fbpx

Postural Alignment for Better Health and Younger Look

How Stress Makes You Age Faster
How Stress Makes You Age Faster
April 24, 2020
The secret to sleep
The Secret to Sleep
May 19, 2020

Postural Alignment for Better Health and Younger Look

Postural Alignment for Better Health and Younger Look

I recently started working with an older client online to help him with his back and shoulder pain. He is 75 with a forward-leaning posture. I realized the problem was poor posture and stress after a lifetime of working on a computer, business travel, lack of sleep, and poor diet due to a busy lifestyle.  Sounds familiar?

We instantly worked on simple exercises that he could do at home to work on improving awareness of posture along with simple stretches.  He first stood against the wall and tried to maintain contact with the back of his head, his shoulders and the middle back to the wall.  After holding this for a few minutes, he was to step away from the wall and try to maintain the posture.  He found this very difficult but kept trying, gradually improving the results.

Next, we did a simple doorway stretch.  This involved placing both arms on the sides of a doorway with elbows below shoulders and gently stepping one foot forward so that you are leaning through the doorway.  He instantly felt a stretch throughout the chest and front of the shoulders.  This is a great stretch for anyone who works on a computer and helps to open up the chest.

Finally, we did a few exercises to strengthen the core including plank which is great to strengthen the abs while also strengthening the shoulders and upper back.  

It was amazing that in just one session of working on posture, he was already able to feel that his pain was only there when he kept his body in a forward posture. As soon as he maintained the correct alignment, the pain disappeared.  What I noticed more than anything was how much more youthful and relaxed he looked when he changed his posture.  He actually grew a few inches when he stood with proper alignment. 

There is indeed a mind-body connection. For those of us who understand this, we often focus on gaining more control over the mind for better body awareness.  However, our posture is the first thing that people see.  Although one should never judge a book by its cover, it is often human nature to already get a feeling of someone’s energy when we first see them. 

 If you have poor posture, you look tired, stressed and sometimes even angry or unapproachable.  If you improve your posture, you find that you look taller, more youthful, happier and your confidence is irresistible.  Just by something as simple as standing up tall with good alignment. 

Try these simple posture tricks at home, especially after you have been on the computer for a while.  For more ideas for anti-ageing or improving your health and happiness join Megginson Method Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/megginsonmethod/

Comments are closed.