Friday, December 6, 2013

South Africa

To all,

As many of you know my sister is a US Diplomat serving our Country abroad.   She is currently in South Africa.
Many of you have seen her on CNN or through a viral video of her pushing Hillary Clinton into a bunch of dancers at a big event, etc.
Anyway, When President Obama was recently in South Africa, my sister was responsible for taking Michelle around town and delegating various activities.
(below is a photo of them).

As many of you know Nelson Mandela Passed away, which is bringing a lot of attention to South Africa right now.   My sister and the embassy will be swamped over the next few weeks.
My sister said that she believes  all living presidents, Secretaries of State, members of congress/senate will all  come for the event on tues and maybe wed. There will be tons and tons of people coming. 
My sister is in charge of taking care of Bill Clinton once he arrives in South Africa and believes he will give the Eulogy at the private burial.

Anyway, I realize this is not a Regular posture article or medical email, but I thought it was pretty cool and worth sharing.

Best,

Bob

Thursday, December 5, 2013

16 tips to improve posture


16 Tips on how to improve posture that can build up a charming, healthy, and elegant person!

Over time, poor posture can take a serious toll on your knees, hips, shoulders, and spine. In fact, it can lead to a cascade of structural flaws, causing the joint and back pain, compromised muscles, and reduced flexibility. All of them will limit your ability to develop strength and burn fat. However, you can head off all these problems effectively by following the tips on how to improve posture that I am going to list down below.

I. Tips On How To Improve Posture – Useful Ways To Apply:

Getting good posture is actually a simple yet extremely useful and necessary way to keep a healthy body and mind. If you can get good posture, your whole body will be in a row with itself. This will reduce the risks of common health matters, like neck or back pain, fatigue, and headaches. Therefore, you should be in good overall health and sitting (or standing) tall to boost your self-confidence and bearing. This entire writing will give you a lot of tips on how to improve posture that help to build up and maintain a good posture. The first are useful ways that you should keep your head on.
1. Focusing On Your Calves:
The first tip on how to improve posture naturally that I want to show you here is that you should care for your calves.
You should let your balance and posture relying more on the calves. You should also try to feel everything at ease attitude, and put a bounce in your step.
Since then, you will find that it will free up the rest of your upper body to relax and assume a more upright posture that takes pressure from your back, shoulders and neck, and works on your ab muscles. This is awesome, since abs rock and strong calves!
2. Using Color:
If you need help in remembering to keep your posture, you should think of a unique object or color. Every time you think of that object, you should check your posture.
3. Avoiding The Slouch When Walking:
You should make sure that you will try to walk as if you had a book balancing on your head.
4. Have Someone Tape A Giant X On Your Back From One Shoulder To The Opposite Hip:
Then put a straight line of tape across your shoulders closing the top of the X. Wear this during the day, to help retrain your back. This works really well if you hold shoulders back before taping, use wide non stretch tape and ideally change tape each day.
Besides, if you are tall and get beautiful building, you will also get nice posture rather than other people. Therefore, if you are short, you should learn natural ways to get taller fast or simple ways to get better height.
5. Think String:
Always imagine that a string coming from the top of your head is pulling you gently up towards the ceiling. Visualization techniques like this one can guide your sense of proper position and height effectively.
6. Practicing Yoga:
In fact, yoga is one of the best exercises that help to improve and maintain your posture and body shape in good form. Yoga can also boost your overall health and balance, as well as keep the results for a long time later. Yoga helps to work your core muscles, boost and strengthen them and give you a proper body alignment.
This exercise can also help to teach you on how to hold a straight posture even when you are walking standing, and sitting. You should find to take part in yoga classes in local. Or else, if you still have not known any yoga pose, you should learn useful and simple yoga techniques to get the most effective and proper poses for your health.

