Posture

What Does "Bad" Posture Look Like?

While most of us can point out someone else with bad posture, we may not realize it in ourselves. And, even if we do, we may not do anything about it. Poor posture can come from many sources, including incorrect sitting and standing habits, obesity, pregnancy, an improperly arranged work environment, not enough flexibility and weak muscles. Signs that you may have poor posture include:

• Slouching and hunching your shoulders over
• Holding your head and neck forward and/or down
• Arching your lower back too much
• Commonly carrying a heavy purse or backpack on one side of your body
• Sitting on a wallet in your back pant's pocket
• "Holding" your phone between your neck and shoulder
• Slumping forward while seated

How to Get Good Posture Today

While it will take time to adapt your body to naturally assume good posture, you can use these tips to improve your posture today. With a little perseverance, your posture will be back on track (and, remember, modeling proper posture is essential to ensure that your kids have good posture, too!).

Good Posture Tips While Sitting

• Keep both feet flat on the floor (if your feet cannot reach the floor, adjust the chair or use a footrest)
• Align your back with the back of the chair
• Don't slouch or lean forward
• Adjust the chair so your knees are even with your hips, or slightly higher, and your arms are at a 75-90 degree angle at the elbows
• Keep your shoulders straight
• Choose an ergonomic office chair with good back support
• Get up often and stretch

Good Posture Tips While Standing

• Keep your weight on the balls of your feet, not your heels
• Let your arms hang naturally by your side
• Keep feet about shoulder-width apart
• Don't lock your knees
• Keep your head level and in line with your neck and spine, not pushed forward
• Keep your shoulders upright and stand up straight

Want to check your posture? Stand with your back to a wall. If your shoulders, bottom and back of head are all touching the wall, then your posture is correct.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) describes muscle pain, muscle soreness or muscle

stiffness that is felt 24-72 hours after exercise. DOMS is most common for individuals who begin

new exercise programs, but could also be caused by a change in the intensity and length of your

current program. (Baechle, Earle)

Delayed onset muscle soreness is thought to be a result of microscopic tearing of the muscle

fibers. The amount of tearing (and soreness) depends on how hard and how long you exercise

and what type of exercise you do. Any movement you aren't used to can lead to DOMS,

but eccentric muscle contractions (movements that cause muscle to forcefully contract while it

lengthens) seem to cause the most soreness.

This sort of muscle pain is not quite the same as the muscle pain or fatigue you experience during

exercise. This delayed pain is also very different than the acute, sudden pain of and injury such

as muscle strains and sprains, which is marked by an abrupt, specific and sudden pain that occurs

during activity and often causes swelling or bruising.

The delayed soreness of DOMS is generally at its worst within the first 2 days following the activity

and subsides over the next few days.

Here are some tips for dealing with soreness after exercise:

• Wait. Soreness will go away in 3 to 7 days with no special treatment..

• Use active recovery techniques. This strategy does have some support in the research.

Perform some easy low-impact aerobic exercise to increase blood flow. This may help

diminish muscle soreness.

• Use the RICE method of treating injuries. (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate)

• Although research doesn't find gentle stretching reduces soreness, some people find it

simply feels good.

• Gently massage the affected muscles. Some research has found that massage was

effective in alleviating DOMS by approximately 30% and reducing swelling, but it had no

effects on muscle function.

• Try using a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (aspirin or ibuprofen) to reduce the

soreness temporarily, though they won't actually speed healing.

• There is some evidence that performing Yoga may reduce DOMS.

• Avoid any vigorous activity that increases pain.

• Allow the soreness to subside thoroughly before performing any vigorous exercise.

• Don't forget to warm up completely before your next exercise session. There is some

research that supports that a warm-up performed immediately prior to unaccustomed

eccentric exercise produces small reductions in delayed-onset muscle soreness (but cooldown

performed after exercise does not). (Quinn)