Quick Tip: Stand Up Straight!

I hate to be the one to have to tell you this... but your mother was right. All of those times that she told you to stand up straight as a teenager, she was on to something big! Posture is unbelievably important and can have an impact on a variety of aspects of your life, ranging from your emotional state to breathing mechanics and even injury risk (think repetitive strain)! 

Want to do a quick screen? Go grab your cell phone, its selfie time! Ideally, you want to place your phone/ipad/tech device on a flat surface where you can get a profile shot that includes everything from your feet, all the way up to the crown of your head! Set your timer, stand as you usually would (DON'T TRY TO FIX ANYTHING) and wait for the flash...

If one angle is good, two is better!

Your next selfie will be head-on, again including everything from your feet all the way to the crown of your head. Just stand as you naturally would without trying to optimize your posture to 'look good' on screen. 

WHY AM I DOING THIS....

.....you ask? There are some common postural patterns (often adopted by individuals that sit at a desk for work) that can predispose you to headaches, shoulder impingements, back pain and a variety of other issues. What I'm talking about here is commonly referred to as an 'Upper Crossed' Posture and/or Anterior Head Carriage.

The main features of this posture that you're screening for in your profile selfie are:

An overall 'slumped forward' appearance with some or all of the following features:

• Chin jutted forward 'ahead' of your torso
• Shoulders rounded forward
• Excessive rounding through the upper back
• Bum 'tucked under' your torso. 

In your Frontal/Head On Selfie take a look at your hands. If you can clearly see your third knuckle, chances are that your shoulders are rolled forward and your arms are internally rotated (thank Charlie Weingroff for that tip); this is often due to tight chest musculature. 

So How Do I Fix It?

Well, the first step is admitting you have a problem. All joking aside, many of us become so use to our 'habitual' way of standing/sitting that we don't even notice that our posture has become flawed. Habits and unconscious patterns are at the root of this problem, so here are a few tips on how you can increase your postural awareness and straighten your stance:

• Get Up 
  • If your work day involves sitting at a desk or driving it can become very easy to get stuck seated for hours on end. The longer we spend in this position, the great the wear and tear on our joints and bones and creep in our tissues. We also tend to zone out, focus solely on the screen and plugging away at what we're trying to accomplish....
  • ....so GET UP! Set an alarm on your iPhone for the top of each hour and stand for 5 to 10 minutes. This is long enough to provide a mental and physical reset! 
• Set Up
  • Make sure your desk or work environment is set up in a way that is conducive to maintaining good posture! Is your chair back upright, is your screen close enough that you can see it, or do you have to stick your head forward to read your last sentence. Can you reach the floor while seated? 
  • Move everything in your work environment within reach so you can maintain good posture!
• Check-In
  • Every time you walk by a window or mirror, take a quick and honest look at your posture. If you automatically correct yourself every time you walk by a mirror, you won't discover your true postural patterns so look before you fix. If you don't often walk by reflective surfaces, you can also set an alarm on your phone and do a mental and physical check-in on how you're sitting/standing and how you feel!
• Stand like a superhero
  • Get tall! Almost like a puppet on a string, think about reaching the crown of your head towards the sky, stacking your spine, and rolling your shoulders back and down such that your proudly displaying your chest (like Superman!....draw a emblem if that helps). Also, superheroes don't lean (except maybe Iron Man...that guy's crazy) so support your own weight! 
• Use your muscles
  • Many of us check out during the day and rely solely on our bony skeleton to support our weight. Next time you're standing on the subway, waiting for a bus, taking the elevator, look down and check whether you have locked your knees....if you have, unlock them and turn on your quads and Hammies! Actually... Are your abdominals engaged? Your glutes? Turning these key muscles on can dramatically affect your alignment (and feelings of self-confidence!)
• Get Help
  • Do you have faulty posture? Is it interfering with your work, quality of life, sleep or recreational activities? The good news is that many of these postural flaws can be corrected with some simple exercises and stretching work. Working with a trainer, physiotherapist or chiropractor could be very beneficial! If you do decide to do so, make sure you learn WHY you're doing certain exercises and stretches so you know how to maintain your body in the future! Seeing a professional for a 'tune-up' every once in a while can be a great way to break out of those little postural quirks that may have a greater impact on your health and wellbeing than you realize!

Thats all for this week's quick tip folks! Keep your mind on your posture and your posture on your mind!

J

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P.p.s. Build and Burn starts on Monday! Check out a drop-in class or join us for the month; I promise your mind and body will thank you! 

