Is your posture starting to take the shape of your couch?

Even if you work out daily your rec room could be wrecking your back. 

There are so many ways we make our bodies conform to our environment instead of having our living spaces conform to natural healthy posture and frequent movement.

While you can find some furniture or seating that promotes good posture, there are some movement habits that are hurting your back that you could start retraining.

Sitting for everything

If you already commute a lot and have a desk job, I’ll tell you right now that Netflix is not relaxing for your body. Slouched sitting is one of the worst positions for the human body.

You’re better off moving throughout the day so circulation flows and nothing gets stuck in one area too long. Your ribcage can expand more fully, leading to more energy.

Posture improves when you have lots of variety in your movements. Simply set a timer for 45 minutes of work and 5-15 minutes of movement. You’ll find you are more productive and happy if you take mini-breaks throughout the day.

When I train my clients I include daily awareness training to make them better movers all day instead of just during workouts. Want to take class with me? Check out my Radiant Program!

 

Staring in one direction for hours

Computer and phone screens have a way of drawing your focus in. Your eyes are connected directly to the spinal cord. 

The reflexes in the eyes make your neck and spine move. If the chin juts forward as the eyes strain to see the computer it can pinch the back of your neck and mess up the entire alignment of the spine.

Even in fitness classes I see people keeping their eyes on the mirror or instructor and miss out on the full rotation of the spine and neck. So even in working out you never give the neck a break!

A quick way to refresh your eyes and ease neck strain is looking around the room slowly and allowing the neck and spine to follow in a gentle spiral. Don’t just move your neck to put your eyes in a new position. Let your eyes turn so far in the sockets that your neck has to follow. Let the eyes lead.

It will change the way you do your workout too! The Radiant Program will teach you how to move with high quality to improve your results and your enjoyment.

 

Not activating the entire core when lifting or bending

Bending over without core support puts all the pressure on the low back. You’ve got to visualize the muscles that hug the spine.

Your spine is long and thin and needs all the core muscles to stabilize it. Otherwise you get pressure points at the areas of action. Bending over from the lower back without firming the lower abdomen will make the spine take a lot of unsupported pressure.

If you’re lifting weights or picking up heavy objects it makes it even worse! However, if your lower abs are holding the spine in place, the whole body takes the load more equally so your lower back doesn’t do all the work alone.

Check your form in a supported squat: Drop hips as low as possible, keeping the spine straight and eyes forward. Brace the low abs as you exhale. Practice inhaling while keeping the low abs firm. Then exhale as you push the heels down to straighten your legs and stand up. You should feel more powerful and put together. 

 

Holding your breath and bearing down

When exercise gets tough you would think you would breathe more to make more energy from the oxygen, right? But for some reason I see a lot of strained faces and bellies pushing outward to get one more rep.

You’ll do better if you recognize your current abilities and be okay with where you are starting. Lift a weight that is manageable for you right now that borders on the edge of challenging.

If you can’t breathe and keep your core stable, back out and adjust. If you hold your breath and bear down you risk weakening your pelvic floor.

This could lead to back problems, incontinence, and eventually make you more likely to have organ prolapse. Breathing fully means you’re doing effective work and you’ll be able to progress and keep everything in line.

 

Yanking on your neck with your arms

I know plenty of fitness experts are picking on ab crunches and I’m no exception. They aren’t the best ab exercise in the first place, but they wouldn’t exactly be a bad exercise if people just did them right.

But so many people put hands behind the head and then yank. This is a great way to give yourself whiplash. Also the head wagging around on the smaller delicate neck muscles makes you skip the entire length of the abs.

There’s also a tendency to push your belly outward which can weaken your pelvic floor muscles and put pressure on the organs. Pregnant women should avoid crunches especially.

Plank-based abs are a better way to activate the vacuum action that’s better for core stability.

The yanking doesn’t stop with ab crunches. I see people try to imitate aggressive yoga twists by rounding the back and then trying to twist the spine by forcing the position with their arms and shoulders.

Keep your back straight whenever you add twisting and don’t worry about going further. If you feel a good stretch you’re in the right place.

If you join my Radiant Program, I coach you and tell you exactly how to do an exercise while we are practicing it together.

I cringe when I see clients making alignment mistakes, and I’m not afraid to tell you how to fix it and what all the sensations mean. Why exercise blindly imitating when you’ve got a chance to have someone tell you what to refine and how you should be feeling?

 

Mindless imitating

Seeing a professional photo can be motivating as long as you recognize the practice and the story that went into it. As a professional dancer I can tell you that even professionals are sacrificing stability to get a remarkable photo.

Doing misaligned flexibility poses over time can damage joints and cause chronic pain. It’s important to know the safe range of motion and train in that safe range. Sure, take a few crazy photos, but don't do repetitive training in those unstable positions.

Find modified examples and start by building the pose gently before increasing the difficulty. Mindful movement is going to get you the results you want with time and practice.

Mindless imitation leads to InstaCare, so be careful what you copy on Instagram.

When I train my clients I build the internal core support so you get the tricks gradually without battling years of chronic injuries. Want to get that kind of training? Click HERE to learn more.

 

Ignoring the spiral action in the spine

Have you ever hurt yourself doing something really dumb? Like stepping off the sidewalk wrong and jolting your back or knee?

It’s ironic that my worst injuries were from minor household surprises: slipping on an ice cube for only 2 feet (pulled hamstring). Reaching for a can of soup in the top shelf and pulling the shoulder.

The problem with many exercise programs is they focus on angular motion that imitates robotic actions. These are safe and easy to teach and learn. But the programs focus on teaching simply so they don’t tell you how to use the core to stabilize the back or quit shrugging your shoulders so high out of the sockets. 

It's too easy to take your poor posture habits into the workout and keep making the problem bigger.

I cringe when I go to group exercise classes and see the teacher leading while a lot of students are doing things misaligned or mechanically moving without true activation.

The human body is put together in diagonals and spirals. Retraining your ability to move in gentle twisting and spiraling actions will help the muscles gain 3-dimensional strength. Twisting safely can prepare you for unexpected actions and make you more agile and adaptable.

If you think your movement habits could use some retraining, check out my new course! Radiant is an 8 week full body transformation program. Unlike other exercise programs that only focus on demonstrating moves, Radiant will help you retrain your posture habits to help you get the most power out of every move.  You get workouts, LIVE sessions, and personalized feedback. Check it out! I hope to see you in class!