Improve your posture - Improve your heart health By Anneli McCullagh
Improve your posture - improve your heart health!
Can the two be connected? Yes, research has shown that poor posture affects your cardiovascular system. A hunched over spine restricts the airflow into the lungs - your heart has to work harder to send the oxygen through the body, whilst also stressing the body with increased cortisol which can lead to a higher blood pressure.
The easiest way to begin is in standing. If you like, do it “old school” and pop a (light!) book on top of your head for feedback! By lengthening your spine up, your head will be more balanced and the book stay still. Things to notice: keep the shoulders released down so you’re not holding your posture with your neck muscles. Don’t push your rib cage forwards to keep your spine and head in place - “sigh” out your breath, and keep the rib cage in this relaxed position.
If you feel confident with this, add in movement - walk about slowly whilst thinking about maintaining your posture. Stand still but lift your arms up and down; or stand on one leg. Turn your head to each side without dropping the book - on 2 legs or 1!
Once you get the feel for it in standing, bring the same feeling into sitting. Sit slightly further forward on your seat, so that your back doesn’t slump into the back rest. Try this in the car too! Sit right at the back of your seat and keep your lower back lifted - get used to finding the support from your muscle corset instead of the car seat. Also, let your shoulders be relaxed when you’re driving, and try not to let your head be in front of your body but above it!
When lying down, you can still work on it - stretch out one side at a time, drawing one shoulder up whilst lengthening the leg on the same side away. Repeat on both sides as many times as you need!
Try to include slow, deliberate breaths with your movement - breathe in with one movement, breathe out with the next. Notice how an in breath stretches the spine, and an out breath makes it relax.
Notice how the different parts of your body feel when you’re adjusting your posture - your feet to the floor, your knees, if some muscles contract even when they are not needed, your neck, your jaw, your shoulders.
Being rigid doesn’t mean better posture! Once you get used to the feeling of standing tall, try to move as fluidly as you can.
Stand taller, breathe better - better heart health.