Fitness Industry Lie #3 – Exercise Can Improve Your Posture

Stop the madness!!!! I forbid you to pull your shoulders back and stop trying to stand up straight when your body is trying to survive! Your posture is NOT Physiological guys, it is Psychological… and exercise can’t make a dent in your posture’s appearance.

Let’s get down to the science of things…
Only 5% of our activities are conscious, 95% is subconscious programming. Yes, you’ve guessed it, posture is subconscious, so it can’t be changed with exercise.

The part of our Nervous System that controls posture is the Autonomic Nervous System, which has 3 operating states.

The first state is optimal function or what I call your “Super Star” state. This is where you are operating on all 8-cylinders physically, mentally and emotionally, your body is functioning at its best and your posture is perfect. You are feeling safe, want to learn and explore, the body is ready to make changes.

As soon as your nervous system senses that something is wrong, in your external (outside your body) or internal (inside your body) environment or in your interaction with a co-worker or a family member, the second state, “Fight or Flight” kicks in to protect you from a dangerous situation. During this very high energy state your posture changes; the shoulders lift up and forward, the neck and back muscles get tight, the chest closes, you are preparing to fight or to run away from the situation. All of these changes to your posture are automatic, strategic and activate a survival mechanism. Do you see how exercise can’t influence posture? You have to shift the state of your nervous system back to the first state to make a sustainable postural change.

When “Fight or Flight” state becomes chronic and stress is overwhelming, like a loss of a loved one or a divorce, the third state of our Autonomic Nervous System takes over. This is a state of Fear Paralysis and withdrawal from family and friends, a state of very low energy and the posture changes accordingly… Your spine collapse in a slouch, shoulders roll forward, upper back rounds and the chest collapses down. Here again to change your posture you must return to the first, balanced state of the nervous system and in this case that is NOT so EASY!!! Because this is a very low energy state you must energize the system and move it to “Fight or Flight” first, and from there shift to the optimal state of function.

You can do that by taking a daily walk, getting on a stationary bike or going for a run. Once you are able to return to your optimal state of neurological function, I recommend that you start resetting your primary movements and restoring your breathing patterns to strenghten your postural muscles, since they are involved in both.

Now that I have your attention hurry up and schedule in person or virtual session with me and let’s get you started on a safe and super effective training program!