page 1 - Mature Living in the Southeast

health newsIs Poor Posture Aging You?Like fine wine, the wisdomof parental advice improveswith age. Researchshows your mother was evenright about standing upstraight, as shown by newstudies finding that peoplewith better posture really arehealthier and actuallylive longer.Think of someoneover 80 who looks andlives the way you wantto when you get to bethat age. Now ask yourself,“How is thatperson’s posture?”Even though mostpeople in their 80s sufferthe bent-over slumpof age, you’re probablythinking of someonewho still stands tall anderect.Not only are there intuitivereasons whypeople with good postureare healthier andmore active, but poorposture also has a dramaticeffect on anothergrowing problem facing olderadults: falls and poor balance.According to the NationalSafety Council, over 1.5 millionpeople over 65 are seriouslyinjured each year infalls, which cause nearly14,000 deaths, with anotherquarter suffering debilitatinginjuries that affect them forthe rest of their lives. In addition,poor posture affectshow well your heart canpump blood, and even howwell you can breathe.As a clinician, posture expertand author of StandTaller~Live Longer: An Anti-Aging Strategy, Dr. StevenWeiniger often advisespeople to feel for themselvesthe difference posture makesin how your body works withthis simple demonstration:“While slumping forwardin a chair, take a breath in andnote how deeply you canbreathe. Then, scoot yourbottom back in the chair, pullyour shoulders down, liftyour head up and sit tall.Note the significant differencewhen you take in a deepbreath while maintainingstrong posture.”Unfortunately, most of usare spending more time thanever slumped in front of a TV,computer, or video game, andour poor posture is gettingworse. If you stop to thinkabout it, you're likely slumpingas you read this (unlessyou just straightened up a bit).When you spend 18 hours aday with your body foldedinto a chair,you'll go backto the slump assoon as youstop thinkingabout it. Theproblem withimproving postureis, no matterhow goodyour intentions,just tryingto stand upstraighter simplydoesn'twork (case inpoint: are youslouchingagain?).R e n é eNorth, CertifiedPostureExercise Professional(CPEP) has this advicefor improving posture.“In order to make a change,we must retrain our motionpatterns, and this begins withbecoming aware of our posturefirst, and then developingnew habits. Incorporatinga One-Leg Balance intodaily life is a great place tostart. Make this exercise animmediate part of your dailyroutine and you will see andfeel a difference.”Weiniger’s One-Leg Bal-you feel good and age well.Mature Living Winter Edition 37anceYour posture is ultimatelyhow your body is balancing.Even if someone is standingcrooked, mechanically theyare balanced or they wouldfall down! Standing on onefoot is a way of seeing howgood your idea of where youare in space agrees withwhere your body really is.Try this:Stand up, tall and straight.Lift your left leg so your thighis level with the ground.Count to 20.Repeat on the other side.You should be able to balanceon each leg for 20 seconds.If you can't, you probablyneed to work on improvingbalance.LifeHabit Tip:Try to balance on one legat least three times a day. Ifyou are wobbly, hold on asyou lift your leg, but focus onstanding up with strong, tallposture, keeping your feetpointing straight ahead andpelvis level.Strengthening posture canrelieve postural neck andback pain as well as help youget the most benefit from anyexercise because your formgets naturally better. If youfocus on posture each day andwork to strengthen balance,alignment, and motion, overtime you’ll be surprised notonly at the difference in howyou feel, but even how otherssee you. The bottom lineis, when you keep moving