Posture & Pumpkin Bread - Recipes for Success

Anyone ever tell you to "just" stand up straight?

"Just" implies "no big deal". Snap your fingers and it's done.

Odds are that you couldn't "just" do it...maybe you tried, but then quickly returned to slouching.

I know I don't feel so great if I'm told to "just" do something, but the "how" isn't really evident.

Most people try to hard when they try to have good posture. They pull their shoulders back and then feel stiff and unnatural. Hoisting yourself up like this "just" feels uncomfortable or even painful.

The good news is that there is a method to this posture madness.

I like to bake pumpkin bread for Thanksgiving. I've baked it enough times, that I can usually do it from memory, but the first few times, if I'd "just" put it together without a recipe, I wouldn't have known what ingredients to put in, how much, or in what order.

Improving your posture is like baking. Forget "Just do it". You have to know what to do, how much of it to do, and in what order. If I'd "just" baked some pumpkin bread before I'd learned the recipe, I probably wouldn't have made something very edible.

So here's some food for thought to keep your shoulders from slouching this Thanksgiving...

1. When you reach for the mashed potatoes: Extend your hand and let your arm and then your shoulder follow. Don't tighen your shoulder to move your hand and arm. Do it in this order and you can start to train your shoulders not to overwork.

2. When you text your friends and family to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving: Look at your phone with your eyes first and then let your head follow. Don't just drop your head (thunk!). Dropping your head pulls your neck and shoulders down with it.

3. If your relatives tell you to stop slouching and just stand up straight: Resist jamming your shoulders back. Instead, visualize where the very top of your head is.

4. If you need something to bring to Thanksgiving dinner: If you'd just prefer that people notice the delcious, sweet bread you baked that's so good that they forget to comment on your posture, click here for my great grandmother's recipe!

Have a great Thanksgiving and if you try out any of my suggestions above at your Thanksgiving dinner, feel free to reply to this email and let me know how it went in the comments below.

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