The human body is the most amazing structure ever created! If our structure is properly supported, and all our muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, and body systems are in harmony – we can move, work, and play with minimal effort and maximum enjoyment for optimal whole-body health and a truly healthy and happy life.

What Happens When A Back Is Out of Balance?

Kyphosis, Lordosis, and Scoliosis are three distinct posture deviations from a healthy well-balanced spine.

• Kyphosis is an excessive curvature of the upper spine.  The chest muscles are tight and strong, the upper back muscles are weak and stretched.  A lot of people end up with a Kyphotic spine as they get older, due to poor posture habits.
• Lordosis is an excessive arch in the lumbar spine.  Weak abs can definitely be a contributing factor to the lower back being pulled out of alignment and into an excessive Lordotic curve.
• Scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine)  can be genetic, or for many the structural alignment issues of scoliosis can actually be created over time through muscle imbalances and faulty movement patterns.

Whether you create unnatural curves in your spine from carrying your child on one hip, sit with your legs crossed, always using your dominant side for repetitive movements, play one-sided sports, or rest 1 arm on the console in your car when you drive…there are many “habits” of daily living we do that set our structure crooked and contribute to poor posture and movement habits.  Perhaps it doesn’t get bad enough to physically change your spine, but do you experience knee pain?  Hip pain?  Low back pain?  Shoulder or neck pain?  All of these can be signs and symptoms of a body out of balance.

What Can We Do To Improve Our Structure, Posture, and Whole-Body Health?

Exercise is the easiest way to insure a healthy spine and good posture.  Ideally exercises to improve structural support for the torso need to include exercises that work on stabilization of the spine, and exercises that work on functional movement of the spine for balanced muscle development and a healthy back.

• Spine stabilization exercises are exercises where the back and pelvis are held completely still and the arms and legs move.
• Functional movement exercises for the spine will have the back moving forwards, backwards, sideways, and twisting.  The arms and legs might be still, or will also moving during these exercises.

A strong, healthy, stable core, along with the ability to articulate your spine one segment at a time from the tail to the head in ALL directions (bending forwards, backwards, sideways, and twisting) not only helps to keep the muscles of the torso strong and flexible, but it helps keep our organ systems healthy too!

Wellness Tips to Take Care of Your Structure for Great Whole-Body Health:

Exercise your feet, strengthen your core, maintain good posture and body mechanics, improve your flexibility, and eat healthy foods to maintain a healthy weight, get plenty of sleep, fresh air & sunshine, and drink lots of water.  Learn to balance your work, rest, and play.  Learn to balance your mind, body, and Spirit.

Improving your Posture habits will help train the muscles needed to improve your functional movement for a healthy spine. Make a lifelong commitment to take care of your “machine” to maintain its structural integrity and improve your good health!

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Discover more about how to quickly & easily improve your posture habits

• Become more aware of how you hold your structure.
• Spot check your standing and seated posture.
• Learn how to make simple improvements that will help keep your body in better balance for optimal whole-body health!

Get Posture Principles for Health.