Posture, Stability and Mobility
When you start to get fit, the first we look at these. Even fixing these with movement (okay, exercise — People are afraid of the E word) makes you feel great and look much better. Let us get you before the Physical Therapist or Orthopedist does.
This is me working in a physical therapy office before I became a personal trainer.
I was frustrated trying to get into the public college’s Physical Therapist Assistant program, because it was a lottery for the first 3 years I applied, then the last time it was first-come-first-serve for the next 2 years. The odds are never in your favor. And there was no way I was going to go $35-$45K in dept for the private one in town.
So later, there I was taking the Kinesology class for Personal Training. My professor is describing these same problems and movements (exercises) to correct them. I burst out, “How is this different from Physical Therapy?”
She looked at me seriously and said, “We are not licenced medical professionals, so we can’t diagnose or prescribe. We can, though, assess posture, mobility and stability, then suggest corrective moments.”
I nodded that I understood and she went on. Inside I’m screaming: “IT’S THE SAME DAMN THING!” Mostly, it is.
Chairs are Killing Us
We did not evolve to sit in chairs. We walk, we squat, we lie down. Okay, maybe sit on a rock or a log for a while, but not the hours we modern humans do. It causes muscular imbalances, which causes skeletal misalignments, which cause fatigue and pain. I asked the Physical Therapist that I worked for, “Why do we give all the patients the same exercises?”
“Because everyone has the same problems!”
Sitting causes the thighs to get stretched out, and the hip-flexors to shorted. The body actually removes the muscle fiber segments out of the shortening muscles, like “I guess we don’t need these anymore.” The glutes get stretched, and the hamstrings also shorted. This causes your pelvis to tip forward, so the foundations of your spine is off kilter. So you compensate, and there’s your fatigue and pain below.
Meanwhile, up above, you pecs tighten as the muscle between your shoulder blades stretch and slacken. Your shoulders and your head roll forward. Behold, the modern human! There’s your headaches, sore neck and shoulder problems.
There is good science that relates posture with mood and cognitive functioning. Again, Physical, Emotional, and Intellectual Wellness are related. Work on one, the others will follow.
Nagging to stand up straight doesn’t work. My mother, rest her soul, tried for 15 years. It wasn’t until I started doing some martial arts and yoga that I began to straighten out. Now with a little knowledge and experience, I can help you look and feel better, even before you lose weight and build muscle.
Nagging doesn’t work! But Personal Training and Coaching Does! Let’s Talk! Book a Free Discovery Consult