Posturegenics

Dr Garde’s 10 Essentials for Optimal Life: Posture
Number 7 Posture = Humans go viral by being vertical
Now this is a really strange one; although not on a blog site that is dedicated to the vital relationship of your posture to gravity. But seriously, how can your posture be thought of as a nutrient? Aren’t nutrients chemical in nature? Well strictly yes, but I’m talking about what effects and affects our body’s ability to manage those biochemical processes. Back to our #1 nutrient, oxygenation, you can’t breathe properly if you don’t sit or stand properly, reducing the mechanical stress on the breathing mechanism.
If you look back at the list from 1 through 5 Air, Water, Sleep, Eat, Attitude - they are pretty essential to life and health - wouldn’t you agree? The really interesting thing is that they are all tied together in and at your posture. Your body is an oxygen pump. Proper posture allows for the uptake of O2 and the exhalation of waste gases CO2 easily. Your body is also a hydraulic system pumping and distributing H2O. Better posture better pumping. Good posture allows for better rest, by reducing stiffness and soreness. Digestion is better when your body weight is not resting on your abdominal organs. Attitude, how can you miss? Good posture is a sign of an energetic, can do person, open to welcome the world and all it adventures. Aren’t you attracted to people who display that posture?
Poor posture causes pain, inflammation, wear and tear on all the tissues of the body which increases the demand for nutrients that could be used as resources in other areas to keep the body vital. Poor body mechanics of sitting standing and moving are a major cause of poor nutrient allocation, distribution and management. Because gravity never wavers, is always oriented vertically. We need to be conscious of our relation to the vertical when it is not required by the life task with which we currently are involved. Even with the acknowledgement that we cannot (and should not) be always ‘straight’ vertical, we must always be aware of gravity’s pull. Gravity rules and vertical is king. Suffice to say that the smaller the exposure to gravity you have the healthier you will be. So, I say that posture is an ‘essential’ nutrient for your wellbeing.
Posture is also exercise. When we go to the gym, we are lifting weights, or using machines that offer ‘resistance’ to our muscles. The response to resistance in the muscles is to increase their size and strength. The function of exercise is to ‘damage’ or ‘stress’ the muscle fibers and the inner intelligence of the body responds by enlarging the muscle fibers. So it is not the gym that makes you stronger or look better; it is the wisdom of the body that actually strengthens or re-shapes you.
Still the biggest ‘resistance’ activity you will ever experience is the resistance of gravity. Every second of your life you have to solve gravity. If you do it correctly gravity can be beneficial ‘exercise’. If not; then no exercise or pain killer will remedy the situation. Remember, the strongest animals in the world were dinosaurs and they are oil now. Gravity wins. Efficiency to gravity is the principle to strive towards. Thus your relation to gravity – your posture is vital to optimal health and your secret ally in maximizing the top five essentials for exuberant health. Posture is your keystone to spectacular health.