Sit up straight!

Did you know there is no evidence to support the idea that slouching is bad for you? So if you find yourself slumped watching the television, in awkward shapes whilst reading or hunched over a desk, fear not. Stillness, being sedentary & slouching is a normal part of being human, whether it is for work or rest – and we want the active parts of our lives to support us in strength and mobility so we can slump with style. What isn’t normal is spending your day overly paranoid about being tall, stiff and erect in posture and permanently bracing your core or stressing over daft concepts like is your spine ‘neutral’ (psssst there’s no such thing)

However, it’s normal to feel aches and stiff when we are still for too long whether it is tackling a crossword puzzle or travelling- and that’s where our movement can help us find a feeling of temporary relief ,a symptom modifier (similar to how a spa or sports massage helps you feel temporary relief but the effect don’t last) but long term building strength can be more useful for many people. In fact when you stand up and take a big ‘stretch’ you are often actually contracting and squeezing the muscles after the sitting slump which is a stretch… think about it… now try it and see. Another reason why I advocate teaching movement in between restful yoga poses.

Now we know that research also shows good/bad posture ideas are also not contributing to our discomfort or pain and that perfect form in exercise is not required to prevent injuries either. There is also very little correlation between sitting and back pain( these circumstances are often better untangled in our minds by thinking of a chicken or egg situation). This is great news and encourages us to be optimistic about movement rather than wary of ‘getting it right’ and enables us to tell ourselves that all movement is good movement. Even our jobs and professions aren’t considered by many research articles to contribute as significant factors to our pain and some ways to make sense of all this information that seemingly goes against logic or what we were once told are these points:

👌pain is complex and multifactoral

👌if we are just treating anatomy, physiology and the body we aren’t treating pain

👌everybody is different and has a unique experience of pain

👌two hairdressers or gardeners can feel different or no aches doing the same job

👌 if pain was purely mechanical or physical there would be a regime, a tablet, a method, a surgery, an exercise or treatment that worked and we could eradicate pain but we know many other factors, including stress and sleep, affect our pain flares and perception.

So enjoy a good slouch, enjoy your healthy activities and season them with either doses of rest or does of movement for a good balance that works for you.

And the best bit of news? Anyone can learn to Explain Pain with my courses. Empower yourself to understand your own situation and to advocate for yourself or your loved ones or indeed learn the simple skills needed to talk to, understand and move people in chronic or acute pain situations, perfect for people working in wellness. Many medics including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, care providers and others have taken this training from me so whether your concern is your nagging back or a room of 30 people to teach fitness to, lets move you forward.