A posture assessment is important so I can help you train smarter. As your trainer I teach movement patterns that improve posture and will ultimately balance your body as you get stronger and more capable. Improving your posture takes time and effort, but it’s definitely worth the effort to feel flexible and to be tall and strong in all things of your life.

We are all individuals. Our bodies are made a little different and our hard-wiring is a little different. Most of the time we think that our posture is great and that everything is balanced as we walk down the street. But I have a challenge for you. Have a look in a shop window/mirror and ask yourself this question: Are you really standing tall? Or is your brain playing tricks on you?

One of the leading ‘tells’ that I use when assessing a person’s posture is to look at their neck and head. The majority of people I work with use laptops and smart phones and they hunch a lot, with the neck muscles leading most movements. I’m not saying that this is the cause of head/neck tilt, but if I see someone jutting their head forward I know this individual is overworking their back muscles while rounding their shoulders. This is not the ideal way to operate their body, it requires more muscular control to hold a slouch of bad posture than it does to stand up straight. That’s bit of trivia for you!

Our head weighs around 6 kg. And if it is leaning forward for the majority of the time, rather than balancing on an upright neutral spine, this action puts a major strain on the back and hips just to keep the body balanced. This overworking of the back muscles will cause pain over time and reduce flexibility and body movement resulting in reduced strength, while continuously making it harder to maintain correct posture.

When you tilt your head forward to look at your computer screen, tablet or smart phone, this is the effects of force upon your spine and muscular system.

• 15 degree neck/head forward bend 13 kg force
• 30 degree neck/head forward bend 20 kg force
• 45 degree neck/head forward bend 25 kg force
• 60 degree neck/head forward bend 30 kg force

This is food for thought. I don’t think anyone who uses these devices has less than a 15 degree forward bend and I have seen people with their foreheads nearly touching the screen.

Standing tall through your hips, spine, head and shoulders, it’s all about posture and where your head is at. Are you leaning your head into everything that you do? Adding an extra 20 plus kg force to your spine as you type is not a good idea.

Own your posture when you’re at your desk. Are you crouching over the computer as if it’s going to run away from you? Instead sit upright and lift the screen so you can see it easily while in an upright sitting stance. There are a heap of other cheats I can teach you to improve your posture, especially at work.

Keeping your head up and slightly leaning back will reduce the muscle force in your back that’s required to keep the body balanced. So when you look at your smartphone, laptop or tablet ask yourself this question: Where’s your head at?

Stand tall, train smarter and have a great day!