Bad and Good Sleeping Posture

This is bad sleeping posture.

So what is good sleeping posture? We strongly recommend sleeping on your back as its easiest to keep the spine neutral as you sleep.

Your mattress and pillow choices can also help your posture.

From: https://physioworks.com.au/
Select a firm mattress or an ensemble that does not sag. If necessary, place a board under your mattress. You can also place the mattress on the floor temporarily if necessary. If you've always slept on a soft surface, it may be initially painful to change to a harder surface. Try to do what's most comfortable for you.

The human neck curves slightly forward (to sustain the weight of the head when upright), and it is very important to maintain this curve when in a resting position. If the height of the pillow is too high or low when sleeping, your neck is bent abnormally out of alignment, causing muscle and joint strain. You can even wake with headaches.

Poor pillow support can also cause narrowing of the air pipe, resulting in obstructed breathing, and sometimes snoring, which can hinder sleep.

Spinach Blueberry Muffins -- kid approved

Recipe adapted from Yellow Brick Home

Ingredients

• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup olive oil or melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk (almond, coconut or regular)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsps cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 8 oz baby spinach, pulsed or blended 
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries 
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup oat flour

For both the spinach and oat flour, my blender worked great! First I put oats in the blender dry and pulsed until it finely ground into a flour and removed from blender. Then I used it to fine chop the spinach (or use a food processor if you have one). 

Instructions

Our kids loved so much, they snuck a
muffin right while I was taking a picture ;)

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Mash the bananas, add oil and mix together
• Add applesauce, vanilla and milk to the bowl, and mix everything together
• Mix in eggs
• Add cinnamon and baking soda
• Then add the finely chopped spinach and frozen blueberries
• Lastly, add the wheat and oat flour, and stir until combined
• Spoon mixture into lightly greased muffin tins, I used mini muffin tins
• Bake for 20 minutes and check for done with a toothpick

After cooling, I froze in a Stasher silicone bag. They work great as snacks and in lunchboxes! 

How to Stay Aligned While Standing

How to stay aligned while standing:

1. Stand tall!
2. Extend your head directly up (think balloon lifting your head with a string in the top of your skull) - but keep your chin tucked in. Avoid tilting your head forward, backward or sideways.
3. Your earlobes will line up with the middle of your shoulders.
4. Keep your shoulders back, your knees straight and your back straight.
5. Let arms hang naturally down the sides of the body
6. Lightly draw in your core stomach muscles. Avoid tilting your pelvis forward.
7. Avoid locking the knees
8. Ensure your feet arches are in a neutral (not flat) position.
9. Stand with weight over the center of your feet.
10. Stand with your feet slightly apart (shoulder-width).

11. When standing for sustained periods, shift your weight from one foot to the other, or stand in walk stand and rock your weight from your front to back foot.

8 Tips to Sit Properly

Most of us spend most of our day sitting, and so how you sit can have a huge impact on your posture and your health. We are huge advocates of standing desks, but in some cases that isn't possible.

So, how do I sit properly? Here are 8 tips:

1. Pull your shoulders and your neck and head back. Take a deep breath, expand your chest as much as you can. This will automatically correct your posture.
2. Adjust the chair height so your feet are flat on the floor and your knees are in line (or slightly lower) with your hips.
3. Sit up straight and keep your hips far back in the chair.
4. The back of the chair should be somewhat reclined at a 100- to 110-degree angle.
5. Ensure the keyboard is close and directly in front of you.
6. To help your neck stay relaxed and in a neutral position, the monitor should be directly in front of you, a few inches above eye level.
7. Sit at least 20 inches (or an arm’s length) away from the computer screen.
8. Relax the shoulders and be aware of them rising toward your ears or rounding forward throughout the workday.

Poor Posture While Working

For those working long hours in open offices at laptops instead of at monitors with ergonomic setups, the transition to so much screen time creates wear and tear. Poor posture also can evolve into a permanent stoop, Chang says, as the muscles and ligaments grow accustomed to the position and ultimately make it more difficult for the spine to straighten appropriately; other changes, such as bone spurs and even the reshaping of vertebrae, are also possible.

The result of all this time spent peering at screens, and the subsequent aches and pains, has led to a rise in products designed to improve posture, from sleek tech devices to body braces. Though some research has been done on the usage of tech wearables to monitor posture, the long-term results remain murky, and another NIH study that looked at the efficacy of posture-correcting braces suggests that their greatest benefit could be the increased self-awareness that comes from wearing one. "The latest theories of the utility of a back brace is that it is effective in reminding the patient that they should maintain proper posture and lifting technique, especially in those times they are most active," Chang says.

Follow the link for more: https://www.greenwichtime.com/lifestyle/article

The Importance of your Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is the main source of communication between the body and the brain. 

Through chiropractic care, we improve the health of the entire body - muscles, joints, and internal organs - by addressing the health of the spine.