Good posture matters

I am sure, we have all heard the words or may have said the words. “Sit up straight”, don’t slouch” or received the compliment; “you have really good posture”. Well…what does it all mean really? Why is it important and how can it be attained and maintained?
Our physical posture is a make up of dynamic forces with muscles designed to maintain our skeletal system in a wonderful balancing act of skeletal stasis. We are in fact never still, even at rest. We shift, move and adjust, however minutely almost constantly to remain erect. Even lying and resting, we move. Good posture in general terms is the appearance of our bodies defying gravity. They reach up despite magnificent force and defy it. When the muscles are strong enough they will create a lattice of support for our skeletons. Firing in some cases thousands of times a second, in the right places and at the right times to keep us stable. Aligned properly we can relax into our bones, held in positions that allow them to support themselves with less effort. They press down to remain up.

Proper posture: allows us to take mechanical advantage of the inherent strength residing in our muscular skeletal system. The bones and processes are held in place by a sheath of muscles. Bones are attached to each other by ligaments. Muscles are attached to bones by tendons. Imagine yourself, sitting upright in a high backed chair with the crown of your head reaching to the sky. The bones that you sit on press down against the cushions providing support to reach skyward. Suddenly, your muscles just disappear! Impossible to remain seated you crumple, the bones connections no longer intrinsic enough to hold you together, let alone rise against gravity. Maybe, the ligaments might hold the bones together enough during the fall, to look like a floppy toy skeleton.

Healthy muscles are needed for good posture. Good posture is an indicator of healthy muscles and proper movement training. If a muscle is too hard or soft, what we can do is diminished and the potential for muscular skeletal problems significantly increased. Healthy muscles support the body well and facilitate movement through a full and wide range. They are both flexible, strong and can work for extended periods without undo fatigue. Think Jungle cat.

If a muscle’s is too hard, it can do less. When a muscle carries too much tension, it is like a bottle almost full to the brim. You can’t put much more in, because of this the range and power of the muscles is limited. This state in a muscle makes them more prone to tearing.
If a muscle is too soft, it has the texture of an overcooked noodle. The support between the bones is lessened; joints and the gliding/rotating surfaces may be compromised. Damage to cartilage and connective tissue through everyday, day-to-day tasks may cause the surfaces to wear down prematurely or give way altogether. You will be weaker than you should be, proper posture will be very difficult or impossible to maintain.


• Healthy muscle: feels like an expensive rubber exercise mat firm, but not flaccid, yielding not stiff.

• Posture is the way we hold ourselves. Cradle the baby, don’t squeeze her too tight

• Good posture will alleviate pressure on nerves that may cause pain. Good posture will allow better circulation and proper placement of the organs. Good posture matters.

• Posterior musculature: the back muscles extend the spine and provide posterior support. The back is for pulling.

• The anterior musculature of the trunk is for curling/flexing forward. It gives complimentary spinal support working with the posterior musculature and side waist rotators and stabilizers. The muscles of the chest are for pushing.
Good posture: denotes a positive image of ourselves sending signals to the world signifying confidence and ability. Posture is not just physical, but an indicator of mood, strength, weakness, intention and ability. In exercise training, focus on balancing the body, in order to achieve proper posture and healthy muscularity. No one set of muscles is more important than the other. The body works together, it is a concert not a solo performance. Study to understand, what the muscles do and train them, in the way that they work for functionality. Avoid isolation exercises and focus on strengthening the body, in the way of what it does. It pushes it pulls it flexes, rotate and extends.
Do not design your exercise program based on what you would like the muscle to look like that job has already been done by their designer. They will appear, as they should, when they are healthy. I don’t believe you will be disappointed in the result. You are what you do.

Emory M. Moore Jr.


As published in the Epoch times

link to online article for sharing below


http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/14801/