II. Train Your Core Muscles:

Core muscle mass is maybe the most important and the key factors that form your posture and decide whether or not it is good and attractive.
1. Staying In Shape:
For keeping your overall musculoskeletal system to improve your posture, it is really important for you to keep yourself in shape.
Therefore, you should try these useful tips:
  • You should lie on your back, with 2 legs fold to 90 degrees at the knee, and your feet lying on the floor.
  • Then, you need to pull your belly-button to your spine. Then, you need to hold it at the end.
  • Holding it within about 10 seconds, repeat 8 times every day.
  • Breathing normally during this exercise, as you are training your core to be able to keep this position during other daily activities in your life.
  • Maintaining the proper posture even if you are feeling tired or getting fatigue and are not using other muscles, such as your butt and back muscles.
You should also keep your body fit to get good posture. Certainly, when you are overweight, your walk will look more heavily and ugly than other people who are at normal weight. Therefore, if you are suffering from a weight issue, you should learn ideal ways to burn fat quickly.
2. Sleeping Soundly:
While you will not be able to consciously maintain a particular posture while sleeping, how you sleep can have an effect on your waking posture.
  • Use a pillow to provide proper support and alignment for the head and shoulders. Do not overdo the pillows when you sleep, and your head can be bent in an unnatural position; this will hurt your posture and you'll wake up feeling stiff, sore, and groggy.
  • If you prefer sleeping on your side, you should try slipping a small, flat pillow between your knees to help keep your spine aligned and straight.
  • Sleeping on your back will help keep your shoulders straight, and it is usually more comfortable for the back than sleeping on the stomach.
  • Using a firmer mattress will help by maintaining proper back support.
If getting a goodnight's sleep is very hard for you as you are suffering from a sleep disorder, I recommend you learning the top simple ways to sleep better than ever.
3. Avoiding Unintentional Back Injury: 
Lifting and carrying presents extra loads and balance problems that are not part of your normal, everyday physical structure. Lifting or carrying objects without regard to your physiology can cause discomfort, pain, or in some cases, real injury. Here are some guidelines for proper load-bearing posture:
  • Balance your load to prevent stress and fatigue. If you're carrying a heavy suitcase, for example, change arms frequently. You'll know when.
  • Try holding a five pound (2.26kg) sack of flour, and hold it far out in front of you. Now, slowly pull it closer and closer to your chest and feel the different muscle groups come into play as you do this.
  • Keep it tight. The closer you keep large or heavy objects to your chest, the less you use your lower back when carrying them. Instead, the work is done with your arms, chest, and upper back.
  • If you do a lot of heavy lifting, either as part of weight training or as part of your job, consider wearing a supportive belt. This can help you maintain good posture while lifting.
  • When you are lifting something off the ground any heavier than your cat, always bend at the knees, not the waist. Your back muscles are not designed for taking the weight, but your large leg and stomach muscles are. Use them well.
If you get back pain or injury that make you cannot sit or stand straightly, you should deal with this problem right away by learning and applying simple home remedies for back pain or powerful exercises for back pain relief.

III. Driving Posture:

In fact, driving posture is also very important as you should focus on to avoid injury.
1. Adjusting The Head Rest:
The head rest should be adjusted so that the middle of your head will rest against it. You should tilt your head rest as necessary to keep a distance of no more than 4 inches (10cm) between the head rest and the back of your head.
To relax your head, you should also learn simple ways to relax after working all day long and find out the best and the most suitable ways for you to relax yourself at home. You should consider that when you feel really relax, your posture will be straighter and more flexible than those who are stressed or anxiety because they tend to bow their back and overall trunk.
2. Starting With Good Sitting Posture:
Good sitting posture is not only simply recommended for good posture's purpose. In fact, it is also necessary for more safety goals in reality. Your car's seating and protective systems were designed for people sitting in the seat properly, and can actually have an impact on safety in the event of a collision.
  • You should keep your back against the seat with you head rest
  • You need to adjust your seat to maintain a proper distance from the pedals and steering wheel. If you are pointing your toes, leaning forward, or reaching for the wheel, you are too far away. If you are bunched up with your chin on the top of the steering wheel, you are too close.

IV. Sitting Posture:

Sitting posture is also one of the most important factors that make you appear good in the eyes of people around you. When learning how to improve posture, you cannot miss this posture out!
1. Taking Standing Breaks:
Even if you are getting perfect posture while sitting in the best and most comfortable  chair in the world (and it is debatable whether there is such a thing), you still need to stand up and stretch, do a little exercise, walk around, or just stand still within a few minutes. Your body was not designed and formed to sit all day long, and recent studies from the University of Sydney have found out that the prolonged sitting is a dangerous risk factor for all-cause mortality, independent of physical activity. Therefore, you should keep moving anytime you can, even when you have to sit for almost a day!
2. Sitting Up Straight!
If you have to work for many hours at a desk, you should use a chair that is designed ergonomically for supporting your seat and proper for your weight and height. If you do not have any other option, you should use a small pillow that is for lumbar support.
  • You need to keep both of your feet on the ground or footrest (if your legs do not reach all the way to the ground).
  • As with standing posture, you need to keep your shoulders squared and straight, your head is upright, and your back, neck, and heels are all aligned.
  • You will also need to align your back with the back of the office chair. This action will help you avoid leaning forward or slouching, which you may find yourself doing after sitting too long at your desk.

