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Slouch: Posture panic in modern America

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Re: Slouch: Posture panic in modern America

#21

Post by hn_throwaway_99 »

naming_the_user wrote: post #2

I'll admit to not reading the entire article here but I think that mostly people mistake posture issues for lack of exercise / being sedentary in general. If you work out a minimal amount and build some core strength / back muscles etc then you'll find that your posture naturally corrects itself whilst walking, that sitting in a chair for extended periods isn't as rough, etc.

Completely agree. I'm "late middle age", and while I lift weights regularly, including squats and deadlifts, I am otherwise pretty sedentary and I don't get a lot of "functional" fitness (e.g. sports).

Recently I decided to find a new hobby and started playing the violin. It was a wakeup call that after just a half hour standing playing the violin with my instructor that my back would basically seize up. It was quite embarrassing! Good thing is I got used to it pretty quick, and thanks to violin practice I stand much more than I used to (and plus I added more back and stretching exercises to my workout). As you say, it really takes a minimal amount to improve your strength.

Re: Slouch: Posture panic in modern America

#22

Post by naming_the_user »

FooBarBizBazz wrote: post #18
naming_the_user wrote: post #2

I'll admit to not reading the entire article here but I think that mostly people mistake posture issues for lack of exercise / being sedentary in general. If you work out a minimal amount and build some core strength / back muscles etc then you'll find that your posture naturally corrects itself whilst walking, that sitting in a chair for extended periods isn't as rough, etc.

> people mistake posture issues for lack of exercise / being sedentary [...] > If you work out a minimal amount and build some core strength / back muscles etc then you'll find that your posture naturally corrects itself [...] I'm missing something. Doesn't paragraph 2 imply that the assumption made by people (paragraph 1) is not actually a mistake?

The longer version of what I’m saying is that people think that bad posture causes pain and issues and that if you just sit up straight you can fix that.

In reality I would argue that if you just keep your back, neck etc muscles strong then you will both sit and stand more “properly” without trying (because it will be easier) and also have fewer issues when you don’t.

Re: Slouch: Posture panic in modern America

#23

Post by Aeolun »

rootusrootus wrote: post #7
n4r9 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've found this to be the case for myself. And "minimal" can be pretty quick - work up to a set of 5 squats with your body weight on the bar, once or twice a week, say.

I must be old or I have a different idea of minimal. A set of squats at ~200 pounds is entirely doable in time, yes, but my guess is it would be non-trivial for much of the adult population. Even when we were doing conditioning in high school I don't recall that a significant fraction of the class was breaking much over 225 or so.

I find it quite hard to lift myself on any bar. You don’t need a sports club for it though, which is nice.

Re: Slouch: Posture panic in modern America

#24

Post by Aeolun »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #8

My father was fairly tall, and had a slouch from always ducking (we lived in Africa, and he towered over most people, and was always banging his head). My mother was always nagging me to "sit up straight." These days, I have fairly good posture. Part of it, is because I take a 5K brisk walk, every morning, and that helps me to stay straight. Also, I am not that tall, so I don't need to keep ducking. I also use a stan…

Tall man living in Japan. I know how that feels. It sorta gets ingrained to always do it to some extend because if you mess up once you bang your head on the doorpost.

Of course my own house doesn’t have that issue (you’d think), but the one toilet on the second floor… so even at home you can’t relax the vigilance.

Re: Slouch: Posture panic in modern America

#25

Post by A_D_E_P_T »

naming_the_user wrote: post #2

I'll admit to not reading the entire article here but I think that mostly people mistake posture issues for lack of exercise / being sedentary in general. If you work out a minimal amount and build some core strength / back muscles etc then you'll find that your posture naturally corrects itself whilst walking, that sitting in a chair for extended periods isn't as rough, etc.

Lifting weights can certainly help, though people who focus on the bench press and neglect their upper back muscles may find that their posture actually gets worse, rather than improves.

(Yet it's interesting, though hardly relevant for most of the population, that bulky upper back muscles can also look like bad posture. In extreme cases, a very well-developed upper back can even result in a mild hunchbacked appearance.)

More to the point, those posture correction devices actually work. The shoulder straps are okay. The Chinese sell a slim metal device -- I've never seen it in the USA -- that fits around your neck and prevents you from looking down and slouching over. That damn thing is like magic. A few two-hour sessions over a few days can markedly improve your posture.

Re: Slouch: Posture panic in modern America

#26

Post by metalman »

sandspar wrote: post #6

If you watch those "restored 1920s street scene" videos on YouTube then you'll quickly notice that every single pedestrian has outstanding posture.

And up untill the 1940's spiral fractures in various sports were unknown,The base level of exercise from normal activities starting in early childhood built a more robust skeleton and stronger muscle attachment points. Proof would be trivial, as amish and menonite comunities still follow the same practices.....they are not known as slouchers go look at average city kids, and then go look at the ones bieng raised on biodynamic farms, my joke is that the city kids are soft and grey, but the farm kids look good enough to eat, 2 seconds and you see the healthy glow

Re: Slouch: Posture panic in modern America

#27

Post by pixelatedindex »

A_D_E_P_T wrote: post #25
naming_the_user wrote: post #2

I'll admit to not reading the entire article here but I think that mostly people mistake posture issues for lack of exercise / being sedentary in general. If you work out a minimal amount and build some core strength / back muscles etc then you'll find that your posture naturally corrects itself whilst walking, that sitting in a chair for extended periods isn't as rough, etc.

Lifting weights can certainly help, though people who focus on the bench press and neglect their upper back muscles may find that their posture actually gets worse, rather than improves. (Yet it's interesting, though hardly relevant for most of the population, that bulky upper back muscles can also look like bad posture. In extreme cases, a very well-developed upper back can even result in a mild hunchbacked appearan…

Having a hard time visualizing this. Is it possible to get one from like AliExpress?

Re: Slouch: Posture panic in modern America

#28

Post by vhcr »

rootusrootus wrote: post #7
n4r9 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've found this to be the case for myself. And "minimal" can be pretty quick - work up to a set of 5 squats with your body weight on the bar, once or twice a week, say.

I must be old or I have a different idea of minimal. A set of squats at ~200 pounds is entirely doable in time, yes, but my guess is it would be non-trivial for much of the adult population. Even when we were doing conditioning in high school I don't recall that a significant fraction of the class was breaking much over 225 or so.

200lb means a BMI of 25 if you're 6'3", which is like 3-4% of the male population in the US, unless you're taller than that it would probably be a better idea to lower your weight first.

Re: Slouch: Posture panic in modern America

#29

Post by sdrothrock »

Aeolun wrote: post #24
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #8

My father was fairly tall, and had a slouch from always ducking (we lived in Africa, and he towered over most people, and was always banging his head). My mother was always nagging me to "sit up straight." These days, I have fairly good posture. Part of it, is because I take a 5K brisk walk, every morning, and that helps me to stay straight. Also, I am not that tall, so I don't need to keep ducking. I also use a stan…

Tall man living in Japan. I know how that feels. It sorta gets ingrained to always do it to some extend because if you mess up once you bang your head on the doorpost. Of course my own house doesn’t have that issue (you’d think), but the one toilet on the second floor… so even at home you can’t relax the vigilance.

the showers here especially have always made me slouch and I'm not especially tall at 175 cm! It was only after getting a shower where I could stand straight that I realized how much I'd been slouching over the last 17 years due to low shower heads.
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