Posture is Important
Do you have good posture? If you answer “no,” you’re not alone. Look around, and you’ll see that I’m right. Most people have a sort of hunched over posture. The head hangs forward and the shoulders are curved to the front. This is the result of years and years of slouching. Chronic slouching allows the pectoral muscles to tighten and the muscles of the upper back to weaken. These changes make it incredible difficult, if not impossible, to stand up straight.
To make matters worse, orthopedic specialists are seeing an increasing number of neck injuries that may be the result of using electronic gadgets, such lap tops and Blackberrys. Each minute that your chin is tucked to your chest as you type or read a computer screen, you create a minute amount of pressure on one side of the cervical discs and a gap on the opposite side of the same discs. This pressure and gap combo is the right recipe for causing a slipped or bulging disc disc.
To counter time spent in the hunched-over position – sometimes it is unavoidable – or to straighten up, spend at least 2-3 minutes every day stretching your shoulders and strengthening your upper back muscles. To stretch your chest muscles, clasp your hands behind you and pull your shoulders back. Hold for 30 seconds. To strengthen your upper back muscles, stand against a wall and gently press the back of your head into the wall. Hold for 10 seconds. Be sure not to hold your breath during either exercise.
Peggy Kraus is a clinical exercise physiologist at Southampton Hospital in New York. She received her Masters degree in Professional Physical Education from New York University and after many years in commercial and corporate fitness settings has been in the cardiac and pulmonary rehab setting now for 10 years. Her job duties include educating rehab patients about the link between exercise, nutrition, and good health. Peggy has been published in IDEA’s Fitness Journal and in AFAA’s American Fitness, and her continuing education course, Atherosclerosis: Causes, Consequences, and Treatments, is offered in CEU4U’s nursing course catalog.
