How Better Posture will Help You Achieve Your New Year’s Resolution
45% of people make New Year’s Resolutions
38% of people make the resolution to Lose Weight in the New Year
But… only 8% of good-intentioned individuals actually achieve their New Year’s Resolutions!
If you are one of the 38% of people who desires to lose weight and get in shape this year, then don’t worry, this is your year to make a break through! Discover how proper posture can help you achieve your fitness goals once and for all.
Prevent Common Workout Injuries with Proper Gym Posture
Headphones, gym bag, water bottle, Gym Posture… check! Bring your best posture with you to the gym to prevent common workout-related injuries. An injury will set you back from achieving your goals.
A study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine claims that weight lifting injuries are on the rise. 82% of the injuries were by men; men are more likely to injure their trunk and hands. Women are more likely to suffer from injuries of their feet and legs.
Over exertion with improper posture is a common cause of injury in the gym. Meaning, that newcomers to the gym start with weights that are too heavy for them. Because they haven’t done their postural training, they have an inability to stabilize properly while lifting heavy weights, resulting in over exertion.
In addition to lifting weights that are appropriate your current level of fitness, implement these Gym Posture Tips for safe workouts.
Gym Posture Tips:
- Don’t clench your jaw, relax your face musculature
- Keep your head neutral (don’t look up or down- keep your eyes straight ahead)
- Pull your shoulders back and down
- Keep your back straight, think of having a long spine
- Activate your Core musculature by drawing your belly button in
- Distribute your weight evenly over both hips
- Keep your feet pointed forward (not out to the side or pointed in)
Stand Up to Slim Down
Sedentary workstations are the demise of modern day society. Don’t let this “get you down.” By standing up at work you will be more productive while burning more calories!
Did you know…
If you stand 3 hours a day, 5 days per week that’s an extra 750 calories burnt! Start standing now, and by the end of the year you will burn an extra 30,000 calories, or 8 lbs of fat!
When workers stand instead of sit at work, they have a higher heart rate and their blood glucose levels normalize quicker after a meal to prevent weight gain. Meaning, that standing workers have an average heart rate increase of 10 beats per minute, which makes a difference of about 0.7 calories per minute.
By standing at work, even for just half of your workday, you are burning more calories, helping you achieve your weight loss goals. The last thing you want to do is a hard workout, then lose the benefits of the workout by being sedentary the rest of the day at work.
Stand up workstations help you achieve your New Year’s Resolution and helps maintain upright postural design to simultaneously build Postural Fitness. Standing Up to Slim Down is a win-win!
Upright Ergonomic Tips:
- Invest in an adjustable desk allowing you to sit and stand throughout the day while keeping your desk at the appropriate ergonomic height
- Wear comfortable shoes allowing you to stand for more hours without your feet or back hurting and fatiguing
- Take a walk, instead of sitting in an office chair checking your emails during breaks, go for a walk to increase your steps per day
- Distribute the weight of your body evenly over both hips and legs (avoid shifting your weight to one hip if you feel fatigued)
Better posture will help you achieve your New Year’s Resolution this year! Be in the top 8% of people who will succeed. Make yourself proud, implement these posture tips, and achieve your desired fitness goals.
References:
Collins, C. (2000) American Journal of Sports Medicine.
BBC News (2013) Calorie Burner: How Much Better is Standing Up than Sitting? BBC Magazine.
Diamond, D. (2013) New Years Resolution Statistics. Journal of Clinical Psychology, University of Scranton.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital. (2010, April 16). Weight training-related injuries increasing. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 20, 2016 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100330115925.htm
