It’s a Backs Thread (so put your back into it)

Mithridites wrote: »

@RunsWithBees What a great transformation! And I get what you're saying about posture. It doesn't get talked about nearly enough, and it makes such a big difference to our looks. How did YOU go about improving your posture?

Thanks! I don’t have a before pic because I used to hate getting my pic taken but this photo shows what my posture used to look like, I wish it was an exaggeration but it’s actually pretty accurate...


And this is my posture now...



I believe my improved posture is the result of the combination of becoming a runner, going barefoot as much as possible and changing my everyday footwear. 7 years ago for totally unrelated reasons I started running barefoot (trail and pavement) it was so much fun I kept at it. After awhile I noticed my feet loved their newfound freedom so for work and everyday life I started wearing shoes that were zero drop with a wide toe box and flexible sole as well as going bare whenever I could. I noticed that after about 2 years of living this way that I was standing much straighter. I first noticed it in pictures and was absolutely flabbergasted that my back was straight and my shoulders were in line with my hips with no hunchback... I’d never seen myself like that before and I’m middle aged! I just assumed it was my destiny to have bad posture as everyone in my family does. I’d accepted it as my fate long ago and here I was with actual good posture late in life and I wasn’t even trying to achieve it. I even sit up straight too, it’s mind boggling! Running has definitely strengthened my core and that’s probably made the biggest difference. Running barefoot and wearing minimalist shoes definitely feels more natural and comfortable to me; although I suspect that it has, I have no proof whatsoever that it’s helped with my posture so I cannot recommend that anyone else do what I did, only offer my own personal experience, YMMV. I’m a firm believer that we all need to find what works for us as individuals and there’s no one size fits all