7 Biggest Mistakes People Make Correcting Posture

1. Starting too late

2. Forgetting lifestyle
3. Correcting posture before losing weight
. !ot un"erstan"ing the real cause
#. $rong treat%ent approach
&. Masking the proble%
7. 'i(ing up
Disclaimer
Before e%barking on any e)ercise progra%%e* it is your responsibility to "iscuss it with your
"octor. +f you think you %ay ha(e a %e"ical e%ergency* call your "octor i%%e"iately. ,)cept as
e)pressly state"* Paula Moore -he Chiropractor "oes not reco%%en" or en"orse any specific tests*
physicians* pro"ucts* proce"ures* opinions* or other infor%ation that %ay be %entione" is this
ebook. .eliance on any infor%ation in this book is solely at your own risk.
!ote/ -his is for infor%ational purposes only. 0ealth practitioners cannot pro(i"e a "iagnosis or
in"i(i"ual treat%ent a"(ice (ia e1%ail. Please consult your physician about your specific health care
concerns.
First publishe" in 'reat Britain 2212
by Paula Moore
+llustrations/ Paula Moore
Photography/ Paula Moore
3i"eos/ Paula Moore 4 posture(i"eos.co%
Copyright 5 2211 Paula Moore
!o part of this publication %ay be repro"uce"* store" in or intro"uce" into a retrie(al syste%* or
trans%itte"* in any for%* or by any %eans 6electronic* %echanical* photocopying* recor"ing or
otherwise7 without the prior written per%ission of the publisher.
1 Starting Too Late
-his is probably the biggest proble% %ost of you will ha(e* for the si%ple reason that you are
%oti(ate" to %ake change when you ha(e pain an" not so %oti(ate" when you "on8t. +f + coul"
stress one point* one (ery crucial point1it8s don't wait for the pain!
By the ti%e %ost of you begin to ha(e sy%pto%s 6aches* pains* stiffness7* the proble% is %ore
chronic than you likely realise. 9ou %ay think your proble% :ust starte" but for %ost of you* + can
assure you it probably hasn8t.
Sarcopenia
Morning stiffness is a sign of sarcopenia. +f you are o(er 2#* sarcopenia 6flesh loss7 has alrea"y
begun. 9ikes* soun"s scary but it8s not really. Sarcopenia is the "egenerati(e loss of skeletal %uscle
%ass an" strength associate" with ageing.
-he a%ount of sarcopenia "epen"s on how regular an" lifelong your e)ercise has been. ;ue to our
increasingly "i%inishing physical acti(ity an" increasing longe(ity 6we8re li(ing too "arn long7*
sarcopenia is a real concern. Sarcopenia %ay progress to the point where an ol"er person loses the
ability to li(e in"epen"ently as this con"ition is linke" with poor balance* walking spee"* falls an"
broken bones. Sarcopenia results in a significant a%ount of frailty in the el"erly.
Wear and Tear
+f you feel stiff when you wake in the %ornings you %ay alrea"y ha(e osteoarthritis 6wear and
tear7. ;uring the night you gain height as the spongy "iscs between your (ertebrae reabsorb water.
<ll the hol"ing ele%ents* like liga%ents an" ten"ons beco%e taught. $hen you wake* e(erything is
taught an" you feel stiff. <fter a short while 6321&2 %inutes7* the co%pression of being upright
s=uee>es the water out of the "iscs an" you lose so%e height an" beco%e %ore supple again.
+f howe(er* you notice your stiffness persisting throughout the "ay or is particularly significant in
the %ornings* you %ay alrea"y ha(e so%e wear in the cartilage "iscs* %aking your %orning
stiffness %ore noticeable.
+t is %uch easier to %ake changes to your posture before you ha(e any osteoarthritis. Sa"ly* so
%any of %y clients 6often only 2* #2 or &27 say to %e they wish they ha" begun a""ressing their
posture %any* %any years ago. ;on8t wait. Start now?
2 Forgetting Lifestyle
Many of you will take yourself to see a health practitioner for your posture concerns. $hen you are
aske" about what you think %ay be the cause of your proble%* the %a:ority of you will consi"er
only the physical causes. 9ou %ay say so%ething like/ I slept funny, I didn't do anything, I have a
weak back, I had a long drive, I was gardening, I twisted, lifted, bent, carried etc. etc. etc.
!ow all of the abo(e reasons %ay in fact be perfectly (ali" but + want to suggest that you %ay :ust
be %issing the point. Most posture trouble* %ost aches an" pains are so %uch %ore than :ust the
physical. By all %eans you nee" to recount all the past acci"ents you8(e ha"* the ba" posture habits
you ha(e* if you ha(e a "esk or %anual :ob or ha" a recent trau%a but you %ustn8t o(erlook the
i%portant role your lifestyle plays.
