1% Thursday: Straight and Tall

It’s a vicious circle.  When you’re in pain, you may tense your muscles and crouch or slouch or lie in odd positions.  The muscle strain and bad posture may cause more muscle problems, that may trigger headaches and migraine attacks.

On the other hand, having good posture may lead to less pain, more energy, and even better digestion!  Hey, it will even make you look more attractive!

Just being aware of a few simple ways to improve your posture can make a huge difference.  Here are some quick suggestions, a simple one first:

• Watch the Mayo Clinic Posture Slideshow.  It will help you understand how the back and neck work, and how you can easily start to improve posture.  It’s just 8 slides long.
• If you want more in-depth help with posture and muscle strength, I recommend (sadly) out-of-print book The Posture Prescription if you can find it (read my review here).  It will help you make better postures and stronger muscles a way of life instead of an exercise program.
• Consider seeing a physiotherapist.  There are different specialties in physiotherapy – look for someone who can help you specifically with posture and movement.  (Obviously this is much more of a time commitment than a typical 1% Thursday suggestion, but it can make a huge difference.)

What is 1% Thursday?

Every Thursday at Headache and Migraine News (weather permitting) we’ll talk about one measurable, practical thing we can do to make our lives just 1% better.  Usually it will be something very easy, sometimes it will be a challenge.  Let us know if you try it, or share an idea of your own – and maybe a year from now we’ll see that things have really changed for the better!