Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and within seconds you straighten your back? There is much more to good posture than its aesthetic aspect. Poor posture can have consequences that go beyond back pain. Therefore the Rec marketing team decided to interview two of our beloved Rec staff Holly Wilson and John Hofmann. In this two-part series, we will highlight the importance of posture and what services the Rec offers to help with this from two perspectives.
Part I
John Hofmann has been a personal trainer here at the Rec for over nine years. He’s not only a personal trainer but an endurance sports lover having participated in running, cycling and triathlon competitions. With his experience and knowledge, Hoffman will help us understand what good posture is and what he does as a personal trainer to help with this.
What is good posture? Hofmann explains that there’s a postural difference when sitting and standing. Posture when sitting: have space between your feet, lower legs and the chair, sit up straight and have your knees at a 90-degree angle. The curve of the spine must be supported without bending, as that puts our vertebrate into compression. Posture when standing: stand with feet aligned with the shoulders, putting a little more weight on the balls of your feet, arms relaxed and head up over the spine. Hofmann emphasizes that there are many reasons why you don’t have natural posture, for example, you can have a skeletal inconsistency or muscular imbalances.
What can a Rec personal trainer do to help you with posture?
Although helping with posture is not a personal trainer’s principal goal, posture is indeed adjusted when training with a professional here at the Rec Center. The right posture is essential when lifting and our personal trainers will make sure you have the appropriate posture to keep you safe. What Hofmann does and has his clients do is, when they walk into the Rec, they should think about posture. He also explains that working on balance is essential, one of the reasons why there are mirrors in the fitness rooms is so you can see when you’re doing exercises, that you’re doing them symmetrically, you can also see how you’re moving. Being able to see how you look also reinforces standing tall and sitting straight. Hofmann says that the primary problem of poor posture is back issues. Usually, when you have back issues it is in the lower back, where most of the body weight is supported on the spine. If you’re tilted consistently you can cause damage to the muscle and skeletal system.
STAY TUNED! Next Holly Wilson gives us her postural advice from a physical-mind discipline instructor perspective.
By Dania Puente