dr stephanie

Perfect Posture for TIFF (Sitting Edition)

Sitting to watch films, sitting with friends at a sponsored party, or just sitting to rest your weary TIFF'ed feet.  You're going to be sitting. A lot.

Unfortunately, sitting is worse for your back than standing.  Your bum and sacrum (base of the spine) take the load of your entire upper body from the hips up, without the help of your legs and feet.  Discs, joints, nerves and muscles no likey.

So, in theater over the next 10 days of TIFF keep these quick pointers in mind:

• Sit all the way back in your chair.  A little more.  Go on, even a wee bit more.  Your tush should touch the back of the seat.
• Rest your shoulder blades on the back of the chair.  So much better than developing perma-hunch shoulders, *and* now that your pelvis and shoulder blades are aligned, your spine will be in a neutral postion.
• Rest the top of the neck/base of skull on the top of the theater chair, if it available to you. This will allow the muscles in the back of the neck to relax. 

For couch perching (and to look photo-ready)

• You should sit perched at the end of the couch, feet on the floor.  Note this is the complete opposite of what I have specified above...couches and seating options @ parties or clubs usually offer zero (or worse) support for your spine so leaning all the way back is not going to be useful.  There is one huge caveat to this though - no slouching!!!
• Arch your low back.  Your low back likes to be mildly arched because that is its natural shape.  Slouching and hunching only serve to get rid of the natural low back curve which makes for disc bulges, herniations, and nerve irritation only a matter of time.  So again...no.slouching.period.
• Line up your shoulder over your hips.  Again, this respects the natural curves of your spine.
• These positions are not healthy, but they give the appearance of good posture, and make you appear slimmer while seated.  No hunched shoulders, no belly, no 'I'm bored, whats next' body language...and most importantly to some (ok me) it does not photograph well! 

  

Perfect Posture for TIFF (Standing Edition)

If ever there is a time for you pay attention to your posture - it's when you know you're going to be photographed.  Well, starting tomorrow, The Toronto International Film Festival kicks off.  I am thinking now would be that time. 

Dr. Stephanie's Perfect Posture Tips for Standing:

Picture it: TIFF is in full swing. You're sipping champers, on your A game, standing next to Ed Norton. From the ground up, this is what you should be thinking about (other than the glaringly obvious: omg I'm standing next to Ed Norton!)

• Squeeze your Pelvic Floor Muscles  (If you are female, I am talking about doing Kiegel exercises, and if you are a guy, I am talking about squeezing muscles that help you stop the flow of urine.)  I know what you're thinking.  Why did she have to start off with the urine muscles?!  Well, simply, no strong pelvic floor muscles means no control of bladder or bowel movements, and, in keeping with the theme of this post - bad posture!
• Squeeze your Lower Abs (this will not only make you appear slimmer, but it will naturally create a strong base of support for the rest of your spine, which rests on your pelvis)
• Slide your Shoulder Blades down your Back (imagine you are trying to get your shoulder blades into the back pocket of your jeans)
• Elongate Your Clavicle (think about spreading your shoulders apart, and *slightly* puffing out your chest.  No, not peacocking, just a slight, barely visible extension of your chest.)
• Elongate your Neck (think about lining up your ears with your shoulders... your head is perched perfectly on your shoulders, and enters the room at the same time your body does!)

To explain further:

These next 2 pictures are the same actress. Ya sure,in this photo the dress is gorge, necklace to die for, great hair, makeup, etc.

BUT.

Compare it to the photo below. Totally different attitude, aura, and confidence coming from her.  And it is all from her posture.

 

See?? Her shoulders are back, elongated, and her neck is over her shoulders.

Believe me, I get it when patients say to me that maintaining good posture is hard, not to mention a lot to think about.  It is something I myself have to consciously work on too. But like anything worth having, good posture is habit that takes time, patience, and attention.  Just start out with trying one or two of these tips, and work your way up.

Special Lecture for Dr. Stephanie's Patients: Brendan Brazier

Brendan Brazier, author of The Thrive Diet, and creator of Vega will be in Toronto next Friday and Saturday evening talking about green living/reducing your carbon footprint and enhancing performance on a plant-based diet.

Here are the deets:

Brendan will be speaking at Harbourfront Centre on Friday and Saturday evening.

 
How to boost mental and physical performance on a plant-based diet

Friday, September 11 at 5 PM

Event Details: http://www.vegacommunity.com/events/seminar-toronto-veg-food-fair

Description:

North Americans are chronically over-stressed and as a result are experiencing poor-quality sleep, general fatigue, and are developing sickness and disease in record numbers. While it is common practice to merely treat the symptoms, learn how plant-based nutrition and a properly-constructed fitness program address the underlining cause and therefore will significantly reduce overall stress, without a loss in productivity.

Find out why it’s almost impossible to boost athletic performance while your stress level is high, and more importantly, what to do about it. Additionally, learn how building fitness can reduce the amount of sleep required, stimulate creativity, decrease the need for downtime and cut the risk of sickness and disease.
 
How to significantly reduce your carbon footprint by adopting a plant-based diet

Saturday, September 12 at 6:15 PM

Event Details: http://www.vegacommunity.com/events/seminar-toronto-veg-food-fair-1 

Animal agriculture contributes more to climate change than all of transportation combined. Citing recent United Nations reports, Brendan will show how each of us has the power to significantly reduce the effects of climate change by simply changing what we eat.

Learn how you can dramatically reduce your carbon footprint by switching to a plant-based diet. For example, if just one person swapped out a standard American breakfast for a nutrient-rich, plant-based smoothie for one year, it would save the equivalent in greenhouse gas emissions as driving a midsize car (26mpg) from Vancouver, BC to Tijuana, Mexico.

Special Offer for Dr. Stephanie's Patients & Blog Readers!

EDITOR'S UPDATE: This even has been CANCELED.

Dr. Stephanie will be posting in the near future on natural ways to effectively reduce unnecessary hormone exposure in the coming weeks.  Please stay tuned!

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Get Advance Tickets to The Anti-Aging Conference
With Special Guest Speaker Dr. Thierry Hertoghe, MD from Belgium
Saturday June 27th, 2009

A fabulously fabulous girlfriend is organizing this stellar conference for women and men, on Saturday June 27th.  Topics will include information on bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, and alternatives to the traditional model of hormone replacement.

Patients and loyal blog readers (that's you) of Dr. Stephanie can get advance tickets at uofttix.ca for $50 (instead of $60 @ the door). I am really looking forward to this one - Dr. Hertoghe is very well known in the medical community as a pioneer in bio-identical hormone therapy. 

I have so much to say about hormones and natural measures we can take to reduce excess intake of them in our daily lives.  I will save my rant for a future post.  :) 

In the meantime, check it out!