Practicing Better Posture

^{This was taken in 2015 after having three children. I was consciously practicing good posture for the photo.}

I have been considered tall for my age since I can remember. I was always one of the tallest girls in my class during my Elementary and Junior High school years.

I remember when I was in fourth grade and some of my classmates would talk about me being a giant or how they felt they had to get on their tippy toes just to talk to me. They weren’t trying to be mean but it really hurt my feelings.

Can you guess what I did?

I would intentionally walk and sit slouched over to make it appear as if I were shorter. I didn’t think it would hurt anything but it sure got them to stop making comments for awhile.

My mom noticed me doing this one day and had a talk with me about my posture. She told me that if I kept doing this that one day I would be slouched over permanently. She told me it wasn’t worth messing up my body just because I was taller than the average kid.

I just wanted to fit in and didn’t like being the odd ball.

I even wore shoes that were too small for me. Yep, long narrow feet go with a tall slinky body.

I had the biggest feet and was so embarrassed by them. I would secretly wear shoes that hurt my feet just to make it look as if I had cute small ones like the average girl my age.

Eventually my parents found out and couldn’t believe I was putting myself through that pain just to make my feet look smaller. I wouldn’t tell them I needed new shoes, I just kept wearing my olds ones instead of going up a size or two. I believe one of them noticed my toes curled up in a pair and that’s when it was all revealed.

^{This was my junior prom. Can you guess which one is me? Even without those massive heels I was still the tallest. Nevertheless at this point I had already accepted my height and wore it proudly. 😁}

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I think about those times and how I used to handle myself. Now as an adult I love my height and am proud to be a tall woman. I am 5’7” and wear a size 10 shoe. The downside to having bigger feet now is the fact when I find a really cute shoe I like most likely they stop at size 8. 😏

Anyhoo, the habit I formed from slouching over so much has really caught up with me.

I try to consciously remember to sit straight or walk with my shoulders back but it’s not something that comes naturally.

I’ve noticed now when I slouch...I REALLLLLY slouch over. It’s almost like I have trained my body to have bad posture and it is causing back pains like never before.

I remember in my early twenties seeing an elderly couple walking together and both of their backs were so hunched over that it looked painful. I immediately thought if I don’t start straightening up my posture I could end up like that in my elderly years.

It’s just more comfortable to slump over. It is work for me to try to keep my body aligned properly while I am sitting or standing.

Good posture is truly a conscious effort.

How Poѕтυre Aғғecтѕ Oυr Heαlтн

Having bad posture has a negative effect on our health. When we slump or slouch over it can:

• Misalign your musculoskeletal system
• Wear away at your spine, making it more fragile and prone to injury
• Cause neck, shoulder, and back pain
• Decrease your flexibility
• Affect how well your joints move
• Affect your balance and increase your risk of falling
• Make it harder to digest your food
• Make it harder to breathe
_MedlinePlus

Whoa! 😧

Makes plenty of sense why I've been having neck and back pains. There goes one of those if I knew then what I know now moments. 😩

I really could use a chiropractor right now. I wish regular medical insurance would cover things like that.

There is only one time I was able to visit one and get my body realigned (it was the most amazing feeling btw). It was when a former employer had to pay for it due to me developing carpal tunnel while working there. Thank goodness after leaving that job it never got worse or seemed to never resurface again.

No point in dwelling over what we can't have. I know we can't afford a chiropractic visit at the moment so I looked up other things we can do at home to help improve our posture...

Good Poѕтυre Prαcтιceѕ

In general we just need to be mindful of our posture throughout the day while doing our various activities.

Are we moving around enough? Are we stretching? Exercising and keeping our muscles flexible? Are work stations at comfortable levels so our bodies won't have to overextend or be in awkward positions?

If we can make a conscious effort to check these things daily it could help improve our posture.

Here are more helpful guidelines to follow while sitting and standing:

When sitting -

• Switch sitting positions often
• Take brief walks around your office or home
• Gently stretch your muscles every so often to help relieve muscle tension
• Don't cross your legs; keep your feet on the floor, with your ankles in front of your knees
• Make sure that your feet touch the floor, or if that's not possible, use a footrest
• Relax your shoulders; they should not be rounded or pulled backwards
• Keep your elbows in close to your body. They should be bent between 90 and 120 degrees.
• Make sure that your back is fully supported. Use a back pillow or other back support if your chair does not have a backrest that can support your lower back's curve.
• Make sure that your thighs and hips are supported. You should have a well-padded seat, and your thighs and hips should be parallel to the floor.

When standing -

• Stand up straight and tall
• Keep your shoulders back
• Pull your stomach in
• Put your weight mostly on the balls of your feet
• Keep your head level
• Let your arms hang down naturally at your sides
• Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart
_MedlinePlus

Seems like a lot huh? Like with most things, practice can become habit. If we could pull a few things from this list and really focus on them for a few days, it's possible that it could become second nature.

I have such a bad habit of crossing my legs. I was once told if I kept crossing my legs over my knees that I could develop arthritis in them. I don't cross them as much after being told that lol.

I also have to admit I haven't been sticking to my workout routine. I know that working out my core muscles particularly around my abdomen helps me to feel stronger and better. If I can get my core muscles strong again I am sure that will help ease my back pains.

When I had my last baby two years ago my midwife explained to me if I didn't get my core muscles strong again that I would have really bad back problems. I developed Diastasis Recti which is a separation of the abdominal muscles. I have closed the gap quite a bit but there is still a lot of work to do. The stronger my ab muscles became the stronger I felt. I really need to get motivated to get back to strengthening my core.

The anatomy of the human body...we learn in school how all of our parts work together. If one part is suffering eventually the others will break down. This is why it is so important to take care of our whole bodies. In my case I need to start with the core and work my way around to giving every part some TLC.

Iɴ Coɴclυѕιoɴ...

I really want to do better by intentionally and consciously working on improving my posture. I know in order to do this I also have to stick to my regular stretching and workout routines.

I'm on my way to hitting 40 this year. It's not too late to get myself whipped back into shape. I am sitting here right now with a crook in my neck because I turned the wrong way too fast. That's from unstretched muscles and a body that doesn't move around as much as it needs to.

Another aspect is from being a homeschooler. I sit down most of the day to teach. I do get up to move around here and about the house but for the majority I am stationary.

With the weather getting warmer I can now get out more with the kids for recess and run around with them and get my body moving more. I can't sit around and be stiff, I have too many energetic and vibrant children that need their mommy to keep up. 😄

𝐇𝐨𝐰'𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞?

All photos are my own.

Thanks for Reading ~