That is not a good thing.

But, if you strengthen your back muscles, they will keep you from collapsing forward.  How cool is that!

You can strengthen your back muscles by doing resistance exercises.  If you are a big strong man  you might prefer to go to the gym or lift weights.  That is absolutely fine if you are careful to lift perfectly.  If you are lifting more weight than you can while moving perfectly, you are lifting too much and you aren’t using your muscles properly.  That means the potential for injury or strain and pain.

I used to work with a competitive body builder and she said if you can only do one repetition perfectly, then only do one.  You can add more when you can do them perfectly.

If you are NOT a big strong man, you may prefer to use the methods to get a strong back that I prefer.  I have written lots of articles about getting strong simply while you are on your back in bed at

http://SimpleStrengthening.com

I designed the movements that I talk about in most of the articles so that anyone can do them.  Even you and me. 

You do have a smart body and it wants to be well.  It just needs a little help from you.

I’ll bet I told you before:  You can’t hire someone to do your push-ups for you.  But I do try to make it easy for you to have natural muscle pain relief.

At the same time, the muscles in your back get overstretched and so they complain.  (They hate being stretched too far!)  They give you pain to call your attention to the fact that something is wrong.

Collapsed posture also causes lower back pain, headaches and migraines, constipation and lots and lots of other problems.  It’s a primary cause of “old age.”

You had wonderful posture when you were very young and with a bit of help from you, you can have it again.

Watch this whole video through to the end before you try this movement.  At the end, the teacher will demonstrate how to come out of the movement.

You can use a towel rolled into a tube and folded towels for supports for your head.  If you need to adjust the size of your “tube” it’s easy to just unroll the towel a bit.

People with poor posture look like they are leaning or collapsing forward.  Often their head is way forward in front of their body (“forward head posture.”)  The curve in their neck is either too much or too flat, and so is the curve behind their waist. Their shoulders round forward.

Poor posture impacts a LOT of your body!  Almost every part of your body is affected by collapsed posture.

Here are several things you can check so you will know whether your posture is good or not-so-good.

1.  Stand up and hold your arms at your sides in their usual position.  Look down.  If your thumbs are pointing to each other, your shoulders are rounded forward.  Your chest muscles are tight and shortened.  They are pulling your shoulders forward.  But, if your thumbs point straight ahead, your shoulders aren’t rounded forward.

2.  Are you constantly straightening up and constantly collapsing forward again? That’s a clue that the muscles in the front of your body are short and pulling your forward.

3.  Are your feet flat or do you have nice arches?  Flat feet will cause your posture to collapse because flat arches move your weight forward.

4.  Does the front of your neckline choke you or always slide backward?

5.  Do you get a lot of headaches, pain in your neck or back?  Those are symptoms caused by poor posture.

If you discover that your posture isn’t so good, there’s a lot you can do.  There are articles at Simple Strengthening that will help you get straight and strong.

And, I have good news for you!

Bodies want to be well and you can correct your posture.  When your posture is better, you will have less pain in your head, back, arms…all over!

So how long did it take you to develop these “bad” habits?  And, what are they?

Only you can answer the first question, but it probably happened over a long time.  You probably already know the answers to the second question, but I’ll list a few here.

• Poor or slouchy posture.
• Not enough healthy, fresh foods; too much processed, “fast” and “junk” foods.
• Too little movement and exercise.
• Too much television viewing and too little sleep.

I have GOOD NEWS for you!  You can change all of those things, and more.  Your body wants to be well and healthy.  Sometimes it just needs some help from you.

Unhealthy habits interfere with your good health.  They are not health promoters. You want to feel good until you die, right?

So, how long does it take to create a healthy habit?

I have read that if we do something faithfully for 21 days, it becomes a new “habit.”  That’s not too long, that’s only 3 measly little weeks, right?

If you forget, forgive yourself and just get going again.

Here are some tips to help you get started so you can change “bad” habits into “good” ones.  Let’s use slouching as an example.

• Identify your problem behavior.  Put a name on it like “I slouch.”
• Imagine what your life would be like with your new habit.  (I will look better.  My back won’t hurt.)
• Practice the new habit every day for 21 days.  Each time you catch yourself in the old posture, correct it.
• Start to rely on the new habit.  Admire your new posture in the mirror.

If poor posture is your “bad” habit, go to SimpleStrengthening.com to get more information on easily correcting your posture and getting a strong back.  I have lots of great articles there to help you.

So, there you have it.

When is the best time to start changing your habits?  Why, now, of course!

“Because You Deserve to Feel Better!”

What are some of the benefits of senior citizens exercising and doing movements to get a straighter, stronger back?

• You will have less back pain.
• It will be easier to breathe.
• There will be less pressure on your internal organs so they can function better (heart, etc.)
• You will feel better about yourself because you will be straighter and taller.
• You will have less pain in your neck, arms and hands.
• You’ll have less constipation. (Increased movement helps your bowels move.  Straighter posture takes compression off your intestines so they have more space to move.)
• Your blood and lymph circulation will improve.
• Your strength will improve.
• And, your balance will be better, and that’s really important!

If you go to SimpleStrengthening.com you will find lots of articles that I wrote which explain both why people have pain and how simple strengthening movements, that you can do in bed, are done.

You can see there are many benefits for you, as a senior citizen, to exercise, move and get a straighter, stronger back.  And that’s a good thing

“Because You Deserve to Feel Better!”