*Frank Sinatra’s Come Fly With Me plays in the background*
Yesterday, I posted an Instagram video about the importance of posture and why I was getting a massage prior to my international flight the next day. Along with my concussion, I get to experience the importance of watching my posture because of a jam in the back of my head, causing me to hunch over. This opportunity has lead me to learn about how our posture effects our mood, appearance and attractiveness, and overall health.
Since posture can ultimately trick our bodies into feeling happy or sad, make us look more stunning, and is optimal for brain function, it is a key element in being unstoppable.
Flying up in the air is a great time of reflection for me. I love taking advantage of airplane mode to read, journal, dream, and, of course, enjoy all the free movies. However, as much as zoning into a movie can be relaxing, slumping over is not. Of course, this doesn’t mean being hard on myself every second, but it invites mindfulness so I can optimize my time on the plane by bringing an awareness to my posture.
My physical therapists explained to me that a lot of my symptoms are coming from the misalignment of my neck. This improper alignment is restricting blood flow to my head which is leaving feelings of fogginess in the back of my head. I was convinced that straightening my neck and improving my posture would benefit my recovery. As I began working on my posture, I noticed that I felt better when I sat up or stood more upright.
My positive emotions reminded of a TED talk I heard earlier in the year where I found more positive side effects from having good posture.
If you ever watched Amy Cuddy’s TED TalkYour body language may shape who you are, you know exactly what I am talking about. If not, open your arms up wide as if you’ve just won a race and pay attention to how you feel. The video was back in 2012 and, since, had some “headlines suggesting power poses don’t work,” but back in April there was an article in Forbes that explained her rebuttal and confirmation that power posing is beneficial. Apparently, there is still question to the effect on hormones. Nevertheless, I think most would agree that we feel better straight up than being hunched over. *straightens up after reading haha*
Despite some concerns about the actual impact posture has on the hormonal level, expert movement coach, Aaron Alexanderon Jim Kwik’ Kwik Brain podcast, said that our postures do effect our bodies hormonally. He goes on to explain that the cells in our body can actually feel us based on our posture, so inside us they will think we are either #winning or #losing depending on our posture. With Cuddy’s power posture, our testosterone will boost and decrease cortisol - our body’s stress-hormone.
These are just a few ways to help bring attention to our postures during the day. If you are anything like me and love the idea of optimizing daily life, you might find it helpful to try and improve your posture. Whereas some people may need to see more science behind it, I tend to find some data and then perform the research on myself. Do you ;)
The one area where I am positive we all need to work on our posture is when we’re on our phones. It doesn't seem like we're in a very up-lifitng mood when we're slouched over scrolling through posts.
As I gain knowledge and experience, I will happily provide proper techniques and practices. I am not an expert (yet) but I believe a good posture reflects a proper state of mind.