Have you ever wondered how life imitates nature? As a tribute to one of my favorite movies, the Karate Kid, I would like reference one of my first encounters of understanding posture and its relationship to nature through the lesson that was taught using the Bonsai tree. The ancient Japanese art form of growing Bonsai trees is fascinating. Bonsai trees are essentially normal shrubs that have been consistently stressed in a particular way for a long time to create a posture not naturally found in nature. Depending on how the tree is stressed while it grows, it may end up looking like a miniature version of a full-sized tree, or it may end up looking like a wild tangle of branches with twists and loops.
The Alignment Connection
To most people, “good posture” means sitting and standing up straight. Very few of us realize how important our posture is to our overall health and performance.
The human body craves alignment. When we are properly aligned, our bones, not our muscles, support our weight, reducing effort and strain on our nervous system.
The big payoff with proper posture is that we feel healthier, have more energy, plus we move and age more gracefully. So while the word “posture” may conjure up images of John Wayne in the old country and western classics or book-balancing school girls, it is not just about standing up straight. It’s about being aware of and connected to every part of yourself.
Health Right From The Start
From the very beginning of our children’s lives, we are always creating guidelines to help form and develop them into the healthy adults that they will become. As parents of this generation, we have encountered a new force that is creating bends and twists in our children’s postures – the smartphones and electronic devices. This repetitive activity over time is now grooming our children’s’ postures to the predictable head forward posture and rolled shoulders. With the unhealthy bends, we see them all to clear results of back pain, headaches, short attention spans, depression, indigestion, reflux, high blood pressure, asthma and thyroid problems that are plaguing our youth.
It is important to remember that good posture should rank right up at the top of the list when you are talking about optimal health. It is as important as eating right, exercising, getting proper rest and avoiding potentially harmful substances like alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. Think of good posture as a way of doing things with more energy, less stress, and fatigue.
Did You Know?
- Without good posture, you cannot be physically, chemically or mentally fit.
- Without good posture, you can physically damage your spine every time you exercise.
- Without good posture, your nerves will not communicate properly with your glands and organs, resulting in all kinds of degeneration and potential chronic diseases.
Start Strong – Stay Strong!
As in nature, the earlier one begins a healthy lifestyle, the healthier and less dis-ease they will experience.
Is Chiropractic for children too? By all means. Miracles can occur every day in Chiropractic with the right adjustment, tailored to the individual’s size, age, shape, and need.
What Does Your Posture Say About You?
Contact us today and schedule a posture exam. Your posture will be telling all of us more than you think!
For Your Health,
Dr. Joseph Gambardella, Dr. Benjamin Erb and Dr. Gail Behar