Did your Mom tell you to “Sit up straight”, to “Stand up, don’t slouch” and make you walk with a book balanced on your head?

I think I may be showing my age here. Take it from me, posture matters. Perhaps it is not the life and death issue our mothers would have had us believe growing up, but as one who works on bodies, I know for certain that good posture matters. And that bad posture hurts our bodies.

Poor posture can cause misalignment in your spine. It can affect affect your back and knees by putting too much pressure where it was not intended to be. When you sit all day, hunched over, without moving, your boy doesn’t get the kind of blood flow it needs in order to hve good circulation. And the list goes on and on.

I can almost always tell what kind of work people do for a living just by watching them walk into an appointment. If their shoulders are hunched and their spines are curved, they probably have a desk job and sit in front of a computer screen for most of the day. If they walk and wince a little as they do, then I am betting they are on their feet quite a bit, and they don’t have the proper cushioning in their shoes.

It is the really tall people who seem to suffer the most with back issues. I am not certain our creator built our skeletal system with really tall people in mind.

Regardless of whether you are short or tall, slim or round, it really is important to take the time to gently stretch out your spine, stand up straight and push your shoulders back. Get those hunched up shoulders to relax and sit comfortably  instead of creeping up around your ears.

Taking the time to stretch, to practice Yoga or Tai Chi is an extra added bonus for helping to keep you standing tall.

Valentina Boonstra

Massage Therapist