I constantly struggle with posture. Always have and probably always will. And there is no quick fix. I’ve searched and searched the internet… but to no avail. Everything says I need to do something every day - a few exercises every day will make my back straighter. Well thats just too much work for me! I mean come on- I’ve grown up in the 21st century - I want things quickly, now!
But nothing is going to quickly fix my back without a little bit of effort on my part. I figure that if I REALLY want better posture, then I’m going to work on it. So far I obviously haven’t ‘really’ wanted it. From time to time I catch a reflection of myself and realise how horrible my posture is and for a day or so I walk around with posture in mind. But it never lasts and all too soon I find myself moping at my poor posture.
Well today I came across an interesting concept. A type of pullup that helps posture problems. It is quite good because you aren’t lifting your entire bodyweight, it can be done almost everywhere, and it probably wont widen your back (for the women here!).
Basically its a 45 degree pullup. You find a low-ish bar, or handles or something, and start pulling yourself up. You won’t fall and hurt yourself because you’re nice and close to the ground! The important thing to realise though, is that your back needs to be straight in order for it to be effective.
So, find a low bar and put your hands on it from underneath a little wider than shoulder width apart. Pull yourself up a number of times, making sure the rest of your body is in a straight line. Keep your body rigid throughout the exercise, making sure you’re working your back muscles, not just your arms.
While this type of pullup is beneficial for your posture problems, even normal pullups are great. I have a pullup bar which can be attached to a door frame. You can do pullups with hands facing away or towards you, or facing each other - or a mixture of all three! You can go wide or narrow - and I think that it is important with pullups to do a variety. Don’t just stick with one type. Experiment. Challenge yourself. The different kinds of pullups will work different muscles - you’ll be able to feel it!
So try a few pullups today to help strengthen your back and improve your posture. They are hard if you’ve never done them before and have little upper body strength. But you can work hard and add another pullup every day or week depending on your commitment levels! Just try it - you may be surprised.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Jessica Neal 07.02.08 at 11:25 am
Hi, Elliot and McKenna,
I noticed today’s post on posture, and I wanted to let you know about a new posture improvement device - the iPosture - that will be launching in late July/early August.
The iPosture was developed to be the smallest, most user-friendly posture improvement device on the market. Thanks to its nanosensor technology, it learns the user’s correct posture, senses when the user slouches by measuring the angle of the body and signals the user to correct his or her posture. It’s designed to be worn for approximately four hours per day for the first two to four weeks in order to improve posture by ingraining good behaviors in the user. It’s only an inch in diameter and basically serves as a personal posture coach that people can use during everyday activities.
As I saw you were interested in ways to improve posture, I thought I’d let you know about this device. Please feel free to take a look at http://www.iposture.com if you’d like to learn more.
Thanks so much!
Elliot Wilson 07.05.08 at 1:39 am
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for stopping by our blog. That’s an interesting product you have there. How safe is it to wear on a long term basis?
E
Jessica Neal 07.06.08 at 7:26 pm
Hi, Elliot,
The iPosture is completely safe to wear for as long as a person likes because the user utilizes his or her own power and strength to correct their posture, rather than the device doing it for them.
After the initial two to four weeks, it is recommended that the user continues to wear the device two to three times per week to maintain the posture improvement. But that, and the initial treatment period, can vary from person to person, as people can begin improving their posture on their own, which is the goal of the device.
Directions for programming and using the iPosture can be found on the Web site under the press materials, if you’re interested in taking a look at those.
Thanks so much!