Last year I took the month of June to immerse myself in Jazz music in an
attempt to find some appreciation for it. I still think jazz sucks but
Jazz June has turned into a mid-year opportunity for me to challenge myself.
This year, I’ve decided that I should go on a full out attack my posture.
My posture sucks, par for the course giving my choice of career. I thought
using a standing desk would improve things, but I’ve found that if you have bad
posture while you’re sitting, you’ll probably have bad posture while standing.
Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to meet / work with some fantastically
postured individuals like Nat and Matty. Matt was kind enough
to share some insight on how I could improve my posture and thus inspiring
Posture June.
So every morning this month, I’m starting my day off with a couple of exercises
(one from Matt, one from Google).
The first (from Matt) involves clasping your hands behind your back and pulling
back / down a bit while looking down your nose. I do this 4 times for a count
of 5 seconds. By around the 3rd one I end up not slouching back to my bad
posture position as much. By then I’m loosened up and my posture is noticeably
improved.
It was explained to me that doing this can help improve your testosterone or
cortisol levels or something like that. Matt should totally write a blog post
about it cause I know I’m fucking it up a bit.
So after that, I do another (but similar) exercise where I push my chin back
until I have a crazy double chin. It’s supposed to help strengthen your neck.
Same deal as before, 4 rounds of 5 seconds each.
The plan is to increase the time and number of reps as the month goes on. I was
very fearful that going too big early on in the month could potentially lead to
an injury, but that’s not been the case. Probably sounds silly to be concerned
with that, but I didn’t want to work muscles I rarely use and then end up
setting myself up for not being able to function properly for a few days
afterward.
In addition to the couple of exercises I’m doing, I’ve been attempting to be
more mindful of my posture through the day. In fact, as I type this, my posture
is looking pretty good. Shoulders back and straight. Pretty sure I’m a half
inch taller since starting this.
Part of being mindful has included adjusting my hand placement while driving. I
used to be the type that would drive with one hand which would result in
slouching a bit. Now I’m rocking a solid 10 and 2 positioning and actually had
to adjust my mirror to compensate for my improved posture.
To help hold myself accountable, I’ve been keeping track of my morning exercise
streak as a daily habit in Habitica.
Still early in the month if anybody wants to join me in improving their
posture. Or if this post has inspired you to do a personal challenge of your
own, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
