Better Posture... Better Health!

We all have our mother's voice in our head telling us to sit up straight and maintain good posture, and although it was a nuisance when we were young, our Moms' were on to something! Posture is just as important as eating well and exercising daily. "Without good posture, you can't really be physically fit" (Kansas Chiropractic Foundation, 2016). So, how do you assess your posture and eventually achieve good posture?
Good posture means that your bones are properly aligned with your muscles, ligaments, and joints as nature intended. If your posture is in the correct position, your organs are in the right position allowing for peak performance, your nervous system is firing normally, and your spine is strong and stable. Before we get into how to reshape your posture into the correct form, lets discuss bad posture for a moment.
Bad posture can develop from an injury, accident, or your environment and bad habits. Either way your body is out of whack. When your are slouching, your muscles and ligaments have to work harder and strain to keep you balanced, which can cause headaches, back pain, and other problems. This comes through as fatigue, tight achy muscles and joints, and joint stiffness and pain. That's a big NO GO in our book. So how do we start establishing good posture?
A healthy back has three natural curves: 

• Cervical Curve: Inward or forward curve at the neck
• Thoracic Curve: Outward or backward curve in the upper back
• Lumbar Curve: Inward curve at the lower back

To check these curves you can take the wall test. Stand with your heels about 2-4 inches away from the wall with your head, shoulder blades, and butt touching the wall. Reach back and slide your hand behind the curve in your lower back, with your palm flat against the wall. If your posture is close to ideal, you should only have one hand's thickness between your back and the wall. If there is too much space, tighten your ab muscles and let this be your focus when training at the Body Loft. If there is too little space, arch your back so your hand fits comfortably behind you. Walk away from the wall keeping this position so you know where your ideal standing posture should lie and try to keep this posture throughout your daily activities. 
Now that you have some background information, here are some tips on how to achieve good standing posture. 

• Stand straight and tall, feet shoulder width apart with your shoulders back. Don't lock your knees!
• Keep your head level and in line with your body.
• Tighten your ab muscles, focusing on pulling your belly button in.
• Keep your weight primarily in the balls of your feet and your hands hanging comfortably at your sides.

Check in with yourself while you are standing and readjust if needed. You can always check your posture in the mirror to help you see if you are actually standing straight with a strong spine. Your perfect posture might feel stiff or awkward at first, but keep working at it and in no time you will be feeling and looking strong and healthy!

Kansas Chiropractic Foundation. (2016). Good posture.... How important is it? Kansas Chiropractic Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.kansaschirofoundation.org/goodposture-article.html
Mayo Clinic. (2016). Prevent back pain with good posture. Mayo Clinic Adult Heath. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/multimedia/back-pain/sls-20076817?s=1