Poor Posture Impacts

Jul 16, 2022

The hidden impacts of poor posture & alignment

Poor posture and alignment create the common symptoms of tight neck, shoulders, low back pain and so on. The effects of poor alignment & posture go way beyond this. One significant often unseen issue is that we are unable to breathe expansively and tend to breath in the upper diaphragm which means we are in a sympathetic (fight or flight) state.


This is a powerful system designed for emergency situations. For example, running from a tiger. In this moment our nervous system recognises danger and does everything it can to allow us to escape. Strategies include an increase in cortisol, elevation of heart rate, blood pressure and retention of sugar in the blood stream to ensure instant energy. All of this is at the sacrifice of other systems within the body such as sleep and digestion as these are not a priority in the face of death. So, it is not hard to see that living in a sympathetic state is not viable over a long period of time. The tiger chase would normally end fairly swiftly one way or another. It is also not hard to see the relationship between living a stressful life and the ever-increasing rates of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.


The nervous system makes no distinction between stress at work and stress escaping a tiger. Overwork, deadlines and many aspects of modern life in general have us feeling stressed all the time. Add to this being sedentary for many hours of the day and we have a cocktail for ongoing dis-ease in the body. Ironically, running away from a tiger provides the movement the body needs to start to normalise all systems (elevation of beta endorphins counteracts excessive cortisol). Exercise is therefore essential however, many of us participate in activities built around “no pain no gain” or “go hard or go home”. The nervous system can’t distinguish a demanding workout and a demanding tiger chase so this can equal more stress.



Whilst it is vital we exercise, it is also important to allow our bodies to come to a state of relaxation – the parasympathetic nervous system. This is a system that allows us to breath deep, release tension, to digest our food and sleep deeply. Incorporating meditation, mindful and restorative movement is no longer a “nice thing to do” it is becoming more and more recognised as an essential thing to do.

So, problem number one of poor posture is stress. Let’s talk about injury and musculoskeletal pain next time……

A Body in Good Alignment is a Body with no Restriction

16 Jul, 2022
The human body is one that desires one thing in terms of movement – freedom with cooperation between the front, back and each side. All muscles working together as they are designed to do. Some facilitating movement, whilst others inhibiting movement. These roles and responsibilities changing moment to moment depending on what we are doing.

Exercise versus Movement

21 Apr, 2022
We often think of movement as “exercise” which is not the way nature intended. Our daily “exercise” is something many of us do before or after work as we head to our favourite workout. We often spend the hours in between seated at our desks. Research shows that those who sit for 7 hours per day but work out regularly have the same risk of back pain, chronic illness etc as their seated colleagues who do not exercise at all. Every moment of every day is “training”. What we do most wins, so the hours of sitting far outweigh the workout time we manage to squeeze in around busy lives. The human body was designed to move all day long and all systems within the body depend upon that movement. Systems such as the lymph rely solely on movement in order to keep flowing. Every system, organ and muscle within the human body relies on hydration. Many of us diligently drink water at our desks but a body at rest does not absorb water efficiently, so we end up dehydrated. The key is to integrate movement throughout the day. Taking regular movement “snacks” is key to allowing the body to function optimally. A sit to stand desk is a good start but we need to think of many more ways to allow regular mobility opportunities. We are busy at work and unlikely to take specific movement breaks so linking movement habits to our daily work activities is the answer. Walking meetings are a great idea; doing simple stretches whenever we are on the phone; having printers, water coolers a long walk away from your desk. Simply changing positions on your chair as you read a document. Any movement, no matter how small, is valuable for every system of the body. Maintaining good posture and alignment is the most powerful, and neglected, endurance exercises but more on that later……….  If you would like to learn more about how we can help you, please reach out (link). We offer Corporate (link which will be under services) in-house or virtual workshops, 1:1 sessions and more. Call us on xxxxxxxx or contact us here (link to email).
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