Fit Tip of the Month

What’s up(right) with my posture?

Following up on last month’s talk on low-back pain, I thought it would be poignant to discuss one of the reasons back pain exists. We can all remember that person who told us, “Sit up straight!” or “Quit slouching!” What a pain those folks are. Unfortunately they were right. Posture is a key to reducing long-term back, shoulder, neck and even hip or sometimes arm/hand pain. I see poor posture every day too many times to count. The hiked up shoulders from the stressed out business person or parent. The slouched back on the person watching TV or reading a book. The rounded upper back of the chronic driver. The kid (or adult) on their cell phone. Here’s a truth that we don’t think about very often: Gravity is hard on our bodies. If we let it, after many years, gravity will push our shoulders down and forward creating a position that doesn’t allow for healthy , proper, pain-free movement.

If you’ve ever had or known someone who had a “frozen shoulder,” you know how uncomfortable this can be. What about that low back pain that cause sharp or dull pain when you stand up for the first time after waking up or sitting for a long time? All of these things and so many more pains can be a result of years of poor posture. So stand up straight. Sit up tall. Don’t slouch. The hardest part of fixing your posture is the awareness. Training posture is easy. Keeping posture is far more difficult. If you want some help or have questions like “What is good posture?” Email me at brian@indyfitstudios.com. Take care of your body, it’s the only one you’ve got!

–Brian Irk  C.S.C.S
IndyFit  |  (219) 851-1455  |  brian@indyfitstudios.com