Posture Break For Body Aches (With Explanation)
How are you, during this Covid-19 situation? At the time of writing, Singapore is undergoing a "Circuit Breaker" movement control order that has been just extended. This makes the entire circuit breaker period 2 months long.
Chiropractic services in Singapore have been classed as non-essential (list of essential services here). and I have been getting multiple reports from people starting to feel body aches and headaches - even just 2 weeks in.
What is causing this?
This major shift in the way we work, and the additional stress on posture that comes with it, will set apart individuals who are aware of the importance of posture.. And those that are not aware of posture’s invisible impact on health.
If anything, this highlights the importance of proper posture. And "movement hygiene" if you will.
Awareness:
Posture Is Important
Here’s a clear indicator of whether or not you have this awareness successfully installed. Look at your current attitude and behaviour toward something as "common sense" as posture. What is your attitude toward posture? Do you currently have headaches, neck, or back aches because of this behaviour (or lack thereof)?
The number one tip is a simple one. But I'd like to explain why this is important. After all, I believe we all inherently know what is good for us. But the lack of action could be attributed to insufficient education and an awareness around WHY it is important. If you would allow…
I want to equip you with this information.
The normal human spine is made up of 33 bones and more than 100 articulations (joints). In between each bone is your spinal disc. They act like cushions. Together with the many joints, they help to dissipate the forces of gravity throughout the entire spine.
After the age of 20, there is no more blood supply to the these discs. So how does it get it's nutrients? From movement. When we move, the pumping mechanism caused by movement help to supply these discs with the nourishment it needs to stay healthy and hydrated.
Posture Break
Wouldn’t it be great to use this national circuit breaker to also break your cycle of recurring aches? The first thing you should implement if you haven't already done so is the Posture Break.
If you have attended any of my corporate talks before, you would know that I NEVER leave this out. Here it is:
“Aim not to sit/stand/be in one position for longer than 30 minutes”
Aim not to sit/stand/be in one position for longer than 30 minutes.
Why is this important?
It has to do with the amount of stress your spine can take before it starts to "chip away" at your spinal discs.
The spine can only tolerate the stress of poor posture for around 20-30 minutes. After that, the discs start to lose it's hydration. Think of a firm sponge, if you press on it hard and long enough, fluid would start to leave this sponge. Once this happens, it will not be able to do the it's job. Which is essentially force absorption. This results in added stress to other joints in the body that were not designed to take this much load. As a result, they get damaged too.
In the beginning, you won't feel much because your body is very good at adapting to micro damage. But over time, this accumulates. Then you will start feeling stiffness. As more time passes, this stiffness can become an ache. This happens as muscles surrounding damaged joints begin to guard the body.
As even more time passes, and the issue is not addressed, the build up of inflammation in the area will start to affect the nerves travelling around that local area - causing pain. If the damage is significant enough, it can also result in pain travelling down your arms or legs. Because that's where your nerves travel.
So what happens when you take a posture break?
This movement nourishes your discs. On top of that, as you move from seated to standing upright against gravity, small postural muscles start to "wake up" because they are called upon unconsciously to keep you upright in this new position.
Using The Posture Break
Knowing this, there have been many inventions, and clever Kickstarter projects to remind you to stand. Kudos to you if you are a gadget enthusiast and love to explore such "habit changing" technology.
However, using something as simple as your phone alarm clock is as effective. The mobile phone ownership rate in Singapore is the highest globally. Everyone should have one within reach. You are even likely reading this article on your mobile phone.
Set alarms every 30 minutes. Be sure to choose a tone that does not induce stress. So, it is best not to use the same sound as your morning alarm. A simple… non-alarming notification is good enough. The sound should not trigger a stress response within you. Rather, think of the sound as a personal assistant that serves you, to remind you to take a break from harmful prolonged sitting.
Once it rings, simply stand up or change positions. The this break could be 5 seconds or 5 minutes. You could stretch, use the bathroom, get some water, or just do nothing. Then jump straight back to what you were doing.
That’s it.
Really? Yes. Remember, you may be doing this 16 times in an 8-hour window. The intention is to break up the sedentary pattern. Sometimes the more you try to squeeze into the break, the less likely you are to do it. As you change positions to put yourself upright against gravity, the small intrinsic muscles that support your spine at all levels automatically fire.
However if you want to add something extra during your breaks, you can try this too:
Summary of Next Actions:
Determine the time frame you usually find yourself seated for prolonged periods. (E.g. 9am-5pm)
Choose a pleasant notification sound.
Set this pleasant notification every 30 minutes within that period.
Try it now.
Once you are used to this, your body will learn to "want to move" if you happen to stay in one position for too long in the future. The great thing about installing this habit now is because once it's installed, it becomes automatic, and you won’t even have to think about it next time. Even when you return to the office when the circuit breaker is lifted.
Hopefully now, you have a greater awareness around why posture is important for health. But more importantly, you understand why the Posture Break can be a very powerful tool to prevent aches in the future.. if you use it. (Hint: It’s related to blood supply after 20 years old.)
Wouldn’t it be great if you could use this national circuit breaker to also break the cycle of aches and pains once and for all?
Yours sincerely,