Physical Stress
So%e of the types of physical stress that %ay ha(e lea" up to your current situation can inclu"e a
"ifficult birth 6forceps* (acuu% "eli(ery* cor" aroun" your neck7* falls as a chil"* falls fro% a
height* falls "own stairs* broken bones* car acci"ents an" "ifficult pregnancies to na%e :ust a
han"ful. ,specially i%portant are all the acci"ents you walke" away fro% because you didn't get
hurt. -hink again.
Chemical Stress
+ always ask %y clients about the a%ount of che%ical stress. @ften you %ay fin" yourself
won"ering what rele(ance the se(en teas a "ay has to your posture. 9our bo"y che%istry is crucial
to your posture. .e%e%ber your bo"y is literally %a"e of the foo" an" "rink you put into it.
Garbage in, garbage out* +8% fon" of saying.
Che%icals i%portant to the health of your bones/ Caffeine* sugar* protein* aci" foo"s* alcohol an"
nicotine to na%e but a few. @ther che%icals to consi"er are the cos%etics you use on your bo"y* the
cleaning pro"ucts in your house* your "etergents* the area you li(e* the water you "rink an" the air
in your office. + think you can see what +8% getting at. 0ow aware are you of the che%icals you useA
Emotional Stress
$hen asking %y clients about their e%otional stress + usually ha(e the% rate it as %ini%al*
%o"erate or se(ere. $hat le(el is yoursA 0ow %uch e%otional stress you ha(e will (ary "epen"ing
on your support network* whether you en:oy your work* your ability to slow "own* correct
breathing an" your ability to e)press your e%otions. @b(iously this list coul" be %uch larger.
+f your physical* che%ical an" e%otional stress is a""resse"* + belie(e you ha(e a %uch better
chance of getting the kin" of per%anent results with your posture* that +8% certain you8" like to
achie(e.
3 Correcting Posture Before Losing Weight
+t always war%s %y heart to see a larger person willing to e)ercise* "espite the e)tra effort* e)tra
"isco%fort an" unkin" stares that often go along with being o(erweight. So %any of %y larger
clients ha(e the ongoing frustration* when trying to lose weight* that it hurts to e)ercise an" that
e(en when eating an or"inary healthy "iet* they still "on8t lose weight.
+ often e)plain to these clients that losing weight is "ifficult because their bo"y %etabolis% has
slowe" "own o(er ti%e. -hat is why e(en when they eat the sa%e foo" as so%eone of s%aller si>e*
they "on8t see% to lose weight. -his is e)tre%ely frustrating when you put that together with the
general lack of e%pathy society has for larger people.
Gaining weight comes with many obvious health concerns:
-ype 2 ;iabetes
Coronary 0eart ;isease an" Stroke
Metabolic Syn"ro%e
Cancer
Sleep <pnoea
@steoarthritis
'allbla""er ;isease
Fatty Bi(er ;isease
Pregnancy Co%plications
6Source/ $eight Control +nfor%ation !etwork7
Fro% a chiropractic perspecti(e* there are concerns about how your weight gain affects your posture
an" spinal health. So%e postures associate" with being o(erweight inclu"e/
increase" lor"osis 6sway back7
Forward Head Posture
fatty neck lu%p
roun" shoul"ers
hyperkyphosis 6si%ilar in appearance to a ;owager8s 0u%p but not the sa%e7
worn spinal "iscs
chronic low back pain
worn knee :oints
So %any of you will go to your health practitioner for help with so%e of the abo(e issues. -he
proble% is that although treat%ent can often re"uce or eli%inate your pain* it is (ery likely to return
unless your weight is a""resse".
+ a% not keen on beginning a posture rehab progra% without a""ressing your weight first. -he
a%ount of weight + a% referring to is appro)i%ately 1 Bbs or 1 stone in the CD. +f it is less than
this a%ount it is usually easier to reset your %etabolis%.
!ot "nderstanding The #eal $ause
+ un"erstan" that there is so%ething about to"ay8s se"entary lifestyle that %akes it har" to ha(e
goo" posture an" that if you ha(e ba" posture* you worry about looking unattracti(e. Many people
with ba" posture often "e(elop early arthritis an" as a result feel %uch ol"er than their 32 or 2
years. +f this is you* + un"erstan" that you want to be acti(e but it hurts. 9ou feel worn out. 9ou %ay
alrea"y ha(e trie" se(eral "ifferent types of treat%ent an" (arious e)ercise regi%es but when you
look in the %irror* you see little if any change.
