Posts Tagged ‘strength’
An Essential Imbalance in Core Strength: Postural versus Phasic Muscles
There are two main types of muscles that contribute to a solid core
Sitting at your desk all day, every day, is eventually going to cause some kind of pain and dysfunction in your back, unless you take proactive measures to stop its occurence! For most people, a prescription of improving posture would suffice but its hardly that simple of a problem. No matter how many times you are told to sit up straight, you’re not going to be able to maintain it unless you have postural balance. No matter how you spin it, good posture starts with the muscles.
Posture Reset: Sit Better Right Now
Take stock of your posture right now
The most common poses when working are: sitting and standing. Chances are you could benefit from a quick posture adjustment. It goes like this:
- Sit up straight and look straight ahead with your head balanced atop your spine.
- Move your butt to the back of your chair.
- Pull your navel in toward your spine and up toward your ribs.
- Roll your shoulders back and down
- Drop your tailbone down toward the floor.
- Make sure you feel as though there is a straight line between your head and tailbone.
Chances are this position feels awkward- it may even hurt a bit. That is your muscles adjusting to the position they are supposed to be able to hold. Let the shame sink into those muscles and take a moment to realize that this is what good posture looks like. We need to make this the norm- but how?
The Single Greatest Thing you can Do for your Back
Why does my back hurt? And what can I do about it?
Factors that contribute to back pain include:
- Obesity
- Poor diet
- Posture and excessive sitting
- Mental Stress
- Acute Injury
- Repetitive trauma
Obviously, limiting your spine to the exposure of any of these malefactors is an important way to keep your spine in a state of health. But there is one thing you can focus on more than any other if you are interested in keeping your back pain-free late into life.