Simple, Healthy Snacks for Kids: Fuel Their Day with Real Food
February 24, 2025
- Lets Talk Strength
Where to start:
- By Strength Biased
Start with posture.
Why? Because it probably sucks – from sitting in a desk at school K – 12, at a job, from carrying babies, or even being a single-sport athlete can create weird habits. (Hi, I was a swimmer and it gave me that nice slumped-forward-rounded-upper body with a hyperextended lower back and yes I have flexible shoulders but can’t do much with them because they’re weak.) In other words, unless we paid attention to it or had appropriate strength and/or posture training later to correct it, most adults have at least minor corrections that need to be made to get us back to neutral.
Start by standing in front of a mirror at 90 degrees. Relax and see what you notice.
- Do you round your upper back (kyphosis)?
- Do you lock out your knees?
- Do you stand up straight or do you have a permanent bend at the waist?
Finding Neutral
Take your hips and rotate them forward as far as they can. Then rotate them backwards as far as you can. Now find the middle of those two positions. Lock it down. Now do the same thing with your rib cage. Arch and stick it out, then round and tuck it in. Find the middle. It should be stacked over your hips in its new found neutral position.
Once those are in place, you might need to adjust your shoulders or head to balance over the top. Think of someone tying a balloon to the very top of your head, and let it pull you up a little taller, without losing your new posture.
Here’s one more way to imagine what we’re looking for:
If your hips (pelvis) and your rib cage were two perfectly round cylinders, stack them on top of each other. If one is off, your posture and therefore breathing and bracing might be less than ideal. Adjust the shoulders and head as needed.
Posture First
The reason posture needs to come first is so we have the correct position to allow for a proper breath. If my posture is off, it can impede the function of the diaphragm and therefore how we breathe and brace. It’s all connected, weird I know. Your breath is also connected to things like your mind, and how you calm yourself, or don’t (anxiety).
Practice
Practice holding this posture and just breathing slowly. Depending on how much of a correction you made, you might notice it’s now easier to take a full deep breath. It’s going to be a mindful practice. You will feel yourself reverting to your old ways, don’t do it. Practice holding your new corrected posture and walking around a little bit, then moving your arms overhead (brace!) and then sitting down and standing up. It might take some getting used to, but after a while it will feel more and more normal (because it is). Throughout your day, set little reminders for yourself to do a self check and adjust as needed. After a while your body will be able to remember where it’s supposed to be and you will create new and lasting habits. Follow this up with my information on breathing and bracing, and become unstoppable. 👊🏽
