What if I told you that it takes just one minute each morning to improve posture, boost self-confidence, reduce stress, increase energy levels, and more? It may sound too good to be true, but the latest research supports a strikingly wide range of benefits to improving your posture, which is the goal of this weekendâs exercise.
The 1 Minute FHP And Posture Corrector can be done right in bed. I encourage you to get into the habit of performing this move each morning when you wake up, so you can start the day off in the right frame of mind and body.
And as you do this daily, its effects will be cumulative, and youâll gradually see your rounded shoulders flatten and your kyphosis or forward head posture (FHP) disappear.
The 1 Minute FHP And Posture Corrector stretches and works the muscles that hold your head up and shoulders back in correct posture. And you simply canât beat it for convenience!
Why:
What research has revealed about the health benefits of good posture is nothing less than astounding. Posture has a lot more influence over your health than just looking good!
1. More Energy
The first point I want to explore has to do with energy levels. Just about everyone feels tired in the middle of the afternoon now and then, and the temptation to consume sugar and caffeine can be hard to resist. Rather than turn to bone-damaging foods, try working on your posture instead.
In his study of 110 college students, Professor Erik Peper found that slouched posture and upright posture are directly connected to energy levels, and the feedback loop this sets up encourages further improvement.
Peper observed that after âslouched walking, the participants experienced a decrease in their subjective energy…after opposite arm leg skipping they experienced a significant increase in their subjective energy.â1 Thatâs not all. Peper also notes in the studyâs conclusion that:
âBy changing posture, subjective energy level can be decreased or increased. Thus the mind-body relationship is a two way street: mind to body and body to mind.â1
So as you make adjustments to your posture, you can directly influence your energy levels. And I donât know anyone who wouldnât appreciate a little more energy!
2. Greater Confidence
This is another example of a positive feedback loop. Ohio University researchers discovered a connection between sitting up straight and feeling more self-confident, and also the reverse – slouched posture was connected to poor self-evaluation.
Study participants did a self-evaluative exercise that involved writing down their best or worst personal qualities in either a slouched or erect posture.
âIn line with the self-validation hypothesis, we predicted and found that the effect of the direction of thoughts (positive/negative) on self-related attitudes was significantly greater when participants wrote their thoughts in the confident than in the doubtful posture.â2
3. Improved Breathing
The ability to draw deep breaths is an often-overlooked but very important aspect of bone health. Deep breathing detoxifies and alkalizes the body, and research shows it produces a sense of relaxation.
Slow, full breaths stimulate the vagus nerve, thus kicking in the bodyâs âcalm-downâ response, which includes reduced levels of stress hormones. But if your posture is slumped, your lungs canât expand properly, and you canât reap the benefits of deep breathing.
I go over proper breathing technique in more detail in the following articles:
4. Stress Reduction
As noted in #3 above, good posture reduces stress, but it does so through more than deep breathing and vagus nerve stimulation. Interestingly, the stress response is also influenced by the state of the bodyâs muscles.
Delving into this concept, scientists assigned 74 volunteers to sit in either a slouched or upright position and their blood pressure and heart rates were monitored continually. They were then asked to complete tasks in reading, speech, mood, self-esteem assessments, and perception of threat.
âUpright participants reported higher self-esteem, more arousal, better mood, and lower fear, compared to slumped participants,â3 the study authors report. They further state that:
âSitting upright may be a simple behavioral strategy to help build resilience to stress.â3
And it all begins with simple postural exercises like this one!
How:
- Take your bed pillow from its horizontal position and turn it so it lies vertically on your bed.
- Lie back on your pillow so one end is close to your lower back and the other end is right at the top of your head. The back of your shoulders should be on the pillow and not touching the bed.
- Spread your arms straight out to the sides with your palms up.
- Push your shoulders down against the pillow. Your shoulder blades will come together and your chest will rise up. Lift your chest slightly toward the ceiling.
- Push your head down toward the bed, keeping your chin tucked. Think of pushing your neck down rather than your head.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds, relax, and repeat for another 30 seconds.
To continue your postural training, try following up this weekendâs challenge with these others:
The Densercise⢠Epidensity Training System Includes Postural Exercises
Given the wide-ranging benefits of excellent posture, itâs no surprise that the Densercise⢠Epidensity Training System – the Save Instituteâs exercise program designed specifically to build bone density – contains many postural exercises.
