IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE, ELEVATE YOUR MOOD

By Anneke Kruger

For many, the new normal of the working day involves spending more hours at our desks (or makeshift offices) and browsing through our mobile phones and laptops. Have you ever stopped to think about the effect of your posture on your mood and stress levels as you engage in these activities?

Research has shown a clear link between posture and mood. Many of us spend hours hunched forward when at our desks or on our devices, in a position known as the ‘startle response’.

The startle response is a natural, automatic, protective response to sudden or threatening stimuli, such as an unexpected loud noise or sharp movement. It happens when the muscles at the front of the body contract to pull the head forward, flex the spine, and tuck the tailbone under. As we contract the chest muscles, the shoulders roll forward, readying themselves to fight or flee. It’s linked to our survival instinct, and spurs us into taking action. It’s a natural and healthy short-term response, but if sustained, it can also illicit feelings of stress and anxiety.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anneke Kruger is an Educator for The body registers distress, whether Anatomy Trains® (US) and The Art it’s hunched forward over a mobile of Motion Academy® (Switzerland). phone or computer, or responding She is a Slings Myofascial Training to a genuine threat. The posture we Practitioner, and a Pilates and Yoga assume during both leads to restricted Teacher. She specialises in injury breathing, which further increases prevention and rehabilitation, and feelings of stress and anxiety. teaches online and from her studio in Bloubergstrand. Visit www. movementintellect.com to learn more and get in touch. Prolonged stress, real or perceived, often results in physiological and psychological strain or illness. Research has shown that sitting in a ‘helpless’ (often flexed forward) position can generate negative thoughts and emotions. We are in ‘protection’ mode, and are thus more likely to resort to survival strategies such as aggression, avoidance, or withdrawal. Ultimately, uninviting body language, and the internal negative commentary that goes along with it, affects how we communicate with the people and the world around us.

Our bodies cannot discern the difference between hunching forward and harbouring fear. What was originally meant as a natural short-term muscular response becomes stored in the fascial system - the interconnected, living, receptor-rich, and adaptable connective tissue in the body.

Poor posture can create tension and imbalance in our fascial network and, as a result, influence the balance in our autonomic nervous system. The fascia is also our largest sensory organ, and is linked to interoception - the momentto-moment process through which we evaluate and emotionally respond to how we feel. It affects our ability to sense and interpret an experience, and can lead to both structural and mental imbalance by influencing the way we feel, think, and interact with those around us.

In short, our posture has the power to affect the balance between our muscles and fascia, contribute to postural balance, movement efficiency, sensory awareness, physiological health, perception, and attitude.

The good news is that there are triedand-test steps we can take right away to improve our posture and mental wellbeing!

TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR POSTURE AT WORK

Position your monitor at eye level Set your workstation up so that you look straight at your device, with your elbows resting on your desk, and your feet parallel on the floor

Sit (or stand) correctly Sit with your shoulders back and your spine upright against your chair. Alternatively, invest in a standing desk!

Get up and move Take frequent breaks throughout the work day

Take a moment to pause and breathe Sit tall, look away from your monitor into the distance, and take five deep breaths

Try an integral movement practice Add Pilates or myofascial training to your exercise regime

Train for strength Improve your posture through weight-bearing strength training

Treat yourself to a massage Go for a massage or perform a self-massage using myofascial release balls

Stop to stretch Focus on mobility by stretching your neck, shoulders, back, arms and hips at regular intervals throughout the day ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anneke Kruger is an Educator for Anatomy Trains® (US) and The Art of Motion Academy® (Switzerland). She is a Slings Myofascial Training Practitioner, and a Pilates and Yoga Teacher. She specialises in injury prevention and rehabilitation, and teaches online and from her studio in Bloubergstrand. Visit www.movementintellect.com to learn more and get in touch.

SCAN THE QR CODE FOR EASY POSTUREIMPROVING EXERCISES YOU CAN DO AT YOUR DESK