Tricky
Resident Professor
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- Sep 1, 2018
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Most of you have shitty posture, so I wrote this guide to help improve it.
Here's why you should care:
1. Correct posture could add an inch or more to your perceived height
2. For those with nagging back pain or fatigue, fixing your posture may help
3. Correct posture makes your shoulders appear wider, and generally appear larger in size
If you don't give a shit about these things, then leave. If this isn't worth your time, go find something else to do.
Basic Info about Posture
90% of people have issues due to Cervical and Thoracic extension. This means that either one or both of these sections are loaded in shear, meaning they're bent "forwards", forcing each vertebra into anterior rotation and lessening the load on the musculature in your back. So in essence, we're asking muscles to do a job they're not used to performing.
What does good Posture feel like?
Take a deep breath into your chest and hold it. You should feel your stomach sucking inwards, and your rib-cage expanding and rising slightly. Exhale, but maintain the position you held before. Check in a mirror if you want to be sure, but this should place your shoulders and spine into the correct position. While walking and sitting, perform this movement and hold for as long as you can. If you slip out of posture, just take the same breath and hold again. You WILL feel signs of fatigue, so just keep at it.
Quick ways to reduce bad lifestyle choices
-Your monitor should be at eye level. If not, angle it upwards so you're forced to look forwards instead of down.
-When sitting for long periods of time, make sure that you're not hunched over. Press your neck/upper back against the chair, along with your butt.
-When driving, keep the back of your head against the headrest (unless required to safely drive)
-Don't sleep on your stomach. If you cannot stop this habit, get a face pillow like the type they use in massage clinics.
-Keep your keyboard and mouse close to your arms. Reaching forward constantly will force you to internally rotate your shoulders, which is a bad thing for posture.
-If you sit down for a long period of time on a regular basis, you probably have tight hip flexors. Perform this stretch daily for 10 second on either side to loosen them.
Not-So-Quick ways to fix posture
-See a Chiropractor. Misalignment's in your spine can make it difficult to hold correct form. Keep in mind that this comes with a caveat, which is that you ALSO do the thing below.
-Train your back. Pullups, Barbell/Dumbell Rows, Deadlifts, ect. By making your back stronger, it will become easier to hold good posture.
-Purchase a new chair. If your current chair is very poorly designed, it could save you some time and effort to get an ergonomic one.
Final thoughts
There's no easy timetable for how long this will take, and there are lifestyle factors that may hinder your progress. However, if you stick with it for 30 days, I promise that you'll see a very noticeable change in your unconscious posture.
Here's why you should care:
1. Correct posture could add an inch or more to your perceived height
2. For those with nagging back pain or fatigue, fixing your posture may help
3. Correct posture makes your shoulders appear wider, and generally appear larger in size
If you don't give a shit about these things, then leave. If this isn't worth your time, go find something else to do.
Basic Info about Posture
90% of people have issues due to Cervical and Thoracic extension. This means that either one or both of these sections are loaded in shear, meaning they're bent "forwards", forcing each vertebra into anterior rotation and lessening the load on the musculature in your back. So in essence, we're asking muscles to do a job they're not used to performing.
What does good Posture feel like?
Take a deep breath into your chest and hold it. You should feel your stomach sucking inwards, and your rib-cage expanding and rising slightly. Exhale, but maintain the position you held before. Check in a mirror if you want to be sure, but this should place your shoulders and spine into the correct position. While walking and sitting, perform this movement and hold for as long as you can. If you slip out of posture, just take the same breath and hold again. You WILL feel signs of fatigue, so just keep at it.
Quick ways to reduce bad lifestyle choices
-Your monitor should be at eye level. If not, angle it upwards so you're forced to look forwards instead of down.
-When sitting for long periods of time, make sure that you're not hunched over. Press your neck/upper back against the chair, along with your butt.
-When driving, keep the back of your head against the headrest (unless required to safely drive)
-Don't sleep on your stomach. If you cannot stop this habit, get a face pillow like the type they use in massage clinics.
-Keep your keyboard and mouse close to your arms. Reaching forward constantly will force you to internally rotate your shoulders, which is a bad thing for posture.
-If you sit down for a long period of time on a regular basis, you probably have tight hip flexors. Perform this stretch daily for 10 second on either side to loosen them.
Not-So-Quick ways to fix posture
-See a Chiropractor. Misalignment's in your spine can make it difficult to hold correct form. Keep in mind that this comes with a caveat, which is that you ALSO do the thing below.
-Train your back. Pullups, Barbell/Dumbell Rows, Deadlifts, ect. By making your back stronger, it will become easier to hold good posture.
-Purchase a new chair. If your current chair is very poorly designed, it could save you some time and effort to get an ergonomic one.
Final thoughts
There's no easy timetable for how long this will take, and there are lifestyle factors that may hinder your progress. However, if you stick with it for 30 days, I promise that you'll see a very noticeable change in your unconscious posture.
