts and their alignment and functional abilities, bad posture starts to deteriorate all other connecting pieces as well.
To further clarify how one part can affect the whole, let’s consider the shoulders and their relationship with the back and knees. If your shoulders are chronically in a state of internal rotation (ex: palms face backwards when standing with arms down to sides rather than thumbs facing forward) then the top of the spine is already angled forward, effecting everything in the kinetic chain below (a simple test is standing with your head, shoulders, butt and heels against the wall.. Proper posture is when everything touches the wall effortlessly, with your chin parallel to the floor). So if your alignment is off starting at the top, then most likely you will have some degree of low back pain because that area is having to contract due to the misalignment and forwardness of the parts above. Furthermore, this effects the knees as well. During walking, the knee joint is not aligned either because the head and shoulders are forward, the low back is arched, and now the knees are being asked to walk and carry everything above it that is out of whack.
Creating an optimally functioning body that is lean, with ample energy, no pain, and a positive mindset doesn’t require a therapist, personal trainer, medication and diet pills. Start by wearing a rubber band around your wrist for a week and every time you notice it make an improvement in your posture. Next, begin a posture improvement fitness training program designed for alignment strengthening (contact me HERE.) And finally, notice how children that are 5,6,7 years old move, sit, walk and sleep. Kids at that age move in proper alignment because it is natural and feel good. Feel free to contact me for guidance on customized programs to help you look and feel your best!
Kelly
