Are you going to get injured

Are you training your body in a way that leads to pain and/or injury?

 

Your immediate answer is probably a hesitant “no” … of course you’re not doing that on purpose.

 

But you could be inadvertently setting yourself up for injury if your posture isn’t on point. (I can help you with this - solution below!)

 

I’m not saying you need to walk around with 5 books on your head to achieve perfect posture at all times. (Anyone picturing Princess Diaries right now?? LOL)

But our bodies are kinetic chains - meaning everything is connected. So, for example, if you have an issue with your neck posture, it could affect the way your hips function.

 

And if it’s out of alignment, it can cause dysfunction, which leads to trouble down the road. 

 

We’re all working out regularly to be healthier, not cause injuries, right?

 

So let’s make sure your posture is working for you, not against you.

 

There are five Kinetic Chain Checkpoints to pay attention to:

 

• Head

• Shoulders

• Hips

• Knees

• Feet

 

If any of these are out of alignment, it can lead to dysfunction. And our bodies tend to take the path of least resistance, which means they do the least work possible to get a desired outcome.

 

Basically, if you don’t have proper alignment and you do a squat, you build muscle along those dysfunction patterns. Which leads to… you guessed it… pain and injury.

 

Here are some of the most common forms of dysfunction:

 

1. Anterior pelvic tilt with excessive arch in the back. More simply put, if your butt sticks out when you walk. If you have lower back pain, this might be a cause. Foam rolling and stretching your hip complex can help this, paired with strengthening your glute muscles. 

 

2. Forward Head Posture. This can lead to headaches and neck pain. You can help this by stretching your traps and levator scapulae by holding your head to release tender spots.  Chin tucks work well too, by strengthening those deep cervical flexors. 

 

3. Forward Rounded Shoulders. This is really common for moms breastfeeding and constantly carrying their kids or anyone sitting at a desk all day. Most people do not have the muscular endurance in their back to sit in proper posture for long periods of time. So they sit in a forward rounding position. It feels comfortable in the moment, but after doing it day in and day out, your posture can get “stuck” there. To help this, foam roll your thoracic spine and stretch your pecs. Then, strengthen your back muscles with pulling exercises and floor cobras. 

 

4. Pronation Distortion Syndrome. Otherwise known as an inward rotation of the foot. It can mean poor ankle flexibility.
 

If you ignore these, you can end up with issues while you exercise…

 

Like, in a squat, if you’re dealing with pronation distortion, you can end up with real knee problems.

 

Or in a plank, if your butt is in the air, it puts excessive pressure on your shoulders and doesn’t make you hold your core correctly. This can cause neck and shoulder pain. 

 

I encourage you to pay attention to your posture this week and address some of these issues if you notice them popping up…

 

…like that booty popping up in your squat!

 

It takes time to correct poor posture habits, but you’ll be glad you did!

 

One of the best ways to address poor posture and to save yourself from injury is doing yoga, which helps to loosen tight muscles and strengthen weak muscles - in a low impact manner. That is exactly why yoga is central to our Bootcamp Yoga class. Will you be joining us? It starts in 6 days and remember, it doesn’t matter where you are located, you can do it from anywhere, anytime! Get yourself signed up now!

 

Got questions? I have answers. Comment below or send me an email. I’m happy to help!