5 minute read
Kris on Health
Maintaining Good Posture in the Digital Age
By Kris Denning
Advertisement
The epidemic of “text neck” is affecting all humans immersed in the digital age. And it doesn’t just look bad and cause you to lose height. It creates neck and upper back pain, constricts breathing, and is said to increase cortisol (stress hormones), thereby slowing the metabolism. Bad posture can affect the entire body. And, since these devices aren’t going away, it is up to each of us to be mindful of our posture whenever possible and to know how to correct it.
If you can, have someone take a full body picture of you from the side. Look at this photo and consider your plumb line. You should be able to draw a straight line connecting your ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle. If you have this plumb line, great! If not, there are ways you can help to bring yourself back into proper alignment.
With “text neck”, the ears will be jutted out forward of the shoulders and the upper back may be high and rounded. Looking down at your device creates a workload for the neck and upper back muscles that gets exponentially heavier as the angle of your gaze gets lower. Those muscles get so overly worked and tense from holding this unnatural position for so long, that they can create a hunchback.
Holding your device in front of you causes your shoulders to rotate forward. This internal rotation of the shoulders causes the chest muscles to tighten, while it weakens the muscles of the midback which we would normally be using to pull the shoulders back.
To help lengthen and stretch the chest muscles, stand in an open doorway with your palms and elbows touching the doorframe and lean into that open space. When sitting or standing for long lengths of time, imagine someone pouring ice water down the center of your back. This will help to draw back your shoulders and contract the muscles of your mid back.
Another great way to strengthen the muscles of the mid back while opening the shoulders is to practice the Yoga pose, “Locust”. To do this, lie face down on your stomach with your palms pressing against your thighs. Lift the chest and legs while drawing your shoulders back and down as if squeezing an orange between your shoulder blades. Scoop the neck in and lengthen through the top of your head. Hold position for several breaths, then rest. Practice this daily. To help bring your body into its natural plum line, stand against the wall with your shoulders, back of your head, and hips touching the wall. If this causes your chin to lift, then scoop your neck inward and lift through the top of your head so that your chin is parallel with the floor. See if you can step away from the wall while maintaining this position. Practice this as often as you can so that your body gets used to the feel of proper alignment.
Whether you’re driving, brushing your teeth, or working at your desk, be mindful of your body position; and take breaks from your device often! It took a long time to come into that fully upright position on the evolutionary chart! Let’s try not to regress.
Kris
Kris Denning is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and a yoga/pilates teacher at Timberhill Athletic Club.
Makeup beauty trends for 2020 By Cheryl Lohman E very year the beauty industry looks forward to what trends the year might bring. While most of us won’t wear makeup in this way, it’s interesting to see the new ideas. Here are a few predictions from a beauty watcher on instagram.
Brightly Colored Mascara – Black mascara takes a back seat. A bright color mascara such as blue, green, purple and even pink or orange can give the eyes an interesting look.
Neon – While the neon colors have been around for a while, there is a minimalist trend happening with them. For example, using just a hint of neon eyeshadow in the corners of the eye instead of over the whole eyelid.
Pink Lips – Red lip color has been popular for several years. Now a really bright pink is starting to emerge as a favorite. Try a hot pink with blue undertones. Using a matte lipstick will have a little more staying power than a creamy one.
Floating Eyeliner – This is an interesting trend. Instead of having eyeliner just on the lash line, we are seeing ”floating” eyeliner. Eyeliner is placed on the eyelid just above the crease above the lash line. It’s especially dramatic when it’s a bright neon or pastel color.
Structured Brows - Bushy, unkempt brows of years past are giving way to a structured strong and polished look. Using clear gels, hairs are groomed into place giving a groomed polished look.
Pink Blush all over – A bright pink blush isn’t just for your cheeks. This trend is seeing the blush all over. Blush is placed under the eyebrow bone, temples, and forehead in addition to the cheeks. Using the same color all over gives a dramatic look.
While the trends can be fascinating and possibly desirable, one would never want to have them applied with permanent makeup. Permanent Makeup is best suited to create a classic natural look. That way you have a base look that is always flattering and then you can apply topical makeup to follow the trends if you want. Most of the bad looking permanent makeup is when someone ventured too far into a trend.
Many women don’t think permanent makeup is for them or they don’t know what to look for. Permanent makeup is customized and personalized to each persons desired look. A qualified permanent makeup artist can show you photos of their work and take the time to answer your questions.
Have fun with the trends if you decide to try them!
Cheryl Lohman CPCP, is a Certified Permanent Cosmetic Professional and owner of Oregon Permanent Makeup. Contact her at 541-740-1639
Cheryl
Brow & Eyeliner
W i l l a m e t t e L i v i n g M a g a z i n e • W i n n e r ! B e s t o f t h e V a l l e y 2 0 1 9 •
BEFORE
AFTER
Eyebrows - Eyeliner - Lip Color Corrective - Areola Repigmentation
Lip Color
FREE Consultation by appointment... Call: 541.740.1639 or visit: www.OregonPermanentMakeup.com
Cheryl Lohman, CPCP Oregon Licensed
