now that the diet is well under way, it's time for me to focus on another body-related issue: my posture.
i saw myself on video yesterday. a reasonable person would have thought i was a hunchback.
i'm sitting here now, in an ergonimcally correct office chair, with my back rigid and my shoulders pulled back. i turn my head to look at my profile in the window and i look pretty good. but then i let go of that pose and sit comfortably and i look a mess. like my spine was made of spaghetti. (and not even al dente.)
what's the best way to correct this? phonebooks on the head? a metal rod in my spine? or is it just too late? maybe i should have done what my teachers asked of me back in elementary school and stood up straight... perhaps now, in my late 30s, i'm just too far gone.
Posted by xta at July 29, 2005 3:28 PM | TrackBackWear long dangly earrings like a plumb line, so you'll know when your head is nodding out of alignment.
Posted by: Penny at July 29, 2005 4:58 PMWhen I read this I was bent over like the letter Z in my chair. Whoops.
Posted by: elizabeth at July 29, 2005 5:01 PMi'm the same damn way. i always figure it's a muscle tone thing. if i had the muscles in my torso to support myself properly, i wouldn't slouch so damn much.
Posted by: lisa at July 29, 2005 6:30 PMLisa is 100% correct. When I was in physical therapy for my back problems I got some tips on posture, along with exercises and stretches to get things lined back up properly and to develop the muscles to keep the lined back up. I've been noticing a decline again in my own posture lately, mainly in my neck. I have visions of becoming one of those old men whose neck is totally parallell to the ground, head sticking out. If you can think of someway to actually see a physical therapist without having to be injured first, I totally recommend it, and would like for you to tell me how. I would see a physical therapist at least once a month if I could, just for a check up and some coaching. I guess yoga, which I keep meaning to try, might be a good alternative. I've also considered starting some light weight training, but would want some coaching to at least get me started. At any rate, you can take it from me, if you don't develop the right muscles, your body will fall apart on you, which is how I ended up in physical therapy to begin with.
Posted by: rossi at July 29, 2005 8:28 PMGood muscles + good breathing + good attention are essential ingredients for me in re-aligning my posture when I notice I'm slouching, which is a LOT.
My friend Hal has a terrible back -- from his head, the spine goes down, jogs right, then continues down. What with gravity, it's the kind of thing that gets worse on its own, not better. We're looking at Pilates class for him soon.
Did everybody but me know that Pilates exercises were invited first for people who were bedbound or otherwise handicapped?
Posted by: Phil at July 30, 2005 12:39 AMmy children have been instructed to scream
"OLD HAG" at me when I am driving in my usual posture...
hunched, face inches from the wheel, chin thrust forward.
If only I had a picture to show you how truly attractive I am.
Posted by: blackbird at July 30, 2005 9:25 AMBlackbird - OMG! Your comment just made me LOL!!! I don't have children and don't drive much here in the Holy Land, but maybe an "OLD HAG!" note on my computer monitor will do the trick for me too.
I am also a video hunchback. I make my husband tell me when I have bad posture... then I get mad at him for telling me. It works great!
Thank you for making me sit up straight, if only for a few minutes.
Posted by: Sarah at August 5, 2005 8:42 AM