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If You’re Looking Older, Could It Be Your Posture? Reply to this Comment

As we get older, our parents’ advice—which we dismissed so readily years ago—now makes much more sense. For instance, it appears your mother even was right about standing up straight. Studies show that people with better posture really are healthier and actually live longer. Unfortunately, most of us have worsening posture from spending more time than ever hunched in front of a TV, computer, or videogame. In fact, you're likely slumping as you read this (unless you just straightened up a bit). Improving posture to stay active and keep moving pain-free is the promise of a new book, Stand Taller ~ Live Longer, An Anti-Aging Strategy. In this surprisingly entertaining look at posture and balance, Dr. Steven Weiniger, who teaches chiropractors and other health professionals about posture at national seminars and conferences, weaves together anatomy, biomechanics and exercises with interactive demonstrations to make readers aware of their bodies, balance, and posture. Exercises build progressively from chapter to chapter until readers have customized their own 10-minute daily posture exercise program. In Stand Taller ~ Live Longer, Dr. Weiniger observes that the problem with improving posture is, no matter how good your intentions, trying to stand or sit up straighter simply doesn't work (e.g., did you revert back to your slouch until just now?). He writes, "When you spend 18 hours a day with your body folded into a seat, you will go back to the slump as soon as you stop thinking about it, so to make a change we must retrain our motion patterns." His book teaches readers to first become aware of and then to strengthen their posture by stretching tight areas and finding unused muscles to build new patterns of motion. At the same time, readers learn to undo the “LifeHabits” that produce slouching and begin new habits that encourage strong posture. Illustrated with nearly 200 photographs and diagrams to demonstrate these concepts, the book is intended for everyone interested in improving how they look and feel, from the exercise-phobic to the professional athlete seeking a competitive edge. According to people whose doctors have taught them Dr. Weiniger's StrongPosture exercises, these daily activities really have made a difference in their posture and body awareness, helping them move well and pain-free. While the title may sound like an exaggeration (Can standing taller really help me live longer?), Dr. Weiniger presents long-term studies and commonsense reasons to explain why what he calls StrongPosture really does contribute significantly to longevity and health. For example, one of the interactive demos is this thought experiment: Think of someone over 80 who looks the way you want to when you (hopefully) get to be that age. How is that person’s posture? Most of us think of someone who stands tall and erect, not someone hunched, even though it seems like most people in their 80s are bent over. Research is showing some very good reasons why people with good posture are healthier and more active. In addition to affecting how you breathe and even how well your heart can pump (when the head juts forward, it is harder to get blood to the brain), poor posture has a dramatic effect on a growing problem facing older adults: falls and poor balance. According to data from the National Safety Council, each year more than 1.5 million people over age 65 are seriously injured in a fall, and nearly 13,000 die from their injuries. Of those who do survive a fall, 20 to 30 percent suffer debilitating injuries that affect them the rest of their lives. Dr. Weiniger reports helping people avoid falls and injury by strengthening coordination between the three elements of posture: balance, alignment and motion. He does this with simple exercises and low-tech, low-cost tools such as inflatable fitness balls. "Aging well is the new mantra," according to Dr Weiniger. "As boomers get older they become less obsessed with looking like twenty-somethings and more focused on staying active. Our goal is to help them move well to age well." Stand Taller ~ Live Longer takes a long, powerful stride in that direction.