The spine is a marvelous feat of natural engineering. Evolving over thousands of years, its double arched structure efficiently supports and connects our body's muscles and bones. Even so, poor posture is quite common.
Perhaps the biggest reason for this is that so many people fail to realize just how simple and straightforward a good posture is, and that it can be acquired simply by practicing a few easy exercises. Basically, good posture allows the spine to do its job as effectively as possible so that the entire body can benefit from it. Essentially, one can master good posture by observing four basic principles and if done correctly, back pain will be a thing of the past.
Firstly, we need to ensure that the muscles in our body are able to withstand tension, in that they must be strong enough. Muscle strength is crucial in terms of us being able to carry out numerous tasks such as lifting heavy objects and even running. Even some activities which may not seem as if they are demanding also require a huge amount of effort on behalf of your muscles. For example, if you need to sit for any length of time, the muscles will have to work continuously so that the vertebrae can provide the support needed.
Flexibility represents a muscle's length when fully stretched. Longer muscles are more flexible, and are usually more permissive in what your body can accomplish safely and painlessly. If muscles are short due to inflexibility, then other muscles must remain unnecessarily tense to provide support. Since strength is tension, these muscles are unnecessarily wasting effort on simple tasks, tiring easily, and causing mysterious aches and pains.
Relaxation on the other hand is the ability to relieve your muscles of tension. If we see strength as being the ability to tighten muscles, and flexibility being the ability to stretch, then relaxation is essentially the balancing point in between. In other words, this is when the muscles are neither tense nor or elongated. When a person manages to relax sufficiently, the body will naturally take on an efficient posture and this is something which people often fail to achieve due to unnecessary tension and the lack of flexibility.
The fourth exercise, which may in fact be considered to be the most important, is the ability to be aware of what your body is doing. Awareness enables you to realize exactly when your muscles are using strength, when your muscles are being flexible, and also when you're relaxing sufficiently. However, awareness is something which one needs to develop over a period of time, and in so doing, you'll be able to master the art of keeping your spine in perfect alignment. The bottom line is; in order to maintain an ideal posture you need your muscles to remain flexible while at the same time keeping unnecessary tension to a minimum. This is essentially why body awareness can help you dramatically in terms of achieving adequate relaxation.
By using posture exercises, each of these skills can be practiced and improved simply, in just ten minutes per day. All of these skills must be honed successfully, however, as each supports and complements the others. Neglecting just one may seem like an effective strategy, and may work in the short term. Over time, however, you will find yourself unable to progress further or even regressing if they all are not developed.
Not only can posture exercises reduce or eliminate eight back pain altogether, but they can also help you bring about a vast improvement with regards to the quality of your life. In fact, it really doesn't take much effort at all in order for you to experience numerous benefits with regards to your overall health as well as stamina. If you suffer from back pain then you may very well discover that posture exercises are all you need in order to rid yourself of it. - 30514
Perhaps the biggest reason for this is that so many people fail to realize just how simple and straightforward a good posture is, and that it can be acquired simply by practicing a few easy exercises. Basically, good posture allows the spine to do its job as effectively as possible so that the entire body can benefit from it. Essentially, one can master good posture by observing four basic principles and if done correctly, back pain will be a thing of the past.
Firstly, we need to ensure that the muscles in our body are able to withstand tension, in that they must be strong enough. Muscle strength is crucial in terms of us being able to carry out numerous tasks such as lifting heavy objects and even running. Even some activities which may not seem as if they are demanding also require a huge amount of effort on behalf of your muscles. For example, if you need to sit for any length of time, the muscles will have to work continuously so that the vertebrae can provide the support needed.
Flexibility represents a muscle's length when fully stretched. Longer muscles are more flexible, and are usually more permissive in what your body can accomplish safely and painlessly. If muscles are short due to inflexibility, then other muscles must remain unnecessarily tense to provide support. Since strength is tension, these muscles are unnecessarily wasting effort on simple tasks, tiring easily, and causing mysterious aches and pains.
Relaxation on the other hand is the ability to relieve your muscles of tension. If we see strength as being the ability to tighten muscles, and flexibility being the ability to stretch, then relaxation is essentially the balancing point in between. In other words, this is when the muscles are neither tense nor or elongated. When a person manages to relax sufficiently, the body will naturally take on an efficient posture and this is something which people often fail to achieve due to unnecessary tension and the lack of flexibility.
The fourth exercise, which may in fact be considered to be the most important, is the ability to be aware of what your body is doing. Awareness enables you to realize exactly when your muscles are using strength, when your muscles are being flexible, and also when you're relaxing sufficiently. However, awareness is something which one needs to develop over a period of time, and in so doing, you'll be able to master the art of keeping your spine in perfect alignment. The bottom line is; in order to maintain an ideal posture you need your muscles to remain flexible while at the same time keeping unnecessary tension to a minimum. This is essentially why body awareness can help you dramatically in terms of achieving adequate relaxation.
By using posture exercises, each of these skills can be practiced and improved simply, in just ten minutes per day. All of these skills must be honed successfully, however, as each supports and complements the others. Neglecting just one may seem like an effective strategy, and may work in the short term. Over time, however, you will find yourself unable to progress further or even regressing if they all are not developed.
Not only can posture exercises reduce or eliminate eight back pain altogether, but they can also help you bring about a vast improvement with regards to the quality of your life. In fact, it really doesn't take much effort at all in order for you to experience numerous benefits with regards to your overall health as well as stamina. If you suffer from back pain then you may very well discover that posture exercises are all you need in order to rid yourself of it. - 30514
About the Author:
Eric Normand helps people feel better and improve posture. He uses effective yoga and Tai Chi exercises to help eliminate back pain, eliminate tension, and increase confidence. If you are excited about having vibrant energy and feeling better, read more about exercises for back.
