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
2. Konnichiwa, YAPC Asia!
3. Our Future :C
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
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
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
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)
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
9. Tadasana (Mountain)
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
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
12. Another related muscle is the Serratus Anterior: it helps keep the shoulders relaxed down the back
13. Chakravakasana (Cat/Cow)
14. 2. “Extension” of the abdomen Weak/overstretched ab muscles Chronic lower back pain Tight hip flexors
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
16. Exercising the Abdomen _NOT CRUNCHES_ Sit on an exercise ball! A couple of the following exercises…
18. Star Open/Close
19. Anjaneyasana variation (Crescent Lunge)
21. Ardha Uttanasana (Halfway Lift)
22. So let’s avoid this…
23. Thank you!
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
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/