What has your mother always told you? Sit straight. Stand tall. What does that actually mean? Did you know that there are so many health and performance benefits to having good posture? There are also a lot of misconceptions about what good posture is and how to achieve it.
When you have the ability to hold good posture you:
- Make more space for your organs to function properly
- Your heart and lungs work better
- Reduce headaches caused by neck pain
- Decrease low back pain
- Improve the range of motion in your shoulders
- Have more energy
- Reduce feelings of anxiety
- Can lift heavier in the gym
- Many people make the mistake of trying to have too straight of a posture. This is called a military posture. You do want some curve in your spine; this is a shock-absorbing mechanism for you to withstand impact.
To create good posture:
- Think about flattening your shoulder blades on your rib cage
- Pull your belly button up towards your nose
- Lengthen your spine toward the ceiling through the crown of your head
- Feet flat on the floor with equal pressure in both
This can be applied to sitting and standing. Kick the habit of crossing your legs when sitting and leaning on one leg when standing. Both of these create a rotation in your pelvis, while creating muscle imbalances.
Now that you feel your posture getting better, it takes strength to hold that position while sitting and in motion. I decided to focus on the upper back and controlling your scapula. When you can flatten your shoulder blades onto your rib cage, many wonderful things happen. You automatically open your chest, allow the arms to move more freely, and increase your strength.
When your upper back is strong, you can lift heavier, and increase performance in many sports like hockey, volleyball, tennis and football, to name a few.
The best part is that you can breathe better when you have good posture. If you can take deeper breaths you will be able to lower your heart rate, reduce feelings of anxiety, and improve endurance of your muscles with more oxygen circulation.
In the video, I visually show what holding good posture looks like, and then demonstrate what exercises you can do to accomplish it. The muscles around the shoulder blades are the target of this video. Try them out and watch how your posture improves.
If you want to learn more about reprogramming your body or need guidance putting a routine together, let me know. I would love to help.
Jen Mark is a Registered Kinesiologist, Certified Athletic Therapist, and Registered Yoga Teacher at Matrix of Motion Fitness Studios and Sports Medicine Centre of Excellence in Newmarket. Jen is the athletic therapist with the Markham Majors Bantams. Jen is also the head therapist and holistic director for the Junior Development Squad with the Men’s program under Field Hockey Canada. Jen uses her athletic therapy for exercise and manual treatments including soft tissue massage, joint mobilizations, and muscle energy. You can reach her [email protected]
