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Avoiding the Most Common Posture Mistakes

The human body is an amazing machine. It is perfectly designed for walking, running, jumping, contracting and stretching. It is an independent, multi-functional body that can be adapted to many situations by reinforcing and stretching its tissues or adding a layer of fat to protect itself from the cold.

Even if we have no extraordinary physical gifts, our bodies are born as symmetrical, coordinated units. The superiority or inferiority of each body depends on each person, but our front and back sides must always be coordinated. The right and left sides are also designed to cooperate with one another, by distributing work symmetrically. The skeleton is equipped with a system of muscles, which in turn is controlled by the nervous system. A proper, functional body is able to use these systems in an independent, synchronized manner.

In order to understand all of this, it is essential to emphasise the importance of the torso. Each step we take, each box we lift and each move we make are coordinated by the abdominals and the back to protect the spine from damage. No matter how strong your biceps are, if your torso is not stable enough, your strength will be limited.

Think of your body as a chain of muscles that is only as strong as its weakest link. This link is the torso, which would not matter so much, if it were not for the many risks of injury in our daily activities. Every time we take off a jacket and leave it in the back seat of the car, it is our muscles that are doing all the work. Not only do the biceps and the shoulders have to be strong enough to pick up weight, the torso must also have enough internal stability for the spinal column to remain protected.

What should the body be like in order to work this way? First of all, both sides of the body must be symmetrical, strong and flexible. Shoulders, hips, ankles and shoulder blades must be parallel and symmetrical. Let's test this position: Stand in front of a full-length mirror. First stand in what is generally considered to be the "correct posture." Check the following points:

1. Your shoulders are at the same height and parallel to the floor.
2. You hips are symmetrical and level.
3. Your palms are facing backward.
4. Your knees are together, symmetrical and facing forward.
5. Your ankles are pressed together.
6. The weight of your body must be equally distributed on each leg. (Diagram of a body in a proper straight line.)

Now stand as you normally do, without paying attention to your posture. What has changed? There is probably some difference between this position and the one you were in before.

What are the incorrect postures that our bodies most often adopt?

1. Our head is leaning to one side or leaning forwards.
2. Our shoulders are not level or parallel, and one of them is pushed forward, or both are crooked.
3. The palms of our hands are crooked.
4. The hips are not parallel (they are shoved forward, backward or sideways).
5. Our knees and ankles are strained and may not be level.
6. Our feet are pointed too far outward.
7. Weight is not evenly distributed between the legs.
8. Our foot muscles are flexed (diagram of improperly aligned body).

You can tell a lot about a person's body by looking at their shoes, too. When you are out on the street, take a look at the sole of someone's shoes (leather soles, not rubber ones). Are they more worn on the inner edge or the outer edge? Does one sole look more worn than the other? Do the toes leave a bigger mark in one shoe than in the other? If you look at your trousers, you will notice that your two legs are not the same length when you lift or lower a hem. Most people have one leg that is slightly shorter than the other, just as we have one foot that is a bit longer. These "abnormalities" are completely normal, as long as the difference is not excessive.

Think about the symptoms you suffer from when you spend a long time sitting, if your neck or back hurt. Remember, there is no reason for you to put up with any pain in your neck or your back. That is not the way you are supposed to feel. If your body is doing its job properly, you shouldn't have to deal with any pain or discomfort when sitting for long periods of time.

Unfortunately, most bodies are not correctly aligned or are not symmetrical. Both sides work differently, and some of the muscles are overworked and strong, while others hardly work at all and become weak.

When certain parts of our body stop working, the entire unit starts to fall apart. But even though not all of the muscles are doing their work, we still have to keep on living a normal life and doing day-to-day tasks like sitting, standing, etc., so other muscles have to make up for this weakness and the tension created in these areas. We continue using our muscles to fight off the body's imbalances in such a way that the strong, developed muscles become even stronger and the weak ones get even weaker. We start to feel pain in the parts that need to be compensated for by others, or we feel chronic pain in the lower back and the neck.

The key is to figure out how this works. It is a vicious circle that bothers us every day. Conventional exercise does not solve the problem, but rather the body must be re-educated to prepare itself for daily stress. Until the body is trained as a whole, as it is with the Pilates exercises, these weaknesses will get worse and worse.

Most people go to the gym and do exercises to make their muscles stronger. They often suffer from the small injuries we talked about before. Normally, people do exercises that they enjoy or that are easiest for them, so they only manage to strengthen pre-existing malfunctions. If we do not train the body as a whole, the only thing we accomplish is to make things worse.

So we should ask ourselves why our bodies do not do what they were designed for. Why do they let us fall over, become debilitated and suffer injuries and pain?

Let's take a look at what we ask of our bodies and see if they are prepared well enough for the things we subject them to.

