Do You Stand At Attention, or At Ease...? - Kathi Casey, The Healthy Boomer Body Expert

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Remember when we were kids and were taught how to “stand up straight”? It was a raising of the shoulders, pushing them back and down, then sucking in the gut… Well, thanks to technology, we know a lot more about the body now, and this is not the way to treat our bodies!

Today’s video demonstrates how we should lengthen our spine, to stand up tall, which is not the same as standing up straight. Our lower back needs to keep that little curve that goes away when you suck in your gut, or we suffer from back pain. So, curvy is a good thing!

Lengthening your spine in this way, makes it easier to walk, run, sit, breathe, and, best of all, prevents lower back pain. We all know that hunching our shoulders is bad for the back, as is sinking into your waist and standing on one foot all the time, leaning to one side or constantly wearing a heavy purse on one shoulder, etc. Any type of uneven position can cause back pain. These patterns you’ve developed over time eventually cause discomfort and then pain. It often happens a little at a time and you don’t even realize what the cause of your terrible back ache is. I can tell you that in my experience, it’s not the act of bending over to pick up your shoes, rather, it’s years of sitting or walking with bad body mechanics. Bending over that day was the straw that broke the camel’s back so to speak. (Pun intended)

Here’s the good news – you know I always have some!

You can change those patterns and strengthen those back muscles again so that not only does your pain go away, but it doesn’t come back to visit anymore! Is it simple? Yes. Is it easy? Well, it’s not an overnight fix, and you have to keep up the work of changing those bad body mechanics until your new patterns become your daily habit. So, there is work involved. But, the rewards are huge! Imagine feeling less back pain as you age, and breathing better as you age, and walking sitting, running, getting up and down from the floor with more comfort and ease. Sweeeeeet!