Good Posture and Happy Marriages

If you ask any loved-up partner about the secret to a happy relationship, you will usually receive advice along a similar theme: ‘happy wife, happy life’, ‘learn to compromise’, or my personal favourite: ‘a laugh a day keeps the divorce papers away’. The delivery differs, but the advice seemingly remains the same: in most situations it is best to take the position of least resistance if you want to keep your partner happy.

And this is where posture and harmonious relationships bear a striking resemblance. Despite the common belief that posture is all about trying harder, it is in fact the exact opposite. The secret to good posture is all about making the most ergonomic posture your position of least resistance.

We all know good posture is important for a myriad of reasons, but despite setting irritating iphone alarms, strapping ourselves to our desk chairs, or beating ourselves up when we catch our slouchy reflection in the local shop windows, we achieve nothing more than lowering our self-esteem and raising our stress levels.So here for your enjoyment are 3 easy ways to make good posture your natural posture - allowing you to focus on your work rather than your neutral spine, reduce your risk of neck and back pain and possibly even make you more photogenic!

One: Get supple like a tiger.

THE PROBLEM: Does attempting to sit up straight feel akin to Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill - laborious and futile? Do you spend more time in your car or at your desk than you do sleeping? Well, it’s highly like that your poor muscles are paying the consequences. Muscles like your hip flexors (front of the hips), pecs (front of the chest and shoulder) and the neck musculature often spend hours every day in the same position. This leads to them becoming shortened, which makes it very difficult for us to sit or stand with good posture.

THE SOLUTION: Try as you might, attempting to correct your posture with tight muscles is exhausting and fruitless. The best remedy is a daily stretching regime. And before you yawn and flick back to instagram, this stretching regime need only take 5 minutes a day. Or even better try a weekly Reformer Pilates class which can target lengthening of these muscles which need it the most!

Two: The lazy person solution.

THE PROBLEM: Somebody showed you how to set your desk up in 1995 and since then you’ve just been hoping for the best. A good desk setup is like the postural version of a great marriage counsellor. Despite working hard at keeping your partnership strong, sometimes you just need a little support to take the effort out of it all.

THE SOLUTION: Some workplaces will set you up with an ergonomic specialist to assist with setup, but most desks only need a little tweaking to improve your posture. Ensure your chair is the right height (elbows should be at 90 degrees when on the keyboard), check the screen is high enough (the top ⅓ should be at your eye level), and sit right back in your chair and pull it right into the desk (so you are literally unable to slouch)!

Three: Get physical.

THE PROBLEM: All day every day we do things with our arms out in front of us and our legs tucked under us. The result? Weak, inactive glutes and core muscles, and completely neglected upper back muscles. Add to that a gym program that focuses on biceps and chest, or downward dogs and planks, and the picture is complete: we are simply too weak in our postural muscles to expect them to have our back when it comes to posture.

THE SOLUTION: Specific strength exercises which target the endurance muscles in the upper back, core and deep gluteals can assist with reversing the negative effects of prolonged sitting, but most importantly they make sitting with good posture so much easier! A home program designed by your Physiotherapist to strengthen your weakest areas or a Reformer Pilates class with a focus on postural strengthening are the easiest ways to combat this problem.

So next time you notice your partner slouching, glare at them, tell them their posture is offensive and book them in for a pilates class - ‘treat em mean, keep em keen’.

**This writer/physiotherapist is in no way qualified to give relationship advice. 

Bec Rowe