Functional %s& Structural Pro'lems
Chances are goo" that if you ha(e been e(erywhere an" trie" e(erything with little if any change to
your sy%pto%s an" posture* then you %ay ha(e only been gi(en functional e)ercises. Functional
rehabilitation e)ercises i%pro(e your general range of %o(e%ent 6you coul"n8t turn your hea" (ery
far an" now you can7* your strength* balance an" fle)ibility. $hile these ele%ents are (ery
i%portant they %ay be %issing the %ark.
Functional e)ercises %ay be ignoring the un"erlying cause of your ba" posture1the align%ent an"
cur(es in your spine. Functional e)ercises will continue to %ake strong %uscles strong an" often
lea(e weak %uscles weaker when you ha(e a posture that isn8t in i"eal balance.
Functional 6generic7 e)ercises work really well for so%eone like this* whose bo"y has goo"
sy%%etry. +f howe(er* you gi(e the sa%e functional e)ercises to so%eone with asy%%etry 6like the
wo%an below7* you %ake her strong %uscles stronger an" her weak %uscles weaker* perpetuating
the unbalance" posture. !ot goo"?
'i(e the sa%e functional e)ercises to the secon" wo%an an" she will e)perience ongoing
frustration with little change to her posture o(er ti%e. -his wo%an nee"s to un"erstan" that her
posture is the result of structural proble%s. @nce her specific posture issues are "eter%ine" with a
hea"1to1toe Posture (nalysis* a tailore" progra% of correction can then be pro(i"e".
) Wrong Treatment (pproach
< new client co%es in to see %e ha(ing spent years an" probably hun"re"s if not thousan"s on
atte%pting to correct their posture. -hey still ha(e the sy%pto%s they ha" fi(e years ago an" (ery
likely the e)act sa%e posture issue. Soun" fa%iliarA
-his is so frustrating to %e but + un"erstan" why this is happening. -here are (ery few health care
professionals who ha(e stu"ie" the geo%etry of the spine. Most health care professionals who learn
about posture learn about the low shoul"er* the forwar" hea"* the sway back* the weak core but few
correlate those obser(ations with what lies un"erneath1your spine an" ner*e system.
-o un"erstan" the runnings of your car* you woul"n8t %ake a "iagnosis on the rattle you hear by
stu"ying only how the car "ri(es or how it looks on the outsi"e* you woul" look un"er the hoo" at
the engine. +f you want to un"erstan" a long1stan"ing posture issue that refuses to change* you %ust
look to the spine. -he only way to fully see the structure of the spine 6+ "on8t care how gifte" your
practitioner is with touch7 is to take a picture1an +,ray.
what you "on8t see on the outsi"e
!ot all of you will nee" an )1ray* especially if you look like the first wo%an in the i%ages abo(e. +f
you look like the secon" wo%an an" ha(e ha" years of ongoing trouble without change 6"espite
seeing nu%erous health care practitioners7 then + a% =uite likely to take an )1ray.
-his is where the proble% e)ists. Few healthcare practitioners ha(e the =ualifications to take or rea"
)1rays an" often those who "o* belie(e there is no real benefit to seeing the wear and tear because
they alrea"y know it is there. -he point is* there is a lot %ore infor%ation to be gaine" by )1ray
e)a%ination then si%ply "iagnosing whether or not you ha(e wear and tear.
$ase Study
+ was 2E years ol" an" in Chiropractic uni(ersity when + ha" an )1ray taken of %y low back an"
pel(is. $hat we foun" was (ery interesting in"ee"1%y right leg was 1c% shorter than %y left an" as
a result + ha" a short leg scoliosis. + (ery =uickly un"erstoo" %y years of one1si"e" low back pain. +
began using a heel lift to artificially balance %y pel(is an" + can happily say* this sorte" out %y
lower back issue.
%y scoliosis an" then straight with use of a heel lift
-he infor%ation about %y leg lengths was gaine" using %athe%atical %easure%ents fro% %y )1
rays. Chiropractors are traine" to take an" rea" )1rays an" carry out specific %athe%atical
%easure%ents in this way. -his is so%ething only chiropractors "o regularly an" + belie(e it can be
a (ery i%portant part of un"erstan"ing the un"erlying cause of %any %usculo1skeletal proble%s. +
woul"n8t practice without access to )1ray e)a%ination.
- .as/ing The Pro'lem
<s far as + a% concerne" pain killers are a last...last...L(ST resort. Please "o not tell %e you had to
take something. $hose bo"y is it anywayA +f you took so%ething* it wasn8t because you had to* it is
because you chose to. -his is a (ery i%portant "istinction.
