Posture Check In
Improper posture is the most common way people sustain injuries outside of athletics or movement classes. When we stand with improper posture the normal curves in our body are typically exaggerated or decreased causing stress on other areas of our body. Stress is what causes an injury, typically occurring over time. So what is proper posture? Truth is everyone's bodies are slightly different but there are some common guidelines we can provide to help you check in with your body throughout your day to make sure you are taking care of yourself and avoiding any chance of injury.
If you can, go ahead and stand up where you are, normally as you would. Let’s start examining proper posture at the top of the body. Our chin should be slightly tucked allowing the neck to avoid any exaggerated forward movement. Next, we will move to the mid-body. Shoulders should be in line with your pelvis, creating an imaginary straight line from your shoulder to your hip. We often overcorrect when talking about our shoulders in proper posture. The muscles on your back should be slightly engaged but not to the point of discomfort or strain. The muscles in your stomach should be slightly engaged as well to help support your back and prevent it from collapsing into an exaggerated curve. There are natural curves in your spine so the goal is never to be straight. We need those curves for movement. However, the goal is to engage the surrounding muscles ( the abdominal wall) to support the back. Now moving down to the legs. Try to distribute your weight equally between both legs. We typically have a favorite side to put out weight on. While this is normal when we check in with our posture it is valuable to distribute the weight equally this way we are not putting strain on one side more than the other. The last piece of checking in with your posture is your feet. Make sure you can feel all your toes on the floor and have an equal distribution of weight. Fewww….that’s a lot. Now you know how to check yourself for proper posture alignment in standing!
Next time you are standing while doing the dishes, or waiting in line for ice cream on these hot summer days take a second and check in with your posture. Chin slightly tucked, shoulders and pelvis inline, abdominal wall slightly engaged, normal low back curve, and weight distributed equally between both legs and all toes. There you go! You are one step closer to preventing injuries that happen over time from improper posture.