Whole Body Intelligence by Steve Sisgold

Author:Steve Sisgold
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harmony/Rodale
Published: 2015-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

POOR POSTURE CONTRIBUTES TO STRESS, AND STRESS CONTRIBUTES TO POOR POSTURE

The technological revolution has also taken a toll on our posture. The human head weighs approximately 12 pounds when balanced above the spine. As the neck bends forward and down, the weight increases, placing greater demand on the cervical spine. At a 15-degree angle, your cervical spine must support approximately 27 pounds. At 30 degrees, 40 pounds. At 45 degrees, 49 pounds. At 60 degrees, 60 pounds. Our trapezius muscles kick in to compensate, which affects the back muscles. Overworked back muscles weaken the stomach muscles, which truncates the breath. Experts say it can reduce lung capacity by as much as 30 percent. This domino effect spreads through every part of the body.

“That’s the burden that comes with staring at a smart-phone the way millions do for hours every day,” says Kenneth K. Hansraj, MD, chief of spine surgery at the New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Clinic. Over time, experts say, this type of poor posture, sometimes called “text neck,” can lead to early wear and tear on the spine, degeneration, and even surgery, all leading to more stress on the body-mind. “It is an epidemic or, at least, it’s very common,” Dr. Hansraj told the Washington Post in their November 20, 2014, issue. “Just look around you, everyone has their heads down.”

Tom DiAngelis, president of the American Physical Therapy Association’s Private Practice Section, told CNN last year the effect is similar to bending a finger all the way back and holding it there for about an hour. “As you stretch the tissue for a long period of time, it gets sore, it gets inflamed,” he said. It can also cause muscle strain, pinched nerves, or herniated disks. This unnatural compression degrades the neck’s natural curve.

Poor posture can cause other problems as well.

Posture is affected by the failure to exercise—to move and bend, to push and lift, using our musculature as we have over millions of years. Core strength suffers, making it harder to hold our head high. The human body is designed to stand strong and erect, effortlessly. Poor posture leads to back pain and digestive problems. Our hips and knees don’t get the interplay with gravity needed to make enough synovial fluid to keep our joints lubricated. Lymph flow is slowed. Oxygen-poor blood doesn’t get pumped back to the lungs with efficiency. Sleep suffers, memory has more lapses, and our vital energy gets depleted. Poor posture has been linked to headaches, neurological problems, depression, and heart disease. This cascade of ill effects contributes to social issues such as absenteeism and the rising cost of health care.

Our bodies and minds can only recharge when we flip out of stress mode and correct some of the habits covered in this chapter.

When you are Whole Body Intelligent, you are more aware of the stress response, which means you can catch it and address it sooner. This enables you to take charge and intervene by shifting out of the stress mode at will.

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