Your posture reflects your level of confidence and the condition of your health to the individuals around you. Good posture demonstrates confidence, vitality, and overall well-being. As we age, our posture tends to deteriorate, resulting in drooped shoulders and a rounded back. However, it is possible to prevent bad posture (and possibly improve it) as one grows older.
A neutral spine is the foundation of good posture. It means the spine is not rounded forward or arched back too much. A sedentary lifestyle associated with too much time sitting in front of a computer in addition to certain diseases like osteoporosis can cause you to develop a rounded spine that can result in poor posture.
A healthy diet combined with regular physical activity is essential for healthy bones and normal alignment of the spine. Osteoporosis prevention requires an adequate supply of key vitamins and minerals. Calcium is an essential mineral that is best absorbed from food sources. Dairy products, green vegetables, and nuts are excellent food sources of calcium. Most healthy individuals can get enough calcium from diet alone, but elderly individuals may need a calcium supplement. Talk to your doctor about whether a calcium supplement would be beneficial for you.
In order to absorb calcium, the body needs Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the body to utilize the calcium from food sources. The best way to increase vitamin D product is to spend time outdoors and enjoy sunlight, or get a sunlight inducing lamp if you spend most of your day indoors. Living in a climate controlled, indoor environment can lead to a Vitamin D deficiency in otherwise healthy individuals. Have your Vitamin D levels checked and ask your doctor about the best way to maintain proper levels of Vitamin D as you grow older.
Improving posture is not as difficult as you might think. For starters, try to sit up tall and straight at your desk at all times. It may seem challenging at first, but with time and practice it will become more natural. Take frequent breaks to get up and move; walk around and stretch to keep from sitting in the same position for more than an hour at a time. The shoulders can become rounded from leaning forward, so take the time to open up and stretch them back every once in a while, trying to pinch your shoulder blades in together. Your physical therapist will teach you exercises to stretch and strengthen your abdominal muscles, and breathing exercises to engage your diaphragm muscles and utilize your full lung capacity.
If you have chronic back, neck, or joint pain, you may benefit from physical therapy. Your physical therapist will evaluate the overall alignment of your body, from the head to toes. The presence of any variations from the ideal postural alignment can help your therapist determine regions that may be weak or tight. Your therapist will work with you to develop customized techniques to improve your posture. Some of these techniques may include massage, manual therapy, gentle stretches, core strengthening exercises and advanced techniques to re-train your body and muscles in simple patterns of movement. Your body will 'relearn' what it was always meant to do.