Keeping A Good Posture

i was told stronger muscles keep the spine straighter…like with a lot of things-no magic solution!

A doctor told my sibling to stand against a wall and slowly crouch down keeping their back touching the wall, and then slowly stand up also still touching the wall. Do it like 5 times, twice a day (if I remember correctly) He said its great for improving posture and it did! Good Luck!

Chosson- Your welcome! (and welcome back u havent been here in awhile) It might look funny when you do it but try it it works!

I can only speak for men. What worked for me and my boys was push ups and chin ups. It built the chest, which threw the shoulders back, which lessend the slouch. (that, and Mrs. BP constantly reminding us to stand straight!)

It will also increase your stamina, as the slouch constricts the lungs from expanding to the fullest extent, which hampers breathing, which hampers stamina.

BP Totty

Actually building the chest throws the chest forward and makes ones posture worse. If anything one needs to build up the back and shoulder muscles. I have also read that a strong abdomen helps a lot in avoiding back pain and improving posture. So build up the back and abs.

blinky

You are correct I was just explaining that building the chest is not necessarily good for the back and can be bad actually if one already has a back problem.

Blinky –

I suppose women can do push ups. Its just they tend not to reside in 11219!

Seriously, I did not include women in my comment, because women have different physical structures, so I’m not sure if excercises that I’ve been advised to do applies across the board.

As far as pushups being bad for you? Nothing I saw on MayoCinic.org or anywhere else on the web would indicate that.

But I could be wrong. If so, I’d love to see the study. My brother-in-law (who is 50+lbs overweight) told me the “bike riding is unhealthy for men”. I checked with Mayo, and they said riding 100 or more miles a day, every day, may do some harm, but with the proper seat and bike fit, it will do more good than bad, so by all means, if you can do the miles, by all means, do them.

And 20+ miles a day can ONLY do good (unless you crash, which is obviously very bad).

Back to pushups, 10-15 a day? I cannot imagine any doctor telling you that is bad. But I could be wrong, so please direct me to the site where this was stated.

As far as I’ve read (and belived me, I’ve read plenty on the subject) core strength can only improve a persons overall health and balance

Let me give you something to aim for. A a co-worker of mine (jamacian woman, around 25 y/o) joined the army, got sent to Afganistan, and by the end of 12 months, she could do 50 pushups. (I can barely squeek out 15).

But stay at it, Blink! You’re already ahead of the game because most folks dont excersize at all.

Another good idea is crunches. Lie on your back, hands behind your head, and raise your knees to your elbows; then straighten your knees till they are paralell with your back, but and dont touch your heels to the floor till you to this 5 times (aim for 10 as a goal). Much easier on your back than situps, and accomplishs almost the same thing.

ill try it out tonite:) thanx! Its good to have a variety.

Who me? nope bp totty mentioned a good exercise that im interested in doing – so ill do it at home

blinky

Before starting any exercise program please make sure you research the exercises to make sure you will do them properly for maximal health benefits as well as prevention of injury. You can hurt yourself even doing innocent sounding exercises like pushups or situps. I know people who have hurt their wrists badly by doing pushups so just make sure you know how to do them right. Additionally, dont try to do too much too fast. Build up to it at a healthy pace.

If I had to choose just one excercise, it would be walking on hilly terrain. I’ll use Prospect Park in Bklyn as an example, cause that’s the one I’m most familiar with.

Start with the loop (its 3 miles around). Once you’re acclimated to that, graduate to the inner paths, stairways and grass fields. The up / down and uneven terrain will give you a good core workout, which in turn encorages good posture.

If you can do the loop in under an hour, you’re A-OK. And belive me, 3 miles on hills is NOT the same as 3 miles on flat surface or a treadmill.

Why is it important to “remember to stand (or sit) straight” or worry about your posture?

So why don’t you? Are you ready to take some bullets for your beliefs?

As long as they are camouflage…

The bigger question is about the bullets…

A trick I use is to look straight and not down when walking, sitting, etc. This automatically helps you not to sloop or slouch.

glad it worked! thanks for the update its good to know that it helped! Keep it up!

dunno: you’re right. Every time I see this thread I sit up straight!

A really great system for posture is called the Alexander Technique. It’s used a lot by dancers, actors, musicians, etc. It works by changing the way you experience your body from the inside out, so to speak. It requires a lot of mental work, but not a lot of physical sweat. Google “Alexander Technique” and you’ll probably find something useful. Or ask the librarian at your local (secular) library.

I had terrible posture until I took up martial arts, but I don’t think too many frum girls in Bklyn would be open to that. The Alexander Technique is a little less drastic, and even a bit of fun.