Sometimes it’s not so easy. Perhaps, you’ve grown older, been injured, or have an illness and all of a sudden this simple movement has become difficult and you may feel vulnerable and exposed to further injury.

Standing up and sitting down are common and necessary tasks for successful activities of daily living. However, injuries occur frequently during this seemingly simple task. The most common being a low back injury. These injuries are easily preventable. Using proper body mechanics, sitting down and standing up become quite safe and much easier to perform. In the video below, Holly shows you how, simply and clearly.

A strong core, glutes, and thighs are what you need!

Stay tuned for more blogs on strengthening your core, glutes, and thighs. These are critical components of sitting down and standing up that I demonstrated in the video above. Check out my previous post on how to safely strengthen your glutes and core called “Low Back Pain? Bridges can Help!”

I hope you found this blog helpful.

If you’d like more personalized help with your health, I’d be happy to help you get started on the road to vibrant health. You can email me with any questions, or you can sign up for an initial free Vitality Breakthrough Strategy Session and I can help you determine your next best steps to health! If you’re ready to get started now, check out my health coaching and training services. They are available in-person local to the San Francisco Bay Area, or distance coaching and training is available for non-local clients.

With Love, Holly

Learn how to create great posture at any age with the Straighten Up Exercise! Good posture is a must-have for everyone as it is a key component for retaining safe mobility as you age.

What happens if you don’t maintain good posture with your back straight, shoulders centered, and your head aligned with a straight spine?

The hunched-over posture or upper-crossed syndrome.

Well, you’ve probably seen people who are a bit stoop-shouldered, and perhaps their head is tilting forward. This is becoming the new normal for people who spend a lot of time on their phone, computer, or iPad, or even sitting down in a slouched forward position.

What is happening?

The problem that occurs with decades of bad forward-leaning posture is that your body – the smart miracle that it is – tries to adapt itself to accommodate the position that we spend most of our time in. That means that your front neck muscles will shorten and strengthen along with your chest and front shoulder muscles. At the same time, your rear neck and shoulder muscles will weaken and lengthen, along with your rhomboids – the muscles between your shoulder blades. This adaptation makes it now normal for you to have a stoop-shouldered posture with a forward-tilted head. This is called the upper-crossed syndrome and it is not what you want at all.

Your head is a heavy weight!

Your head is a heavy weight and having it forward all the time can lead to back pain, poor balance and stability, and loss of physical height. In fact, if you allow the upper-crossed syndrome to go unchecked, it will become worse and your spine may even change shape to keep you nicely hunched over. That is a world of hurt and you don’t want to go there!

Correct your posture with the Straighten Up Exercise!

One great exercise to help you correct and prevent the upper-crossed syndrome – yes, as long as your bones haven’t changed shape – you can completely reverse this muscle adaptation. And, the Straighten Up Exercise is one of the keys to helping you do this. Watch this video and Holly shows you how, simply and clearly. Start performing this exercise today and watch your posture improve day by day!

A strong core, glutes, and neck flexors, rear delts, and rhomboids are what you need to Straighten Up and Stand Tall at Any Age!

Stay tuned for more blogs on strengthening your core, glutes, and other postural muscles. These are all critical components of creating good posture that I demonstrated in the video above. Check out my previous post on how to safely strengthen your glutes and core called “Low Back Pain? Bridges can Help!”

I hope you found this blog helpful.

If you’d like more personalized help with your health, I’d be happy to help you get started on the road to vibrant health. You can email me with any questions, or you can sign up for an initial free Vitality Breakthrough Strategy Session and I can help you determine your next best steps to health! If you’re ready to get started now, check out my health coaching and training services. They are available in-person local to the San Francisco Bay Area, or distance coaching and training is available for non-local clients.

With Love, Holly