Posture Fix 101

First off, Elizabeth and Stylebook readers, you are not alone. We all suffer from “postural dysfunction” due to our daily habits such as excessive sitting, texting, typing reading, etc., etc. And, of course, there is likely a better way to hold our bodies when we do all of these things, but we just don’t think about it all the time. Understandable.Elizabeth, you are so beautiful. You are tall, you have a radiant smile, and an infectious laugh. You light up a room. But we all have our insecurities; thank you for sharing yours with us.A common postural dysfunction is a forward head with rounded shoulders. Elizabeth, you have that.When I work with clients on their posture goals, I first start with stretching the tight muscles that are pulling us into a faulty position. For example, Elizabeth has spent most of her life trying not to be so tall or trying to hide her chest (her post made me weep). As a result, her pec muscles are tight. Before we start strengthening the correct postural muscles, we need to stretch out the culprits that keep forcing you into that position. Also, it’s difficult to hold “proper” posture if we are constantly pulling against the resistance of tight muscles.Try these two, easy exercises that, when performed daily, can automatically improve your posture and reduce neck pain:  

 Cat-Cow Yoga Pose

 Door Stretch

Now that we have loosened up the muscles that help cause this faulty posture, it’s time to recruit, educate, and strengthen the postural muscles that are weak and inactive. Educate you say? Yep! Contrary to what we commonly hear and see at the gym, it’s not just about strengthening muscles...we also have to educate them. In PT terms, that’s neuro-re-education, meaning restoring muscles to their normal function. And that function is pulling your shoulders back and into the correct position without fatiguing quickly throughout the day.Ready to re-educate?https://www.instagram.com/tv/B07Zu6Mh0YF/?igshid=heth3invch6