HEALTH & FITNESS with Les Mills

Posture & Performance

Posture, performance and pain go hand in hand. We are working longer hours, sitting more, basically we are a lot more sedentary, combined with our daily activities which include most sports and driving to and from work, posture becomes a real issue. This can cause our bodies to become stuck in a slump or forward position. Knowing how to correct imbalances by stretching and strengthening the problematic areas will do wonders for your performance and help to eliminate any referred pain that these imbalances may cause. - Refer to last month’s article on Performance Elements – this is what a good movement and assessment screen will identify.

One example is forward head posture (FHP). This comes about from sitting slumped over a desk, looking and working with a computer screen, spending long hours driving, studying, or doing activities in the front of our bodies. The shoulders become rounded, the chest and shoulders tighten and the muscles in our backs become long and weak. The head protrudes forward causing the front neck muscles to also become long and weak. A bulge known as Dowagers hump grows on the back of the neck to try and stabilise the neck. Your ribs get depressed (pulled down) and your major organs in your body get compressed and won’t function well as they are unable to sit in their correct positions. This places extra stress on the body making everyday activities and what should be natural movements a real challenge even your quality of breathing is impaired.

This can all sound a little OTT, but it is very real, just take a look around the office and you will see this in 99% of everyone there. There are great examples of good posture to. Dancers are a great example. The demand for form and flexibility naturally lends to maintaining balance of the muscle structures associated to poor posture additionally dancers are rarely seated for prolonged periods.

To get the best performance out of your body, to feel great, look smart and walk tall here are 3 exercises to help with strengthening your postural integrity.

Floor prone (facedown) straight arm raises with your thumbs up, just a few cms off the floor. (Picture A1 & A2) – Stretch Chest between sets.
1 leg hamstring pendulum, move hips back first, supporting leg is bent 5 degrees, body moves forward as leg moves up and hold for 10 seconds. (Pictures B1 & B2) – Stretch Hip Flexors between sets.
Side bracing planks on your elbow, tummy muscles switched on and chest up, shoulders back. (Pictures C1 & C2)

Complete 2 sets of 10 repetitions on each exercise. Keep the tempo slow and controlled (the speed of movement)

In summary, if our posture is poor it’s putting pressure on our whole nervous system and this can drain our energy and vitality - not a great place to be. Make a conscious effort to sit and walk taller and take the time to put balance back into your life and posture.

Note: An offer and challenge to you all - visit Les Mills Takapuna for FREE and try our Body Balance Group Fitness class – this class is a combination of Yoga and Pilates which can address some of these imbalances. See our inline timetable at www.lesmills.co.nz or call our friendly reception on 488 9413 for any enquiries.