V. Walking Posture:

Walking posture is the most common posture that from which, people look at you and may judge your whole beauty. Walking posture can also decide whether or not you feel comfortable at all. Thus, if you walk with wrong posture, you may get some unconventional pain and tiredness. To learn how to improve posture, you cannot neglect this thing.
Starting With Good Standing Posture:
Walking with good posture is simply an extension of standing with good posture. You should keep your head up, shoulders back, chest out, and eyes looking straight ahead.
  • Avoid pushing your head forward.
Besides, to get a good walking posture, you should also learn common ways to get confident appearance and useful tips to boost self-confidence because when you feel confident about yourself, you will be able to walk with your head held high.

VI. Standing Posture:

Standing posture is also important. If you have to stand for a long time period, you should learn the following tips on how to improve posture when standing.
1. Teaching Your Body What It Feels Like:
Stand with your back against a door or wall, with the back of your head, your shoulders, and your butt just touching it. If it feels awkward and uncomfortable, you should not worry. By that way, you can determine and develop good posture habits and train your body. This will make you feel uncomfortable, so you should not keep standing this way.
2. Finding Your Center:
The last thing you should focus on when learning how to improve posture is that you should find your center whenever you are standing, sitting, or doing anything to avoid pain, and also keep your image charming.
Proper standing posture is about alignment and balance. It also lends an air of confidence. Here are some tips for achieving the correct upright posture:
  • Pull your head back and up: You should picture yourself reaching for the ceiling with the top of your head. Then, you need to keep your head square on the top of the neck and spine as you do this. This will not just help to improve your posture, but also make you look leaner and taller. Actually, it is very simple to apply, so you should try it once!
  • Keep your shoulders squared: at first, it may make you feel unnatural if you have not set up good posture habits. However, similar to standing up straight, this will become the second nature.
  • Keep your weight on the balls of your feet: When you rest on your heels, your natural tendency will be to slouch. Instead, you should stand up, and make an effort to stand on the balls of your feet. You need to notice how the rest of your body follows. Now rock back so that your weight is on your heels. You should notice the way your whole body shifts into a "slouchy" posture with this single motion.
  • Stand up straight: This is, of course, the key to good standing posture, and bears repeating. As you develop good posture habits, this will become second nature.
  • Place your feet about shoulder width apart, the same stance you would use for working out or many other physical activities.
All of the above tips on how to improve posture for a lot of people out there. I have studied them for a long time, and now, I am glad to share them with anyone who desires to get better posture.
If you feel the tips on how to improve posture I offer in this article are really useful for your current expectation, just feel free to leave all your comments/feedbacks at the end of this post. We appreciate your contribution and will respond all as soon as possible.

Bob Waeger
Spinal Q
855-472-7223 Office
714-514-8038 Mobile
866-532-4047 Fax


Thursday, November 14, 2013

Science Behind Posture and how it affects your brain


Hi everyone,

This is a REALLY GOOD ARTICLE.   Please take a look and notice the importance of POSTURE.

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2013/11/the-science-behind-posture-and-how-it-affects-your-brain/

The Science Behind Posture And How It Affects Your Brain

I'll confess up front: I have terrible posture. It's been bad since at least high school. It's one of those things I keep in the back of my mind as something I know I should do but never get around to, like eating more vegetables and sending more postcards.

This post originally appeared on Buffer

The way we stand, sit and walk, actually has more longer reaching implications on our mood and happiness than we thought. The latest studies reveal it:

Shaking Your Head Will Affect Your Opinion

Body language is closely related to posture — the way we move our bodies affects how others see us as well as our own moods and habits. In terms of scientific research, the two overlap quite a bit. This isn't too surprising, but how our posture and body language affect our thoughts is.

For instance, a study at Ohio State University in 2003 found that our opinions can be subconsciously influenced by our physical behavior. Here are two fascinating examples:

  • When participants in the study nodded in agreements or shook their heads to signal disagreement, these actions affected their opinions without them realizing.
  • The same study also showed that when participants hugged themselves, they were sometimes able to reduce their physical pain.

