Attracting a Mate: Tips from the Past – by Dr. Nick Araza
We all want to look good, appear confident and be taken seriously, no matter what age or stage of our life.
I’m by no means an expert in attraction (although, my girlfriend is pretty darned cute). I do, however, know about posture, and what role it plays in … well, most things.
In honor of this Month’s theme, MOVEMENT, and our huge “Get Moving” workshop on the 24th of February here in the Cummings Center, this week’s blog post will be focused on proper human posture. Movement is so important, it is like oxygen - the less of it you get, the worse quality of life you have. Movement is an essential nutrient required for the proper expression of human health and not simply a treatment for unwanted pounds, mood swings or insufficient energy. Posture has a lot to do with how you move, how you feel both physically and emotionally, and how you heal. As is true of all healthy things, proper human posture is simple, but not always easy to sustain, and must be practiced. The benefits are huge, and since we are benefits-driven people, I thought I’d place these first.
Some Health Benefits of Proper Posture:
- helps sculpt the muscles of your torso and increase the calories you burn
- decreases the stress and strain to your nerves, joints, muscles and ligaments
- improves your confidence and your presence (More Attractive)
- moves you toward health
Now, how or what is healthy human posture?
Well, you can figure it out if you know a little about our pasts, and you ask a few questions.
Humans like you and me have been around for roughly the past 40,000 years, and most of that time we lived as hunter-gatherers in small tribes of around 100-150. Keeping that in mind, ask these questions regarding human posture:
15,000 years ago….
- How would you stand if you were looking to attract a mate?
- How would you carry yourself if you had to scan the horizons for food and danger, instead of making sure your foot hit the ground?
- How would you carry yourself if you knew predators were always looking to pick off the weakest of your tribe?
- How would you carry yourself if you wanted to be quick on your feet, and at the same time be able to hold your ground?
If you answered these questions with your body, you will probably assume proper human posture.
However, if you still need some help:
1. Get your heart up! Picture your heart or breastbone and point it toward the sky at a 45 degree angle. This tightens your abs, centers your head over your spine, improves your looks and confidence and stops your ribcage from slowly crushing your organs. This will also increase your presence and improve your confidence greatly. It may feel odd, but it looks great, and you’ll get used to it over time. Feel a burn in between your shoulder blades? That means you are doing it right!!
2. Shift the majority of your weight to the front of your foot. Think of your foot as a tripod with 33% of your weight on your big toe, 33% on your other small toes, and 33% on your heel. This keeps you light on your feet and allows you to hold your ground and to move fast if you have to. This also shifts forces to the abs instead of the low back (finally some postural relief), strengthening your core and supporting those vital organs!
3. Shoulders back and down – removes strain on the skeletal, nerve and muscular system, and puts your shoulders and neck in a position to heal.
4. Unlock your knees slightly –improves circulation and keeps you powerful and quick. Did you know that half of your circulatory system depends largely on skeletal muscle contraction? That’s right, the contract and relax cycle of our voluntary muscles plays a big role in returning blood to your heart. The more you use muscles, the more blood they get (as well as all of your other tissues…so again, move!).
When you walk, walk quietly to save your joints and improve your muscular strength.
Think of your ancestors often - they can teach you a TON (including, oddly enough, how to improve your odds with the ladies ;-p)!
Think & Do 4 Health,
-Dr. Nicholas Araza DC CCWP
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