+ also really un"erstan" why you take the%. 9ou "on8t know what else to "o. !o one has helpe" so
far* so why woul" you belie(e it will get any better. -hat is really un"erstan"able. + "o un"erstan".
.a/e Friends With 0our Pain
-his %ay be a strange concept for so%e of you but + encourage you to %ake
frien"s with your pain. Pain isn8t ba". Pain is si%ply the acti(ation of specialise"
ner(es. -hese ner(es respon" to changes in our en(iron%ent 6te%perature change*
physical or %echanical change an" che%ical change7 an" then sen" signals to the
brain an" spinal cor" so we can take appropriate action.
+f you put your han" near so%ething hot* your pain ner(es for te%perature fire off sen"ing a
%essage to your spinal cor" which sen" a %essage back to your han" an" you %o(e it away fro%
the potentially "angerous hot burner.
Pain is goo". ;o you know what the first sign of a heart attack isA -he heart attack. @r* for a few of
you lucky enough to ha(e pain* %aybe so%e ar% pain. 9ou nee" to un"erstan" that your bo"y is
co%%unicating when it has a pain. -he last thing you want to "o is suppress your bo"y1in a sense*
shutting it up.
$hat is your bo"y sayingA 'et intereste". Be fascinate" by your won"erful functioning bo"y. $hat
is your hea"ache sayingA Drink some water, move my body, take a break, I have a virus, there are
chemicals around me, my posture needs attention, I'm hungry.
$hen you first begin this process* it will be challenging. +f you are use" to reaching for the pain
killers your brain will screa% at you to take the%. 9ou %ay e(en hear yourself saying/ I tried for a
while but then I had to take something. $atch these wor"s closely 6H(1 T27. 9ou rarely have to
"o anything* unless so%eone is forcing a pill "own your throat* you nee" to really get that you
choose whether or not to %e"icate your pain.
+n %y new book -he Posture ;octor 6uk7 or fro% a%a>on.co% you will learn about the "angers of
suppressing your pain an" then get rea"y to re1set your pain threshol" F + teach you how?
3 4i*ing "p
$e ha(e all "one thisG it is calle" being hu%an. -he worst part of gi(ing up* isn8t that you ga(e up*
it is that you "i"n8t re1co%%it to whate(er it was you sai" you were co%%itte" to in the first place1
correcting your posture.
+t isn8t easy to stay co%%itte" to so%ething when you "on8t see i%%e"iate results. + know 1 +t took
%e so%e ti%e working on %y posture before + was content but then again + a% a total posture geek
an" + "on8t a"(ise you are as tough on yourself with your own posture goals.
$hene(er + ha(e achie(e" so%ething really worthwhile or particularly challenging in %y life* there
has always been one co%%on "eno%inator 1 +8(e ha" support. +n fact* +8% currently writing a new
book to help people :ust like you. -hose who are unhappy about ha(ing unattracti(e* painful posture
an" want a bo"y they lo(e. +8% writing this book in the co%pany of &2 other authors 6writing their
own books7 un"er the watchful eye of a terrific book coach.
+f you ha(e en:oye" this free e book an" woul" %ore support* then take a look at so%e of %y
pro"ucts an" ser(ices below/
+f you ha(e alrea"y been e(erywhere an" trie" e(erything an" still see no results with your posture*
you %ay want to ask for support F that is why + a""e" the Skype Consultation F so you can get your
posture =uestions answere". Posture correction isn8t a =uick fi)G it is a lifeti%e co%%it%ent to your
health an" well1being.
56t's not what you are that holds you 'ac/7 it's what you thin/ you are not&8 ;enis $aitley
8 Not Contacting Me
-his is possibly the biggest %istake that you %ay %ake when correcting your
posture. + un"erstan" what it is to ha(e unattracti(e* painful posture because +
ha" it an" correcte" it. + now ha(e a bo"y that really works for %e. + ha(e
"e(elope" techni=ues o(er ele(en years in pri(ate practice as a "octor of
chiropractic an" using %y specialist =ualification as a Fellow in the fiel" of
posture science. +t has now been o(er fifteen years since +8(e taken a single
pain killer or any for% of %e"ication.
+ know how to correct posture an" +8% a% known for helping people get i%possible results that last
an" %y absolute %ission is to lea(e you oo>ing posture confi"ence?
@ther pro"ucts/


Posture <nalysis
HuestionsA "rop %e an e%ail. + answer e(eryone an" =uickly?