Posture

Perhaps you remember your parents telling you to sit up straight and now you’ve found yourself telling your children the same thing. Is this just a right of passage from childhood to adulthood, or is this something more to this thing called posture?

What is posture?

Posture is defined as the position of the body or the position of several parts of the body with respect to each other for a particular purpose.

The most important aspect of posture though is its relationship to the alignment of the spine. Posture is often called “The window to the spine” – In other words if your posture is out of alignment it means your spine is out of alignment.

How can a misaligned posture/spine affect me?

Poor posture will add strain onto the muscles supporting the spine – This can lead to neck pain, headaches, low back pain and fatigue.  The relentless pull of gravity combined with work and play habits, means that poor posture is not     self-correcting and over time can lead to loss of movement and degenerative joint disease (Arthritis).

This resulting loss of movement can also affect the functioning of the nerves exiting the spine, which may cause interference to the messages sent from the brain to the body and from the body to the brain.

How do I know if my posture is out of alignment?

Steps to performing a postural exam – looking straight ahead at yourself in the mirror

Step one – look at the bottom of the ears; if one is higher than the other, this is a head tilt and a sign of possible neck misalignment.

Step Two – Look at the shoulders; they should be level, if they are not this is a sign of a mid back misalignment

Step Three – Place your hands on top of your hips, if one hip is higher than the other this could be a sign of a misalignment of your lower back or hip.

Looking from a side view (you will need someone else to check this for you)

Your ear should be directly over the middle of you shoulder – If your ear is forward of this you have forward head posture. For every inch your head posture goes forward your head becomes 10 pounds “heavier” to the muscles and bones of the neck.

How can I improve/correct my posture?

There are treatment protocols specifically designed to help improve or correct posture. These will usually include Chiropractic adjustments as well as an easy to follow exercise regime. The first step is to have your posture analyzed by a trained health care professional.

Chiropractors specialize in the Spine and the Nervous system and place a strong emphasis on postural correction.

–     Dr Robert Delgado, DC, C.C.W.P

–     Atlantic Chiropractic Health Centre 021 4398898

It is a known fact that our genetics have not changed in 40000 years and yet the rates of chronic illness have increased every year for the last 70 years.

Why would this happen?

Perhaps we should study our ancestors as well as modern day people who still live like our ancestors for clues.

Hunter/gatherers had no televisions, laptops, cars, grocery stores, pharmaceuticals or hospitals.

They also had no Heart disease, Cancer, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Depression, ADHD, high blood pressure or high cholesterol

We also know that unless they died from trauma or infection they lived just as long as we do today.

The elders of the community were strong with upright postures and were respected as the leaders of the community. Can we say that about modern day elderly?

If our genes haven’t changed then what is the difference between our hunter/gatherer ancestors and us?  – LIFESTYLE CHOICES

Now obviously we all can’t go live in huts and chase buck but what can we do to mirror the lifestyle of a hunter/gatherer in modern day society?

1. Eat food in its natural state – Have you ever seen a loaf of bread or a Big Mac growing out the ground? No because these are foods that man has created. They look good, taste good and are cheap and convenient but our bodies were never genetically designed to consume these products  – Eat fresh raw fruits and vegetables, unsalted nuts and seeds and any other food that is still in its natural state as much as possible
2. Move as much as possible – Hunter/ gatherers expended a lot of energy every day. They did not do this to look better in their clothes or to have less chins, they did this because without moving they would die of starvation. We are therefore all genetically designed to move and expend energy everyday! Exercise is not a treatment for obesity it is a genetic requirement. Walk, run, jump or skip as much as you can during the day and limit sitting as much as possible. Stay as flexible as you can by being checked regularly by your Chiropractor and doing daily Yoga or Pilates type exercises.
3. Have an attitude of Gratitude – wake up every morning thinking about everything that you’re grateful for. Choose to concentrate on the beauty of the world rather than the ugliness.  Choose positive empowering thoughts and let go of anger, jealousy and any other negative emotions.  Learn to forgive. Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies!

Health is such a simple concept – That’s why animals are healthier than we are – they live according to nature while we have produced an artificial stressful environment, which is totally foreign to our genetic requirements. By following the simple tips above you will be providing your body with some of the raw materials it requires to function at its best for the rest of your life.

Eat well

Fresh Fibre first – Add as much raw fruit and vegetables to your meals as possible – Buy a juicer and steamer!

Add raw unsalted nuts and seeds to meals and eat as snacks

Recommended supplements –  Omega 3 Fish oil (not omega 6)

Probiotic

Multinutrient (eg Spirulina)

Avoid – Sugar, Salt, Transfats (take aways, biscuits,donuts), Wheat (eat whole grain), dairy, White flour (white pasta, white bread etc)

Move well

Follow recommendations for Chiropractic care – adjustment schedule

Everybody is at different fitness levels so ask your Chiropractor before starting an exercise program

Do spinal hygiene exercises daily (these will be provided)

Brisk walk everyday! Or jogging, skipping, swimming, cycling

Strength training

Anaerobic training  – sprints, sports (only if recommended)

Never sit for longer than 30 min without getting up!!!

Think well

Wake up every morning and spend 5 minutes thinking about what you’re grateful for!

Spend 10-20 minutes a day in a quiet area with your eyes closed concentrating on your breathing

Focus on what you want in life instead of what you don’t want

Focus on what you have instead of what you don’t have

Take every opportunity to serve others – making other people happy makes you happy!