Dutch behavioral scientist Erik Peper has done extensive research into this area, as well. He regularly makes participants in his classes stand up and stretch, for similar reasons why exercise has been linked to happiness, like here:


Here are three fascinating things that happened once our posture changes:

  1. For example, when we sit up straight, we are more likely to remember positive memories or think of something positive in general, according to this experiment.
  2. Another insight was that if we skip during breaks, we can significantly increase our energy levels. A slow, slumped walk on the other hand, can do the exact opposite and drain us of our energy.
  3. The study also found that those who were most affected by depression before the study found their energy drained more than others.

So Erik Peper is convinced (and I am, too) that we should keep a careful eye on our posture and body language — lest it bring us down without us realizing.

Posture Changes Our Hormones

When we talk more broadly of body language, as opposed to good posture, we can actually see the affects it has on relationships right throughout the animal kingdom. In particular, body language is used to express power, through expansive postures (i.e. spreading out your limbs and opening up your body) and large body size (or the simple perception of large body size).

You might know about Amy Cuddy's famous Ted Talk and her incredible insights on how posture changes our hormone levels. Well, some even more recent studies took this even further. A study by researchers from Columbia and Harvard Universities showed that body language symbolizing power can actually affect our decision-making, subconsciously. The researchers measured the appetite for risk of participants in either expansive, powerful poses or constricted poses (occupying minimal space, keeping limbs close to the body). Those in the powerful poses not only felt more powerful and in control, but were 45% more likely to take a risky bet.

Plus, the study used saliva samples to prove that expansive postures actually altered the participants' hormone levels — decreasing cortisol (C) and increasing testosterone (T):

This neuroendocrine profile of High T and Low C has been consistently linked to such outcomes as disease resistance and leadership abilities.

So clearly, our posture has more to do with our minds we might have thought. And in fact, it seems like our bodies come first — when we alter our posture and body language, it subconsciously influences ourthinking and decision-making.

There's No "One Best" Posture

So if you want to take advantage of these proven benefits to live a healthier and happier life, where should you start? We know that there is a large amount of different areas that can be painful when we have bad posture. Here's just a short list of them:


Unfortunately there's not a whole lot of research into how exactly to adopt good posture — a lot of what we know tends to come from being told to "sit up straight" as children. A study in 1999, however, found that sitting at an angle of 110-130 degrees is optimal for spine comfort, and another in 2007showed that leaning back at 135 degrees is ideal for preventing back strain.

Not only is a position like this difficult to measure and maintain (do you know precisely what angle you're sitting at right now?), not everyone agrees. The team at LUMOback have created a posture sensor that you can wear around your waist during the day to help you develop better posture. The device watches for slouching and shifting to the side, and vibrates to remind you to sit up straight.

The team, which includes a doctor and a data scientist (as well as a medical advisor), doesn't advise the leaning-back position for your workday. Instead, they maintain firstly that "the best posture is always the next posture," or in other words, always keep moving:

We know that many of us have jobs that do require us to spend time working at desks, so knowing how to sit and stand with good posture is certainly important and beneficial to one's health and well-being. That said, the human body was built to move, not spend 8 hours at a computer.
Walking around helps your body to reset itself into healthy posture, so make a point to get up from your desk at least twice an hour.


When you maintain a neutral pelvic position with a straight and upright back, the vertebrae in your back are nicely aligned. This takes a lot of pressure off of your spine and back muscles, which can reduce back pain.


In an office setting, you're likely to have to crane your neck to see your computer screen and strain your upper back and shoulders to reach a keyboard. Thus, any potential lower back benefits of a reclined position are outweighed by the negative impacts on your upper back and neck.

For now, I'm going to give sitting up straight a go. If nothing else, at least I know it will probably put me in a good mood!

The Science of Posture [Buffer]

Belle Beth Cooper is a content crafter at Buffer and co-founder of Hello Code. She writes about social media, startups, lifehacking and science.




Bob Waeger
Spinal Q
855-472-7223 Office
714-514-8038 Mobile
866-532-4047 Fax



Science Behind Posture and how it affects your brain

Hi everyone,

This is a REALLY GOOD ARTICLE.   Please take a look and notice the importance of POSTURE.

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2013/11/the-science-behind-posture-and-how-it-affects-your-brain/

The Science Behind Posture And How It Affects Your Brain

I'll confess up front: I have terrible posture. It's been bad since at least high school. It's one of those things I keep in the back of my mind as something I know I should do but never get around to, like eating more vegetables and sending more postcards.

This post originally appeared on Buffer

The way we stand, sit and walk, actually has more longer reaching implications on our mood and happiness than we thought. The latest studies reveal it:

Shaking Your Head Will Affect Your Opinion

Body language is closely related to posture — the way we move our bodies affects how others see us as well as our own moods and habits. In terms of scientific research, the two overlap quite a bit. This isn't too surprising, but how our posture and body language affect our thoughts is.

