May is a Heavyweight Month

The month of May has a lot of health awareness attached to it.

May is

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Awareness Month (also called Lou Gehrig's disease)

Arthritis Awareness Month

Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month

Better Hearing and Speech Month

Better Sleep Month

Celiac Awareness Month

Clean Air Month

Correct Posture Month

Cystic Fibrosis Month

Hepatitis Awareness Month

Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month

Lyme Disease Awareness Month

National Cancer Research Month

National High Blood Pressure Education Month

National Lupus Awareness Month

National Melanoma Skin Cancer Awareness Month

National Mental Health Month

National Neurofibromatosis Month

National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month; and

National Stroke Awareness Month

Our Focus: Correct posture

We devote very little attention to our posture, yet it is responsible for the way that we feel in so many situations.

Incorrect posture can contribute to the following:

• poor bowel movements - Slouching tends to fold up your viscera (intestines) and contribute to slow bowel movements. Stretching exercises like pilates and yoga help to elongate the body and strengthen your core, while motivating a sluggish bowel.

• low back, shoulder, and neck pain; headaches

• depression and lower energy - slouching while walking increases lower energy and feelings of depression. Open up your chest and put your shoulders back while standing, walking or sitting. Try placing your closed fist (with fingers facing outward) under your chin. That should tell you where the position of your head ought to be. Keep your head centered over your shoulders.

• adds stress -slouching or sitting in a slump contributes to shallow breathing. This puts pressure on the heart and lungs.

• Breathe! Deep breathing helps to alleviate stress, as does good posture, even while sleeping. Refrain from curling up while you sleep. It blocks circulation. Keep the body as aligned as much as you can when you go to bed. It is true that once you fall asleep, you have no idea what’s happening but I have found that when you practice going to sleep on your back with arms at your sides, after a while, your body remembers. If you are a side sleeper, put a pillow under your top arm and between your legs to keep your body aligned. If you can help it, try not to sleep on your stomach. If you must, put a pillow under your tummy to help your back.