Proper Posture- Is It a Legitimate Issue? Ft. Cathy Clark, Osteopathic Manual Practitioner
Being a communications professional, a lot of the work is integrated with writing and utilizing technology. Movement isn’t part of our “work routine” as it’s mostly in front of a computer screen. It made me wonder, as the increase of work from home continues during this pandemic, how can we maintain our posture? Is it even something I should think about? We aren’t taught in school beyond the 30 minutes of daily exercise, how we should take care of our bodies when we are sitting for a long time during work. I contacted an expert, Cathy Clark, an Oestophathic Manual Practitioner to discuss her perspective on this issue.
Cathy dives into what movement is and why it’s essential: “Movement is an integral part of our daily life; our bodies are made for walking and physical activity. When our movement is restricted it affects a number of processes that maintain a healthy balance across all body systems. The saying ‘if you don’t move it, you lose it, is true, as we see a loss in muscular tone and joint flexibility the more time that is spent sitting throughout the day.
Prior to the pandemic, there was already an issue with, what I call, ‘elite sitting.’Western culture is designed around an 8+ hour workday, where more and more jobs are becoming technology-based.”
I wondered how can I add certain exercises during work? Cathy answered, “I often discuss with patients how to build more exercise into their days, so it becomes incidental. This would include, getting off the bus a stop earlier or parking further away so you could walk a little further to and from work. However, since the pandemic, we are walking from our beds to the desk. Even throughout the day, we are moving very minimally because the majority of us live in small spaces. Where we used to easily fit in our daily 10,000 steps, we now struggle.
Now that the weather is improving, it will be easier to get outdoors, however, we now have to consciously build movement into our days. For some, this will be easy and for others, there will be some resistance in the body. The longer that we sit, the less we engage our core muscles (the major stabilizing muscles). Also, the less exercise that we are getting a week, the poorer our cardiovascular fitness. These combined make initiating and maintaining a healthy exercise routine very challenging.
The next issue is the restriction in mobility of our joints and connective tissue. Our bodies are very adaptable, the longer that we do an activity, the more our body gets used to that activity. Picture yourself at your desk — your hips and knees bent, shortening your hip flexors and hamstrings; your body leaning forwards to your screen, rounding your shoulders and back. This sitting posture is how your body now likes to be.”
So how best should you improve your mobility? Cathy dives right in and shares her tips. “By starting slow, take a daily 20–30 minute walk, which can be built upon as your stamina increases. I would suggest going for a walk before work, during your lunch break (even just 10 minutes is better than nothing!) and after work. Ideally, you want to reach your 10,000 steps, which is around 2 hours of walking over your whole day.
Take up another activity such as bike riding, or an online class (yoga/Pilates) to increase strength and mobility. You could do this twice a week, or more. Always be careful when starting a new activity to minimize injury.
Stretching is important to release muscular tension — try neck and shoulder, hip flexors, and hamstrings stretch. You can do these stretches 3 times a day when you break from work.”
Cathy provides great insight into how to improve your routine during work in order to ensure your body is getting the right movement it requires. Yes, proper posture is a thing and it isn’t just about posture but ensuring we move and stretch. Integrating this now is key to a healthier lifestyle.