For instance, a study at Ohio State University in 2003 found that our opinions can be subconsciously influenced by our physical behavior. Here are two fascinating examples:

  • When participants in the study nodded in agreements or shook their heads to signal disagreement, these actions affected their opinions without them realizing.
  • The same study also showed that when participants hugged themselves, they were sometimes able to reduce their physical pain.

Dutch behavioral scientist Erik Peper has done extensive research into this area, as well. He regularly makes participants in his classes stand up and stretch, for similar reasons why exercise has been linked to happiness, like here:


Here are three fascinating things that happened once our posture changes:

  1. For example, when we sit up straight, we are more likely to remember positive memories or think of something positive in general, according to this experiment.
  2. Another insight was that if we skip during breaks, we can significantly increase our energy levels. A slow, slumped walk on the other hand, can do the exact opposite and drain us of our energy.
  3. The study also found that those who were most affected by depression before the study found their energy drained more than others.

So Erik Peper is convinced (and I am, too) that we should keep a careful eye on our posture and body language — lest it bring us down without us realizing.

Posture Changes Our Hormones

When we talk more broadly of body language, as opposed to good posture, we can actually see the affects it has on relationships right throughout the animal kingdom. In particular, body language is used to express power, through expansive postures (i.e. spreading out your limbs and opening up your body) and large body size (or the simple perception of large body size).

You might know about Amy Cuddy's famous Ted Talk and her incredible insights on how posture changes our hormone levels. Well, some even more recent studies took this even further. A study by researchers from Columbia and Harvard Universities showed that body language symbolizing power can actually affect our decision-making, subconsciously. The researchers measured the appetite for risk of participants in either expansive, powerful poses or constricted poses (occupying minimal space, keeping limbs close to the body). Those in the powerful poses not only felt more powerful and in control, but were 45% more likely to take a risky bet.

Plus, the study used saliva samples to prove that expansive postures actually altered the participants' hormone levels — decreasing cortisol (C) and increasing testosterone (T):

This neuroendocrine profile of High T and Low C has been consistently linked to such outcomes as disease resistance and leadership abilities.

So clearly, our posture has more to do with our minds we might have thought. And in fact, it seems like our bodies come first — when we alter our posture and body language, it subconsciously influences ourthinking and decision-making.

There's No "One Best" Posture

So if you want to take advantage of these proven benefits to live a healthier and happier life, where should you start? We know that there is a large amount of different areas that can be painful when we have bad posture. Here's just a short list of them:


Unfortunately there's not a whole lot of research into how exactly to adopt good posture — a lot of what we know tends to come from being told to "sit up straight" as children. A study in 1999, however, found that sitting at an angle of 110-130 degrees is optimal for spine comfort, and another in 2007showed that leaning back at 135 degrees is ideal for preventing back strain.

Not only is a position like this difficult to measure and maintain (do you know precisely what angle you're sitting at right now?), not everyone agrees. The team at LUMOback have created a posture sensor that you can wear around your waist during the day to help you develop better posture. The device watches for slouching and shifting to the side, and vibrates to remind you to sit up straight.

The team, which includes a doctor and a data scientist (as well as a medical advisor), doesn't advise the leaning-back position for your workday. Instead, they maintain firstly that "the best posture is always the next posture," or in other words, always keep moving:

We know that many of us have jobs that do require us to spend time working at desks, so knowing how to sit and stand with good posture is certainly important and beneficial to one's health and well-being. That said, the human body was built to move, not spend 8 hours at a computer.
Walking around helps your body to reset itself into healthy posture, so make a point to get up from your desk at least twice an hour.


When you maintain a neutral pelvic position with a straight and upright back, the vertebrae in your back are nicely aligned. This takes a lot of pressure off of your spine and back muscles, which can reduce back pain.


In an office setting, you're likely to have to crane your neck to see your computer screen and strain your upper back and shoulders to reach a keyboard. Thus, any potential lower back benefits of a reclined position are outweighed by the negative impacts on your upper back and neck.

For now, I'm going to give sitting up straight a go. If nothing else, at least I know it will probably put me in a good mood!

The Science of Posture [Buffer]

Belle Beth Cooper is a content crafter at Buffer and co-founder of Hello Code. She writes about social media, startups, lifehacking and science.




Bob Waeger
Spinal Q
855-472-7223 Office
714-514-8038 Mobile
866-532-4047 Fax