educationcareerscholarshipscoach: CAREER SUCCESS AND YOUR POSTURE ~ Is There a Link?

Well… since scientific studies have proven that poor posture affects our health, it follows it can affect our attitude. A poor or bad attitude can result in poor communication, leading to relationship discord with supervisors, co-workers, and, if you own a business, your employees and clients. Hence, your career.

Poor posture may even affect our hormones and correlate to depression, stress, low-self-esteem and defeatism, concluded a Harvard Business School Study. When instructed to either walk down a hall in a slouched position or skip, students that slouched demonstrated increased feelings of depression, in a San Francisco State University study. The skippers displayed high energy and cheer. Our bodies automatically “lift” when we skip. You remember skipping; a natural, fun part of childhood. Also, if you walk with a book on your head, your posture becomes like the regal carriage of women in Africa and India who carry vessels of water and other items on their heads.

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) says micro-traumas build up over time from poor posture where our spinal discs and bones are not properly aligned, and muscles, joints, and ligaments take more strain than nature intended. Misaligned spinal discs diminishes our circulation and silently stresses everything from our neck to our toes. This makes sense when we recall the childhood song, “The head bone’s connected to the neck bone, the neck bone’s connected to the shoulder bone, the shoulder bone’s connected to the arm bone……” and so on.

Our daily habits like slouching while looking at the many screens (TVs, computers, tablets, cell phones) in our lives reinforce poor posture. Unconsciously, we give in to gravity’s downward push on our shoulders, rib cage and hips. Consequently, our internal organs have nowhere to go but down and out, constricting the nerves and vessels. And, we look fatter. We literally “fold up our viscera (intestines)” says Steven Weiniger, author of Stand Taller, Live Longer. For each hour that we watch television while slouching, our life expectancy is reduced by 21.8 minutes, concluded the Harvard study which also revealed that, chronic sitters more than doubled their risk of developing diabetes and had a 147 % increase in their risk for cardiovascular disease, even if they exercised. Furthermore, testosterone decreased by 10% and cortisol, the stress hormone, increased by 15%. Dr. Allan Tomson, chiropractor of NeckBackAndBeyond.com, says “sitting is the new smoking.”

To minimize my own sitting tendency, I stopped using a TV remote after it died (new batteries didn’t help), despite the inconvenience. For over 2 years now, every 15 minutes or less, I’m forced to walk 20 feet to and from my TV to change channels, turn from annoying commercials or political ads, or mute the volume. Twenty-twenty hindsight revealed I wasted a lot of productive time searching when it was working (“where’s the darn remote; I just had it”). This old-school method keeps me mindful of my posture and moving, which experts say “resets” us.

The inclination to lean forward over our computers’ and laptops’ keyboards also contributes to poor posture. We add even more stress when we push our necks and heads towards the screens we stare at for an average of 10 hours a day. Children form the habit of leaning forward and stressing their necks and spines from carrying heavy backpacks (some reported to weigh 16 pounds); adults do the same when lugging heavy handbags and shoulder bags (5 to 20 pounds).

Good posture was found to increase testosterone levels by 20% and decrease cortisol by a 25%. The APA defines “good posture” as a balanced alignment of our body’s three natural curves - thoracic, lumbar, and lumbar hyperlordosis. Unless we’re mindful, our sleeping positions also impact our posture. For example, sleeping on our stomach flattens the natural spinal curve that can lead to lower back pain, according to Medicaldaily.com. And, diabeticpick.com says, it also puts pressure on our organs and the nerves and muscles in our faces, possibly causing premature sagging and wrinkles.

You can – gently - train your body into good posture and strengthen your core and back muscles (the lats and trapezius) when you do these Posture Mindfulness (PM) exercises. “Mindfulness” is generally defined as being aware of/paying attention to what’s going on now. There’s no need to force your body to be rigid. Rigidity negates the benefits.

1. Sitting PM

While sitting anywhere - your desk, table, in an airport, on a plane, train, bus, car, restaurant, theater, movie, park, etc.~

Place your hands in your lap, palms up

Lift the bottom of your ribcage a half inch or so off your hipbone.

Gently bring your shoulders back from your chest and keep them relaxed.

Align your head (averages 10 to 12 lbs) and neck with your shoulders.

Breathe in (pay attention to air filling your lungs); allow your belly to expand.

Hold the posture and your breath 3 to 5 seconds

Release/exhale for 2 counts (pay attention to air leaving your lungs), gently contracting your belly.

Repeat 5 to 10 times. If possible, close your eyes.

2. Standing PM

Standing has been proven to burn 20% more calories, strengthen our muscles, boost metabolism and increase bone density. So, I set up my computer patterned after ergonomic workstations, to stand and write.

While standing anywhere - in long lines to board a train or plane; in grocery or clothing stores; waiting for a bus or subway - gently pull in your stomach/ abdomen muscles (inhale like in #1). Do the same exercises in Sitting PM.

Keep doing the exercise as you move forward in the line.

3. Butt Squeezes PM

These exercises strengthen your muscles in your hips and thighs (which carry a lot of stagnant “sit down” weight). They also do a few other magic tricks like a) tightening and toning your derrière which helps get ahead of and minimize the middle-age “spread,” and b) keeps us balanced from stumbling forward or backward from lurches or sudden stops when standing or sitting in cars or on public transportation.

Basic Butt Squeeze

Inhale like in Exercise #1 and squeeze your thigh and buttock muscles. You’ll feel your body rise up slightly.

Hold the squeeze for 5 counts.

Release/exhale same as in #1.

Do this as many times and you want, sitting or standing.

Single-Cheek Butt Squeeze

Do the same movements in the Basic Butt Squeeze, but squeeze one thigh and cheek at a time. Left or right. You choose.

Butt Squeeze Dance

Do the same movements as described to each beat in your music. Macy Gray’s There Is Beauty in the World is among my top 40 for a fast tempo. Flexing to slow music feels good too.

Over time, as you practice PM, you’ll become more mindful and begin to catch yourself whenever you’re lulled into the old slouching habit.

Good posture - the original “power pose” – in addition to improving your health, will help you succeed in your career since it is also critical to the perception of power. The perception of power is even reflected in our language. Anyone perceived as weak is labeled “spineless.” Those perceived as being strong is said to have “backbone.”

Good posture suggests a strong backbone and helps you walk into a job interview or meeting with confidence. Janice Novak, author of Posture, Get it Straight, cautions “You don’t want to walk into somebody’s office slouching and bent over, because people really do perceive you as not as vital.”

Magic, Miracles & Blessings!

See more posture information.

*Cell phones and our backs.

How Bad Posture Affects Your Health and Happiness.

Improve Your Posture in One Simple Step