Question: What one thing do most people do every day? Unless you are a professional athlete or a dancer, the most common answer is "sit." Most of us spend a large part of the day sitting down in front of the computer or TV, at the dinner table or in our cars. We are "professional sitters." For an athlete or someone who goes to the gym a lot, this is not a very demanding activity. But we still shouldn't confuse sitting with resting!

In order to sit properly, you have to use certain muscles in the torso. Otherwise, your back is probably curved, and if you sit for a long time, you will be training your muscles the wrong way.

All of this should help you to realize that you don't need to go to the gym to work out. Each time we move our bodies in a certain direction, we are working it out to improve a certain posture. People who walk with a perfect upright posture have been training for this for years!

If we ask our body to carry boxes, to take off or put on a jacket or to pick the baby up when it cries, we are constantly exposing it to potential injuries. My mother was right when she relentlessly forced me to sit up straight. Boy, did she now how to plan for the future!

However, what my mother didn't know is that to sit up straight, you have to train yourself, just like in any other activity.

And as we all know, almost all chairs now provide back support, so the training process to sit up straight has completely vanished. Think of the Japanese. They are used to sitting on the floor without a back rest behind them. By getting their muscles used to this position, they are able to use the right posture no matter where they sit.

In Japan, the rate of back problems is much lower than the estimated 80% in the Western world. Fortunately, with the help of the lessons we will be publishing here, you will find the keys to a strong, healthy body that perfectly adapts itself to the tasks it has to do.

You must also understand the importance of proper nutrition and healthy habits for your body. Instead of fighting against pain and injuries, you will discover a new and greater flexibility, you will look healthier, and you will be able to do things that you would never have thought possible before.

Your current age and physical condition are not that important. Everyone, absolutely everyone can improve their looks and physical shape. It's just a question of getting used to the idea and devoting a little bit of time to the most important thing you own: your body.

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Pilates, the Western Yoga

By Valerie Foldvary, director of aerobics and fitness at Reebok Spain.

The world of fitness is constantly on the look out for new ideas. In the seventies, we all jogged, in the eighties we did aerobics with Jane Fonda, in the nineties we were dragged into the weights room, and the new millennium is marking the entrance of many "mind and body" programs, in which the two are trained to work together to provide balance to the person as a whole, rather than as just the sum of its parts or muscles. The Pilates program is very old; its inventor, a somewhat eccentric German named Joseph Pilates (who smoked cigars in his classes and hit his students with a whip if they made one wrong move) designed it at the turn of the century. Nevertheless, this series of exercises strengthen the body in a functional way. In other words, the way the body was designed to function, which was only popular among dancers until relatively recently. Nowadays, it is the favorite form of training of many famous people like Madonna, Melanie Griffith and Halle Berry, which has brought the Pilates method enormous recognition around the world.

There are two type of Pilates exercises:

1. One using special machinery that consists of a series of pulleys and cables anchored to a wooden "cage" called the "Reformer," as well as other features that look more like they belong in a torture chamber than in a gym!

2. The Pilates method can be performed with a floor mat, freestyle.

Both methods create a harmonious, stable body by placing a special emphasis on using the right posture to avoid today's common back pain. The method promotes flexibility and mobility of the limbs and strengthens muscles without making them get over-pumped.

Furthermore, just like yoga and other "mind and body" exercises, it forces the person exercising to concentrate on breathing, thereby forgetting daily stress.

The Pilates method can be practised by anybody, provided they have no injury that prevents them from doing so. In any case, before starting this or any other exercise program, you should go to a specialist so that he or she can give you the go-ahead. Many athletes have found that the Pilates method is the way to achieve the stability needed in the torso in order to be able to swing their racket or golf club properly. But the most interesting benefit is probably the decrease in back pain among people whose work or sedentary lifestyle force them to remain seated for a large part of the day.

Things to keep in mind: Always start at the most elementary level. Only move ahead once you can perform the previous level properly without too much effort. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Expel air when making the greatest efforts. Never hold your breath.

More than just exercises, the Pilates method is a series of movements. Don't worry of finishing your reps, like in a traditional gym. Concentrate on the way you do the exercises. The path is just as important as the goal. Do each movement ten times without stopping. Put some soft music on with a clear beat (classical, new age, etc.).

Start the routine with large, soft movements to warm up. (Move your arms out and in, walk on the spot on tiptoes/heels, flex your knees). If you notice any pain in your back or anywhere else, go back down to a lower level of exercise. Pain is a symptom of something going wrong.

Perform the Pilates exercises three times a week for 45 minutes. After four weeks, your posture will improve and you will feel stronger!

Remember that you should also do cardiovascular exercise, such as walking, aerobics, jogging, etc.

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