Is Slouching REALLY Bad For You? Wellness Wednesday Myth Busting!

Have you guys heard any of these?

• Stand up straight
• Shoulders back
• Quit slouching
• Sit up straight at the table
• Balance books on your head

Ok so I went deep into the archives for that last one – only those over 40 will prob get that one. Or movie buffs. However, we’re here to do some myth-busting today. Having your posture be straight should NOT be the goal.

While I’m not going to say that any of these bullet points for these pictures are wrong, I will say that pliability and mobility are most important.

I prefer to encourage people to think about being LOADABLE. If they added a load across their shoulders, how would they feel?

Our spine should really be a shock absorbent spring. Head stacks above shoulders which should stack above hips which should stack above our midfoot. 

So instead, maybe ask yourself these questions:

• Can I side bend to the right and left?
• How does my back feel if I slump or slouch?
• How does my back feel if I look up or extend my back?
• Do I feel mobile and flexible?

The other thing I want you to ask yourself is:

“Where do I feel tension?”

AWARENESS is a super power! Our brains are just trying to alleviate tension in our system. Take the psoas muscle for example – it is in the front of our spine and pulls down into the femur. Tightness makes our backs ache, but the actual problem is in the front. “Standing up straight” won’t fix a tight psoas and sets up a lose-lose tug-o-war game between our back muscles and our deep core/hip flexors. 

We’ve got some helpful suggestions for you!

1) Use a foam roll – get a longer one so that you can lie on it vertically with your arms out to help open your chest. Then you can also use it horizontally to mobilize your upper and midback

2) Click HERE for a video on stretching your hip flexors  that can be done at home. 

3) Take some time scanning your body and finding where the tension is and then possibly 

4) Use your ball for those tight areas you noticed during your scan. Click HERE for a video on that. If you don’t have a ball from us, stop on in and tell us you watched this video and want a Moment of Truth ball please!

If you’re still not sure what you need, give us a call at 623-226-4002 because you can now book your very own Postural Assessment and Stretch Session and learn what can truly be effective for your body to gain more pliability and flexibility, which of course leads to Pain-Free Longevity!

You can also feel free to reply with any questions – we love reading your emails! Much love from Amy and the MOT team!