What Makes for Good Posture?
“I had my yearly check up with my doctor for my shoulder. They took some x-rays, and the radiologist commented, ‘You have such nice posture!’ She could actually tell! We’ve been working on that, so I wanted to share this with you when she told me. I was so happy!”
This good news is what a client shared with me recently. We’ve been working for months on improving her posture and alignment. She’s moving better and feeling better, but hearing her radiologist’s positive comments was the cherry on top!
Why am I sharing this with you?
Because maybe you’re like some of my new clients who come in and report feeling stiff, sore, and achy.
In fact, “I need to work on my posture,” is one of the most common reasons why women seek my services. And if this sounds like you, I want you to know that there are safe, efficient ways to address postural concerns.
These days, “Working on posture” usually seems to go with “Shoulders back. Stand tall.”
But in truth, healthy posture work is about way more than how you stand.
Here are three reasons why:
First, your alignment matters. Your alignment is how your bones are stacked. Think of Jenga: How the blocks are stacked below impacts how the blocks balance above. With our bones, if one part is off, another will shift to compensate.
From there it’s about muscles. Muscles provide the strength and support to hold or move the bones. They hold as you’re still; they move as you do an activity. So how the muscles fire, the order in which they fire, how strong they are, and how well they release all impact your posture and alignment.
Finally, healthy posture work is about awareness. In order to make changes, you must first know what’s off. Then you need to know how to create these changes. On top of it, you need to be able to detect when to make corrections as well as when things are in order. So timing matters.
This all sounds really complicated, I know. For efficient postural work, it’s a matter of strategically balancing the strengthening of certain muscles with the lengthening and flexibility of other muscles.
But postural training is something I do.
As a physical therapist and Pilates instructor, I know that, despite what you may hear on the internet (or what your mom or grandma told you), there IS NO SUCH THING AS PERFECT POSTURE. The posture that’s right is the one that supports you (internal organs and body systems included) in a way that does not cause debility or pain.
So knowing what to correct, what to change, and how to make that happen takes skill. And that can be learned! If you’ve been trying for better posture and it feels like you’re getting nowhere, reach out. I offer free consultations, and I’d love to see if my methods could help you.
In health + sanity,
Ashley
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