Posture for Engineers

Who cares about posture?

We do! (Or we should!) Those of us who work on computers daily may or may not realize the potential detriment to our health that is caused by sitting in the same position for long periods of time.

But standing desks!

Well, that is a good start, but our posture can still be affected negatively if we are standing all day (or if we do not have good standing posture).

What do we do about it?

Nerd out about posture! We can learn about the muscles that are weakened and those that are over-used during our everyday jobs, and what each of those muscles do for us when they are working properly. No need to learn all the names, but you can if you want. Anatomy is pretty cool. The most important thing is to understand what our bodies are capable of.

So what will this talk teach me?

At the end of this workshop you will: * Feel more confident about moving your body during the day. * Learn some yoga poses if you did not know them already. * Know at least a few exercises to do regularly that will help improve posture. * Know what each position will do for you. * Have tried something fun ^_^ * Be smiling!

Transcript

1. Posture for
   Engineers
   by Marylou Lenhart
   

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2. Konnichiwa, YAPC Asia!
   

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3. Our Future
   :C
   

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4. Posture!
   Body is adaptable, tries to
   be efficient
   Bad posture causes some
   muscles to be overworked,
   some to be weakened
   Bad posture pulls vertebrae
   out of alignment
   Seemingly unrelated
   symptoms can be due to
   spinal misalignment
   

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5. Chiropractic!
   Your spine: the center of
   everything
   If a vertebra in the spinal
   column is out of place, it
   puts pressure on nerves
   Nerves connect to every
   part of the body
   

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6. However!
   Chiropractic works best combined with Exercise
   Strengthening muscles helps _keep_ bones aligned
   correctly
   Otherwise you will just keep going back and never
   improve!
   As it turns out, it is not so difficult to strengthen our
   posture-related muscles daily
   

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7. Body Image
   Every body is different
   Participation is
   encouraged, but entirely
   _optional_
   “The posture (asana) for
   Yoga meditation should be
   steady, stable, and
   motionless, as well as
   comfortable…” 

   (2.46 of the Yoga Sutra)
   

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8. Standing Desks?
   Great stuff!
   But we still have to use
   our muscles while
   standing
   Engaging thighs and
   calves, grounding through
   feet to strengthen arches,
   slight bend at knees
   

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9. Tadasana
   (Mountain)
   

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10. 1. Forward Head Posture
    Arrow from ear should line up with center of shoulder
    Weight added to sternocleidomastoid muscles: overworks them
    Trapezius muscles between shoulder blades are weak in this
    condition
    

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11. Exercising the Trapezius
    muscle
    Sit up against a wall or flat
    surface, shoulder blades
    flat against it
    Allowing the crown of the
    head to reach upward,
    keeping head/gaze
    completely level
    Move head forward for 4
    counts, backward for 4
    counts
    

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12. Another related muscle is the Serratus Anterior:
    it helps keep the shoulders relaxed down the
    back
    

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13. Chakravakasana
    (Cat/Cow)
    

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14. 2. “Extension” of the
    abdomen
    Weak/overstretched ab
    muscles
    Chronic lower back pain
    Tight hip flexors
    

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15. 3. Anterior/Posterior Pelvic Tilt
    “flat back”
    reduces natural curve in lumbar spine (lower
    back)
    tight abs, shortened hip extensors, weak hip
    flexors
    “weak lower back”
    pelvis forward and down (more than normal)
    weak abs, shortened hip flexors, weak
    gluteus maximus
    

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16. Exercising the Abdomen
    _NOT CRUNCHES_
    Sit on an exercise ball!
    A couple of the following exercises…
    

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18. Star Open/Close
    

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19. Anjaneyasana variation
    (Crescent Lunge)
    

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21. Ardha Uttanasana
    (Halfway Lift)
    

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22. So let’s avoid this…
    

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23. Thank you!
    

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24. Sources
    http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/09/yogis-be-careful-with-your-joints-charlotte-bell/
    http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2013/sep/27/fit-lose-duck-feet/
    http://www.appliedmma.com/training/donald-duck-syndrome-might-be-whats-causing-
    all-your-lower-back-pain/
    http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/neck_pain/neck_pain.htm
    http://deansomerset.com/collapse-the-ribs-if-you-live-in-extension/
    http://www.thankyourbody.com/do-not-do-crunches/
    http://www.thankyourbody.com/core-strengthening-exercises/
    http://www.exrx.net/Kinesiology/Posture.html
    http://breakingmuscle.com/mobility-recovery/science-says-foam-rolling-increases-rom-
    and-does-not-decrease-strength
    

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25. Image credits
    pittsburgh: "Downtown Pittsburgh from the North Shore" by Theeditor93 -
    I took the photo myself.Previously published: Facebook,
    deviantART (http://eldru.deviantart.com/art/Pittsburgh-from-the-North-Shore-375922428),
    Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -
    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downtown_Pittsburgh_from_the_North_Shore.png
    #/media/File:Downtown_Pittsburgh_from_the_North_Shore.png
    bad posture: http://livewellchiro.com.au/bad-posture-equals-bad-health/
    chiropraction: http://edmondsshorelinechiropractor.com/chiropractic-for-any-age/
    more chiropraction/posture: http://drsalfakhoury.com/chiropractic/
    knee hyperextension: http://www.somastruct.com/genu-recurvatum/
    tadasana: http://www.mrsfitness.com/do-the-yoga-mountain-pose/
    forward head: http://www.chiro.org/LINKS/Forward_Head_Posture.shtml
    trapezius: "Muscle trapèze" by Berichard -
    travail personnel (own work) d'après Atlas de Bonamy (1854).
    Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -
    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muscle_trap%C3%A8ze.png#/media/File:Muscle_trap%C3%A8ze.png
    cat-cow: http://www.mindfulbody.com/mind/yoga/signature-mindful-practice-yoga-sequence/daily-practice-detailed-instructions
    chair cat-cow: Cat- Cow Stretch in a Chair - © Barry Stone http://yoga.about.com/od/yogasequences/ss/catcow.htm
    extension: http://deansomerset.com/collapse-the-ribs-if-you-live-in-extension/
    serratus: Draws scapula forward on chest wall (pulling shoulders down)
    (picture of serratus anterior) "Serratus anterior" by Bildbearbetning: sv:Användare:Chrizz. *
    compressed with pngcrush. Original uploader was Chrizz at sv.wikipedia -
    Transferred from sv.wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -
    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Serratus_anterior.png#/media/File:Serratus_anterior.png
    navasana: http://www.yogaoutlet.com/guides/how-to-do-boat-pose-in-yoga
    spinal balance: https://www.scripps.org/news_items/4363-keep-your-back-healthy
    star open close: http://www.thankyourbody.com/core-strengthening-exercises/
    pelvic tilt: http://bretcontreras.com/why-do-i-anterior-pelvic-tilt/
    high lunge: http://www.yogajournal.com.au/pose/high-lunge-variation-2/
    halfway lift(s): http://blog.lifestart.net/post/4263955842/are-some-yoga-poses-harmful-part-5
    forward fold: http://www.yogaoutlet.com/guides/how-to-do-standing-forward-fold-in-yoga
    posture evolution: http://www.salveotherapy.co.nz/good-posture-good-health/
    

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