Have you heard that expression “Straighten up and fly right”? Well, in last month’s blog we learned how to straighten up and sing…or speak…right! Posture is so important for voice, for breathing…for everything we do. We hope everyone is using the simple posture exercises we posted in February’s blog. But there’s another aspect of posture we need to address further.
This yet-to-be-solved posture problem has become an epidemic in 21st-century life. We see it all around us every time someone looks at a device. That forward head and neck, rounded shoulders, and slumped torso as we look at our mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. Digital technology is killing our posture!
So, you can imagine how happy I was when I came across this article and video by Leon Turetsky, Corrective Exercise Specialist (NASM-CES), Certified Personal Trainer (NASM-CPT), and professional dancer, on BackIntelligence.com. As a long-time back sufferer, Leon found unique natural methods to alleviate his pain including self-massage, exercise/stretching, and postural habits. He founded Backintelligence.com to empower others to fix their posture and ease their back pain from home.
The article covers how to position your laptop for optimal posture and alignment. For proper back and neck alignment, your forehead should line up with the top one-third of your laptop screen. The author suggests using a stack of books or a laptop stand to elevate your screen to the proper height. We recently added a laptop stand to our website’s Products Store. This cool device can even be used as a standing desk. NOTE: Be sure to use a separate wireless keyboard if you’re planning to elevate your laptop.
We thought it would be a great idea to include this article and video in our blog, since it’s well known that neck-craning, dropping your chest, rounding your shoulders, etc. all have a detrimental effect on the voice, creating tension, discomfort, and restrictions in vocal range. Also, with that slumped posture, you can’t possibly take the full breath needed to support the voice adequately. You can find the article and video here.
When you’re on the Back Intelligence website, don’t forget to subscribe; you’ll receive great advice and exercises to fix your posture, as well as links to videos. We bet you’ll agree…you’ll straighten up, release your voice, and feel like a new person. Because none of us wants a pain in the neck…or the voice! ?
