Written by: TFVstaff • December 7, 2017• Ask the Expert

Minding Your Posture During Party Season

Party season is upon us. While celebrations take place throughout the year nothing can compare to the flurry of events this time of year brings. With each event you are either attending or hosting there is a long list of decisions to make, all which we hope will help put our best foot forward and make us feel at ease and able to enjoy the time spent with friends, family or co-workers. We often spend lots of time choosing clothes and shoes to wear to these events but what about the time we spend on ensuring our posture is at its best. Not only can poor posture cause muscle aches and pains but it can also affect many different aspects of your life and health.

As you’re getting ready for the next holiday party perform a posture check in the mirror before getting fully dressed. Ask yourself “what does my posture say about me?” Is your posture good, strong and upright which can be a sign of confidence or is your posture slouched over and closed off which can seem uninviting? To further examine your posture you can perform a quick posture check by doing the following: Find a wall and place the back of your head against it. Bring your feet out approximately 5-6 inches from the wall and make sure your shoulder blades and buttock are touching the wall. There should be less than a 2-inch gap between your neck and your low back from the wall. If there is a larger gap it may indicate bad posture.

There are many factors that can contribute to bad posture; including, spinal misalignments, physical traumas, sports injuries, or being hunched over in front of a computer, tablet or phone, just to name a few. During the holiday times our posture can be affected by other things, such as sitting on the floor wrapping presents instead of at a table or standing too long in heels or unsupportive shoes party after party.

Bad posture including forward head carriage, rounder shoulders and a flat low back can lead to many symptoms throughout the body; including, headaches, fatigue, decreased quality of sleep, difficulty breathing, neck and back pain, joint pain, carpal tunnel or even numbness and tingling down the arms and legs. While others symptoms may be decreased mood, digestive problems or menstrual cramps. It’s clear to see that bad posture is a gift we all would return without question.

There are small changes that we can make to improve our posture such as making sure we are standing up straight, with our head held up and our ears aligned with our shoulders and hips. It is important to keep our shoulders back and make sure to use our stomach muscles to engage our core and help keep our body straight. Not only will this improve your posture but you might notice it increases your confidence and mood as well. If you know you are going to be doing lot of standing at a party it’s important to make sure you are wearing quality supportive shoes.

Another great way to improve your posture is by making sure your spine is in proper alignment. Many chiropractors perform a posture evaluation as part of their analysis and then work with their patients on helping improving their posture. Chiropractic adjustments help properly align the spine, which can dramatically improves posture after routine care. One of the many reasons why having good posture is so important is because it decreases unwanted stress on our body. When our body is under increased stress in can affect not only the way we feel, but also our body’s ability to function at its best.

People say in order look good you have to feel good, and having good posture is a great way to get your body feeling good again, which will then have you looking your best. So, this holiday season give yourself the gift of improving your posture…your body will thank you!

The husband and wife team of Drs. Melissa and Shimon Rubinstein of Rubinstein Family Chiropractic, have a family-based Wellness practice in North Miami Beach, which celebrated its 5-year anniversary. Rubinstein Family Chiropractic has recently expanded and with a second location in the heart of Cutler Bay located on the corner of Old Cutler Road and Franjo Road. They look forward to enhancing the lives of Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest and South Dade. For more information visit www.RubinsteinFamilyChiro.com or call (305)336-1803.

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Last modified: December 9, 2017