By
Nurse Diane
I always shy away
from having my picture taken. I am
usually the one taking pictures, so its easy to avoid the camera. However I recently had a surprise birthday
party, and not only were pictures being taken, but also videos! After looking at these images, I could see my
grandmother in me! I looked like a
hunched back old woman.
Nothing will help correct your
posture more than seeing yourself in your natural position. In fact, diabetes health.com suggest having a
friend take posture pictures in this manner:
Have a friend take 3 pictures of you: from the
front, back, and side. Stand straight
and tall when they take the picture, with what feels like good posture (No
looking in a mirror to cheat!). Print
out the pictures, one to a sheet. Next,
put a dot between your feet on the front and back view, and on your ankle on
the side view, and then fold each paper in half vertically, neatly at the dot.
FRONT & BACK VIEW: The two halves of your body should be the same. If your head and/or torso is off to one side,
or your arms are hanging differently (one hand is lower or further from the
body than the other), your posture is not symmetrical.
SIDE VIEW: The line from your ankle should pass thru your shoulder and
ear. If your head is way forward of that line, you may have a posture
distortion called Forward Head Posture (FHP).
File your posture picture where
you can find it. Next year take another
posture picture to note any changes.
They also suggest several posture correcting exercises such as:
All exercise is not created
equal. Exercising with poor posture can
train you to stand and move poorly.
Yoga, Tai-Chi and Pilates are all great for building body awareness and control. According to Dr. Weiniger, a smart way to
exercise efficiently and get the most out of any workout is with a pre-exercise
"Posture Break" to set your internal baseline. Before taking a walk or hitting the gym Dr.
Weiniger recommends these posture strengthening exercises:
STORK- Train yourself to stand tall while building good posture by
balancing on one foot. First, stand tall
with your best posture, and then keep straight as you lift your thigh so your
knee is at hip height. Keep standing
tall for 30 seconds on each side, focusing on keeping your body well aligned.
WALLSTAND- Back up to a wall
so your heels, buttocks, shoulders and head all lightly touch the wall while
you keep everything level, relaxed and aligned-- and take 3 slow breaths,
feeling your body's best posture. Note:
If you feel any areas of stress, get your posture checked by a professional.
This is Correct Your Posture Month.
If you have back pain, neck soreness, or
other posture problems--- or want to find out how strengthening your posture
can improve sports performance (i.e. golf, tennis, baseball) and wellness --
help is available. Consult a Certified
Posture Exercise Professional, chiropractor, physical therapist or massage
therapist trained to assess posture and teach individualized exercise routines
for pain management and wellness.
(All images from Google)
Excellent blog
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