ON EXPECTATIONS OF POSTURE by HAC Master Personal Trainer , Keith Glines
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EVERYBODY with Keith Glines
ON EXPECTATIONS OF POSTURE by HAC Master Personal Trainer , Keith Glines
Greetings , and welcome to Every Body ! This is my opportunity to share some of the information I ’ ve gathered over my twenty-year career in the fitness industry . I ’ ve studied and worked in areas from cardiac rehab and strength and conditioning to weightloss and improving muscle function . I ’ ve been exposed to many theories , approaches , techniques , and thought processes . Some of them are great and I still use them as tools in my toolbox . Some of them aren ’ t so great , which is why I want to share some of the information I ’ ve gathered so that you might be able to make some wise decisions regarding your fitness , muscular system , and health !
During one of my recent articles , I mentioned the word “ posture .” I like to be very specific with my words and I try to define terms properly . The previous article was not about posture and , therefore , not the place to define posture , but I think it ’ s an important topic to consider . ( I also had a special request to write an article on this topic , so if you have a special request , let me know .) Just remember that this article is not intended to provide you with ways that you can change your posture . There may be nuggets of information that apply to you and some that may not . My hope is that you find this helpful so that you can make decisions for yourself .
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POSTURE DEFINED
When thinking about “ posture ,” most people attach a conditional word to it , such as “ good ” or “ bad .” However , if we look at a few definitions , we can learn a little more about it . The Dictionary . com definition says it is “ the relative disposition of the parts of something ,” or “ the position of the limbs or the carriage of the body as a whole .” The American Council on Exercise ( ACE ) refers to posture as “ the state of musculoskeletal alignment and balance that allows muscles , joints , and nerves to function efficiently .” What does “ good ” or “ bad ” have to do with this ? It all comes down to how our body deals with stress . Are we in a position that is putting a minimal amount of physical stress on our body , or are we putting added physical stress on our body ? There can be short-term as well as long-term ramifications to this , as we ’ ll see later .
Now that we ’ ve defined posture , the first thing I want to address ( it ’ s a reiteration of things I ’ ve said in previous articles , but it ’ s a very important point to understand and I don ’ t think I can say it too many times ), is that we are all different . Our bodies are structurally different , chemically different , emotionally different , mechanically different , etc . It ’ s very difficult to assign the same standards to each person without considering that we are so different . If our
It ’ s very difficult to assign the same standards to each person without considering that we are so different .
bones naturally align differently , should we expect that the sum outcome of that will look the same ( i . e . posture )? That ’ s quite an assumption !
As we think about posture , we ( maybe I ’ m speaking for myself here ) typically have a bias toward thinking about a standing posture . I have the image of someone standing ( or walking ) with a book on their head , trying to balance it so the book doesn ’ t fall off . The term posture , however , doesn ’ t imply that at all . Whether we are standing , seated , or lying , our posture has to do with how our limbs are positioned compared to the rest of the body . Many people sit in front of computers as their main activity of the day , whether it ’ s for their job or for leisure-time activities . Thinking about seated posture can be even more important than standing posture . Also , considering how our seated posture can affect other postures can be important as well .