My mother was always saying, “Stand up straight.” Turns out she was right. Here are some useful facts on posture.
Don’t forget that sitting for prolonged periods is also very unhealthy.
Tony
Category Archives: posture
OMG, You’re Texting Your Way to Back Pain
Standing tall doesn’t just make you look better, it optimizes your health, too. Other studies have found good posture elevates testosterone and serotonin in the body, and also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Good posture has even been linked to personality traits such as tolerance for risk-taking.
Humans were designed to stand upright. And yet in this modern world, too many of us spend our days with our heads slumped over for a simple reason: we’re staring at the tiny screen of a smartphone.
People spend an average of 2 to 4 hours each day with their neck bent at this unnatural angle while shooting off emails or texts. That’s 700 to 1,400 hours a year. The success of social media is has led to an epidemic of bad smartphone posture.
The average adult head weighs 10 to 12 pounds when it’s in the upright or neutral position. However, because of that pesky thing called physics — gravitational pull — the cranium becomes heavier the more you bend your neck. Several times heavier, according to research from Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, which will be published in…
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Filed under cell phones, posture, spine
How to Improve Posture and Reduce Low Back Pain – Harvard
Is there anyone who hasn‘t suffered from, or isn’t suffering form low back pain? I remember years ago when I was working in an office and they passed out little lumbar pillows to use while seated at our desks. I thought it was funny, but did it anyway. A week later, my low back pain had evaporated and my mocking laugh had morphed into a smile of pain-free comfort. Little things mean a lot.
Harvard’s HEALTHbeat addresses lower back pain in their latest missive. “Repetitive activities at work or home, such as sitting at a computer or lifting and carrying, may produce tension and muscle tightness that result in a backache.
Fortunately, there’s a lot we can do to prevent this sort of problem. General physical fitness and a healthy weight are important. But one surprisingly simple strategy can go a long way: Paying attention to your posture.
“Posture is the way you hold your body while standing, sitting, or performing tasks like lifting, bending, pulling, or reaching. If your posture is good, the bones of the spine — the vertebrae — are correctly aligned. Continue reading
Wellness Secrets of a SuperAger 