Correcting posture is a key element in reversing osteoporosis and osteopenia. Of course, there are many other types of exercises in Denserciseâ˘, too, because building bone density requires various types of motion, including weight-bearing exercise and resistance training. Densercise⢠covers them all in more than 50 of the most effective bone-building moves.
Take Exercising For Your Bones to the Next Level!
Learn the 52 exercise moves that jumpstart bone-building – all backed by the latest in epigenetics research.
Iâd love to hear from the community about this weekendâs challenge. Feel free to share your tips for good posture, your thoughts on building bone through exercise, or other ideas about todayâs topic by leaving a comment below.
Enjoy the weekend!
References:
1 Peper, Erik and Lin, I-Mei. Erik Peper and I-Mei Lin. âIncrease or Decrease Depression: How Body Postures Influence Your Energy Level.â Biofeedback. 40. 3. (2012): 125-130. Web. https://www.aapb-biofeedback.com/doi/abs/10.5298/1081-5937-40.3.01?code=aapb-site
2 BriĂąol, Pablo, Petty, Richard E., and Wagner, Benjamin. âBody posture effects on self-evaluation: A self-validation approach.â European Journal of Social Psychology. 39. 6. (2009): 1053-1064. Web. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.607/abstract
3 Nair, Shwetha, et al. âDo slumped and upright postures affect stress responses?â Health Psychology. 34. 6. (2015): 632-641. Web. https://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2014-37739-001/
Comments on this article are closed.
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Hi Vivian I was wondering if you could give me some info. My psoriasis have really gotten bad after I came off enbrell. I seen a web sight about Equilac Mare’s milk in a pill suppose to work under the skin to clear psoriasis. I really want to try it but I’m afraid it’s a scam. I need help. Thanks Cathy
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Effective exercise. I like the suggestion to do before getting out of bed. I want this habit. I was injured in whiplash accident and my therapist recommended this exercise so i have been doing it with her tutoring.
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Hi Vivian, I really needed your advice badly.
I had a shock wave done 11/16 to remove a 8mm stone. After analyzing, and 24 hr urine test, found out I had 90% of phosphate and10% of uric acid stones. Uric acid ur was 6.9. Was told to lower my Uric acid to 5.5. I have been following your 80/20 diet all these time. I thought the urine should be between 7.35 to 7.45. Now I was told by the dietician to drink milk and yogurt to prevent bone loss. Or should I ignore it and continue my 80/20 diet? Low sodium, low protein and 2 to 3 liters of fluid is what I have been doing. But my joints and muscles were tight after I added milk and Kefir to my daily routine. Help please!!!-
Please don’t confuse numbers for uric acid and numbers for urine. These are not the same thing. So sorry you had the stone problem.
As to dairy, Savers know these are not best source for ph adjustments or even calcium. It is your decision to make. Research more so you know the facts and are comfortable with your choice. Please stay with the Savers program the best you can!
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The one thing that realy bother me is my extended neck and head. (chicken neck) It hard to see my profile in the mirror. Would love to see more exercises for my problem. Will try your last bed exercise.
Thanks again for all your weekend Challenges. -
To Purple ffoxglove: FHP is forward head position which is spelled out in the second mention. As a journalist, I agree about acronyms.
Normally, I would not do exercises in bed, but I can understand how these exercises benefit the body when performed on a flat surface. Yoga is still my preferred exercise.
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Is your head supposed to be completely on the pillow? The picture shows the top of his head off.
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PS Sorry, i located the definition.
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What is FHP? It’s a basic journalism rule to define your acronyms.
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True, but 90% of Vivian’s readers are so familiar with this one. Vivian does spell it out by the second paragragh. Patience on a new site will help you learn faster than quick scanning. Once U get familiar U can easily scan to the action part. Please stay with us, this is a very educational website!!
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Hey Vivian Goldschmidt,
My question to you is:
If my kyphosis was due to compression fracture,
would that means that it is not going to be straighten out, no matter what exercise I do?
or
Do you think that these exercise would help straighten the spine curve due to compression fractures?
Please Vivian Goldschmidt respond to that, as it is very important to me and I couldn’t get a clear straight answer from anybody I ever asked.
I appreciated thank you so much.
Mary.