Good Posture Defies Gravity

Good posture relies on strong, flexible, healthy muscles and an understanding of how they work to hold you upright. This is critical to maintain pain-free functional mobility as we age. Our skeletal structure is designed with muscles to stabilize and hold us upright. Muscles enable us to get around but they rely on nerves to conduct information from our brains to do so. Your body can’t do anything without the nerves conducting information back and forth between your body to your brain. You decide where to go but the subconscious carries out the millions of signals to make it happen. So the subconcious can’e help you defy gravity. You have to actively decide to focus on the components of good posture.

Structural Components of Good Posture defying gravity.

The skeletal structure is designed to handle the compressive downward force called gravity. We need bones for our bodies structure and muscles to move the bones around relative to each other and the world we function within.

The muscles and bones of your body can’t do anything without the nerves conducting information. It is a circular relationship with information traveling from your body to your brain and back again. Regular daily activities; from getting out of bed in morning, sitting at your desk, driving your car, to taking a workout class, your mind is on the task at hand but your subconscious is handling the body’s movements and positioning.

Your subconscious is too busy to worry about poor posture

Your subconscious is not focused on proper posture which is being sacrificed on a daily basis. If you aren’t either, the slow downward spiral of poor posture begins. The head slides forward if we don’t pull it back. The shoulders roll forward if we don’t retract our shoulder blades. Then the thoracic spine rounds forward if we don’t pull ourselves upright. Over time this slow devolution reverts our bodies back to its original state. The fetal position. Are you aware of all of the factors that can create poor posture in the first place?

12 Factors creating poor posture

• lack of awareness of correct posture
• repetitive physical demands
• stress and anxiety
• use of technology
• tight muscles
• weak muscles
• dysfunctional joint mobility
• lack of fitness/activity
• sedentary lifestyle
• obesity
• aging process
• poor footwear (high heels, flip flops etc)

The SAID Principle

Repetitive physical motions and long periods of sedate inactivity expose your body to the SAID principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands). Life’s stressors, whether neurological or biomechanical in nature, impose negative and damaging demands on your body. Your body specifically adapts to the poor posture that is created without you noticing.

Years of bending to the demands of stress, anxiety and repetitive motions creates poor posture. The bodies natural defense mechanism, the Fight or Flight stress ressponse system creates poor posture.

The bodies response to Fight or Flight creates poor posture

The effects of poor posture over days and years changes your body’s structure and functionality. This often leads to pain, fatigue, injury and a reduced quality of life. It’s hard to be confident or happy when you are experiencing dysfunction and pain.

There is good news.  Physical rehabilitation and training use the SAID principle in reverse to improve musculoskeletal imbalances. Regular visits to a chiropractor, osteopath, massage therapist and/or PT, can keep your skeletal structure in alignment. As little as 5-15 minutes of stretching incorporated into your regular schedule can help maintain that work. This is how you defy gravity and maintain good posture.

StretchingAround.com shows you how to defy gravity with good posture!

Our Stretching On Demand video series shows you stretches you can do anywhere in your house every day. Your posture is your choice. What is your dance with life, time and gravity going to be?