Moving Better!

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Now that we have completed the Walk Fremont County Challenge, our attention turns towards moving better. That stiff feeling you get when standing up after sitting or lying down doesn't have anything to do with age, and it isn't something you just have to accept. 

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Last week, we discussed how and why to stretch, now I would like to share with you a program that takes stretching even further. As many of you know, I am a certified Essentrics instructor and I teach classes regularly. I know you are probably asking "you teach what?" While Essentrics has been around for a few decades, and is taught all over the world, you probably have not heard of it (unless you have discovered the Classical Stretch Program by Miranda Esmond-White on Wyo. PBS. Essentrics is Classical Stretch 2.0).  

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Miranda has just shared two 7 minute routines we can do while sitting or standing at our desks. I would like to offer them to you through live online and in person classes through July and August. I will announce the schedule next Monday, so stay tuned!

DEPARTMENTS: I am happy to schedule in person demonstrations while I am there July 12 & 13, and August (dates TBA).   

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To learn more about the hazards of sitting for too long, and how you can finally work through that stiffness, read Miranda's latest blog below.

 

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June 18, 2021 Blog 

By Miranda Esmond-White, creator of Essentrics

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Rumor has it that long hours of sitting can take a toll on your overall health. But what is it about sitting that’s so bad for you? Let’s uncover the facts and give you some quick and easy solutions. The key player in the sitting epidemic is the detriment it has on your posture. Beyond just how you look, stand, and feel – poor posture brings a wealth of negative health symptoms!

 

Why does sitting ruin your posture?

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Sitting at a desk, in a car, or on your couch usually means that your attention is focused somewhere other than your posture. Let’s be honest… how many times have you caught yourself slouching behind your steering wheel, sinking into your computer chair, or craning your neck to look down at your smartphone or other device? And while slouching alone is not the enemy, the extra strain that slouching and sitting puts on your spine, hips and neck is.

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Every inch that your head drops forwards adds an extra 10lbs of pressure onto your spine. Your back will work overtime to compensate for this extra weight. We often offset the extra pressure by sinking into our lower back or shifting into an unnatural position. It’s a cycle of poor posture, pain, and overcompensation –  further worsening our posture.

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Even if you’re not slouching while you sit, your body is still paying the price just from being seated! While  seated, your weight is unevenly distributed around your sit bones, lower back, and hips. Not only does this cause the vertebrae in your spine to become squished and compressed, but the uneven weight distribution and lack of movement in your spine will cause the collagen around your ligaments and tendons to harden. This makes your spine less flexible, your hips and glutes tight, and causes imbalance throughout your body.

 

Why is poor posture bad for your overall health? 

 

Slouched, poor posture compresses the muscles in your ribcage and spine. What does this mean for your internal organs? They pay the price by becoming squished and functioning below their prime. Your lungs will not have as much space to expand, leaving you feeling tired and groggy from the lack of oxygen to your brain. Your digestive organs also become compressed and will not effectively flush out toxins or digest food as efficiently as they are designed to do. All from slouching… can you believe it?

 

How do I fix it? 

 

The answer is to  gently rebalance the body through flexibility and strengthening exercises  that will allow you to support the good posture you desire. In every Essentrics  workout, you will dynamically strengthen and stretch all the muscles around every joint, thus ungluing your body and, in turn, reversing the negative effects of sitting.

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This ensures that:

• Your internal organs can do their job
• Your entire body is given a fresh supply of oxygen
• Your posture looks (and feels) fantastic!

 

So,  get up and get moving !

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From Penny: Physical activity in general is beneficial. That's why it is important to get up and move every hour- maybe take a quick walk down the hall and back and see how you feel afterwards.