posture

[anotheranon]

I have lousy posture.

This isn't news, but the effects of long term slouching/hunching became abundantly clear to me while watching my latest fencing footage. If I'm not leaning into my lunges I'm hunching in preparation, and more than anything else on screen it makes me wince.

It made me realize that this is one of the key problems with my footwork - I can't make committed lunges if I'm off balance and can't fully extend with rounded shoulders. Recovery is harder as well because my torso is tilted forward. No wonder I loose my footing so easily!

I've long realized that slouchy teenagerdom followed in later life by 8+ hours a day in front of a computer screen has detrimental effects, but this bothers me more because it's affecting my ability to do something! To remedy this I'm making a concerted effort to sit up straight - shoulders down, butt on the edge of my chair, head upright (I should be able to feel the back of my collar).

My lower back is having to pick up the slack and I'm sure I'm tossing my head too far back, but it will feel natural in time if I can just remember to keep up with it.

Comments

[redactrice.livejournal.com]

Something I've found very helpful for my posture is yoga. If you take an introductory clase, they'll teach you proper, centered alignment. After a while, it becomes easier to remember to maintain it, even when you're just sitting or standing. Yoga's good for building core strength and flexibility, too.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I've been doing the odd posture here and there for my lower back - looks like it's time to work higher up as well!