For the first seven years of my working life I was a roofer. For much of my time putting on the slates and tiles I was in a twisted position leaning to the right. For the first two years of my apprenticeship I carried everything the slaters needed up ladders on my shoulder.
What the heck was I thinking about!
It was only years later when I was plagued with back pain, headaches and with my wife and children pointing out how ‘lopsided’ I was that I decided to visit an osteopath. WOW! I’m now a raving fan. I go, my family go, my friends go, everyone goes and everyone whom I have recommended calls me and thanks me because it’s an area of our health that we just don’t think about enough.
I didn’t realise just how important posture is but it ranks right up at the top of the list when talking about good health. Posture is as important as eating properly, exercising and getting a good night’s sleep.
Good posture ensures:
Without good posture, you can’t be fully physically fit. The good news is that almost everyone can avoid the problems caused by bad posture and you can make improvements at any age. Many people don’t realise how much they need a strong structural support system until their bones have decayed, they have a bent and twisted spine, their muscles are weak and they are in a lot of pain.
The musculoskeletal system comprises about two-thirds of your body mass and its management uses up nearly 90% of your body’s energy. It has some obvious functions:
It’s important. And the most important part is the spine. Your spine (and its individual vertebrae) is of vital importance because it protects your nervous system. Think about your nervous system as the central processor of your body; it controls and co-ordinates every function. It’s worth looking after.
As a society we have been educated to think preventatively about the health of our teeth and eyes, but little else, and especially not our spines.
Think about this. All the functions and processes of your body are controlled by your nervous system and, in turn, this system adapts you to the many changes occurring moment by moment in your environment, so without a healthy nervous system your body will cease to work correctly. Illness and degeneration may result.
Chiropractors and osteopaths are the experts at diagnosis and treatment of poor posture and musculoskeletal misalignment, which can compromise the proper function of your body. And don’t worry, osteopathy and chiropractic are philosophies of health – not just bone cracking and muscle stretching! Osteopaths and chiropractors work with the structure of the body, recognising the imbalance of joint position or mobility. Through touch, massage, manipulation and stretching techniques, they can diagnose and treat people with many physical and emotional problems – not just twisted former roofers!
I’d recommend everyone should see an osteopath or a chiropractor, but if you’re not sure ask yourself if any of the following sound familiar:
To see if your posture is misaligned look at yourself in a full-length mirror and check the following:
Here’s some simple advice from my osteopath, Fiona, to improve your posture:
That’s a perfect posture!
Set your rear-view mirror in the car slightly higher so you have to do a little stretch to see it. This will remind you to sit up straight while driving.
‘The hardest step is the first one out of the front door.’ (TIM, THE FIREMAN WHO LIVES IN MY VILLAGE)
I see Tim when I’m out running and he’s super-fit. Built like how you’d imagine a firefighter to be built and he really shifts along the lanes. But that quote from Tim is the real key to physical exercise. Getting started. Some days he doesn’t want to, some days (lots actually) I don’t want to. There are lots of really good excuses. You know how it is: it’s cold and wet, the dark nights are coming, there’s a million things on your ‘to do’ list – ‘I’ll start tomorrow’. Does that sound like you?
It reduces health risks of many conditions, including high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes and certain types of cancer.
Along with a healthy diet, exercise can help you lose weight – and then keep it off.
It keeps your arteries clear. Exercise increases the concentration of ‘good’ cholesterol and decreases the concentration of ‘bad’ cholesterol.
It helps you manage chronic conditions and can lower high blood pressure, control blood sugar and relieve chronic muscle pain.
It strengthens your heart. Your heart doesn’t need to beat as quickly when it is stronger and a stronger heart also pumps blood more efficiently, which improves blood flow.
Exercise activates your immune system and helps keep away viral illnesses, making you less vulnerable to minor viral illness such as colds and flu.
It makes you happier. Exercise can help depression and reduce anxiety.
Exercise may make you tired in the short term, but over the long term you’ll enjoy increased stamina and reduced fatigue. Hurrah!
And for anyone who is older than they once were it helps you stay active and independent as you progress in years by keeping your muscles strong, which can help you preserve mobility as you get older.
Exercise also helps keeps your mind sharp. Researchers say that regular exercise can reduce cognitive decline in seniors.
Anything is better than nothing
You don’t have to start by putting your name down for the London Marathon ‘because that will make me exercise’. Start with the simple regular things and after a few weeks you’ll feel the difference.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
The key is to start and enjoy yourself. ‘No pain – no gain’ is not a helpful strategy when embarking on exercise. Be sensible and start off slowly but surely. No one ever continues doing anything for long if it hurts!
Play ‘Beat the week’. The idea is that if you exercise four or more times in any given week you’ve beaten the week. Hooray! Three times or fewer and the week beats you. Booo! You do want to win, don’t you?
Just stop for a moment and think about how you breathe. Is it through your nose, mouth or both? Do you breathe into your upper chest or deeply down towards your belly?
Why? It’s very, very important! It is clear that optimal oxygenation of your cells through proper breathing, nutrition, fluid intake, exercise and stress management is absolutely necessary in order to maintain your health.
You breathe approximately 28,000 times a day. If your breaths are shallow, taken in through your mouth and confined to the upper parts of your lungs, your body gets a message that you’re facing an emergency. This creates and releases stress hormones, which, over time, can cause many adverse effects in your body.
Correct breathing is the key to oxygenating your cells, so it’s worthwhile knowing how to do it properly:
Take 10 breaths three times a day in the following ratio:
Remember to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Get outdoors. It has been shown conclusively that indoor air quality is worse than outdoor air quality. If you must be indoors, throw open the windows, even in winter!