Pilates and Pregnancy: Michelle J

I would highly recommend Pilates to anyone, but it’s particularly important leading up to, during, and after pregnancy for the following reasons:

1) Less pain and discomfort because skeletal imbalances. Pilates emphasizes working your body in the correct align meant, or working towards bringing you into alignment. This definitely helps prevent common pregnancy aches and pains. I was constantly conscious of trying to work against the lordosis that usually occurs in the lower back during my pregnancy and engage my core to bring myself back to a more neutral alignment.

2) Less chance of diastasis recti because of the focus on strengthening transversus abdominis. This is a common side effect of pregnancy when the two halves of the rectus abdominis separate as a result of over stretching. When this deepest layer of your core (like an internal corset)  is strong and you are mentally connected to how it works, you are better protected from having diastasis recti because you know how to move and use these muscles properly.

3) Pelvic floor, pelvic floor, pelvic floor!  These muscles are SO important during pregnancy, labour, and recovery.  Pilates teaches you how to use these muscles, and they are important in two ways during this time. You need strong pelvic floor muscles to support the growing weight of your baby during pregnancy. Equally important is the ability to relax these muscles during delivery ….trust me! Pilates teaches you an awareness of the pelvic floor that is invaluable.

- Special considerations for the pregnant client:

Again, strengthening and awareness of the pelvic floor muscles and transversus is key. By the time the client reaches the 5th or 6th month, it’s important to avoid exercises that put too much emphasis on flexion or where the torso or specifically abdominals have to work against gravity to prevent diastasis recti. So - traditional ab crunches or roll ups, or rollbacks are out, as are planks and regular push-ups. Push ups can be modified to be done against a wall or slightly elevated. Another concern is the possibility of supine hypotensive syndrome in some pregnant women - where the weight of the baby can compress the inferior vena cava when the mother is lying on her back. This can potentially slow blood flow back to the mother’s heart, which in turn will reduce blood and oxygen flow to the fetus. Because this is potentially dangerous, it is best to avoid working in a supine position by the end of the second trimester. But in both cases, it does depend on the individual.

- Other resources (websites)/best studios in Toronto to train at:

I did my Pilates teacher training at Stott Pilates and also a specialized Prenatal Reformer workshop there - luckily just before I found out I was pregnant.  I find the Instructor Trainers at Stott to be very knowledgeable when it comes to a variety of specialized cases such as pregnancy or injuries. I teach at Misfit Studio on Queen St. West and the owner, Amber Joliat, is a Pilates and yoga instructor who has a great understanding of movement and anatomy, and she is a wonderful teacher.  We also offer Eccentrics at Misfit Studio and I found that to be a great workout during my pregnancy, as much of it is done standing and provides a great amount of stretch and release for muscles and joints that are a little overburdened during that time.

Inverted Rows

Inverted Rows are a great exercise to build upper back strength and endurance! Training your back is unbelievably important, especially if you spend a significant part of your day sitting at a desk or driving. Because we live in a 'forward dominant' society, many of us tend to have forward-rounded shoulders, tight chests, and head-forward postures. This can lead to headaches, tired and sore neck muscles, and even limited shoulder mobility. Training your back, and particularly your upper back can help balance out strength imbalances between your chest and your back and to mitigate many of the above issues. 

Inverted rows are easily adaptable and can be done using rings, a TRX apparatus, or even a barbell on a squat rack. Here are a few tips you will want to keep in mind to make sure this exercise as efficient and effective as possible:

1. Wrap your hands around the rings; with your arms straight, you'll want your shoulder blades directly under the straps of the rings. 
2. Imagine you are doing an inverted plank. Squeeze your bum, tighten your abs, and lock your pelvis to your ribcage. You want to move your whole body as one unit.
3. Start this movement by pinching your shoulder blades together, back and down towards your pelvis. You'll want to 'double-chin' yourself to keep your spine long, with your shoulders away from your ears.
4. Once your back is engaged, start pulling with your arms, slowly and smoothly until your chest is at the level of the rings/TRX/Barbell. Try to avoid curling your chest up at the top - rather, pull your whole body up as one unit.
5. Reverse this movement on the way down. Remember to stay tight at the bottom; don't let your bum droop towards the floor.

In terms of difficulty, the closer you get to standing, the less of your bodyweight you'll be supporting and the easier the exercise will be. On the other hand, the closer you get to the floor, the harder the exercise will be. I usually program these in sets of 5-15, with the progression and reps dependent on the fitness level of my client. 

Give this exercise a try, and see how it feels! Happy pulling friends!

j