Understanding the basics of flexion and extension

It seems that a recurring theme in my practice and general geekery of my life is explaining our society's tendency toward chronic flexion and how important it is to work ourselves out of said flexion.  So, this entry is dedicated to providing a basic explanation of common patterns of flexion and the counterpoint of the extensor muscles.

Our Daily Postures

Take a moment and really visualize how you hold your body as you go through your day.  

• Making tea or coffee in the morning - your head is flexed forward and down, your arms and hands are held in front of you while you tinker out your beverage, most average sized persons are bent at the waist to get to the counter.
• Doing your morning ablutions - again, bent forward with your head thrust forward and down, arms in front as you brush,  polish, and groom to head out of the house.
• Driving or riding to your job/activity - sitting is all about flexion, everything is flexed.  The seats we sit upon are not designed for active humans, not sure who is designing furniture but I am convinced they are not human.
• Doing your job/activity - Most of us have work that requires our arms, heads, hands, hips, knees, etc. are all flexed (or bent toward the center - belly - of our body).  There are always exceptions, surfers for example.
• Phone and computer activity - humans tend to lean in toward the bright light of the screens, again bringing ourselves into gross flexion.  And now, our thumbs in particular are spending more time than any other in human history doing a whole lot of flexion.
• I think you get my point....

The result of all this flexion is distortion in posture, dysfunction of soft tissue, skeleton, and nervous system, and what makes most of us head to the doctor, pain.  So, what do we do?

Changing Our Habits - Relearning Extension

In order to combat the chronic flexion of American life it is imperative we start to look at how we move and stay stationary in our day to day activities.  FIRST....be nonjudgemental toward yourself.  Postural habits can be very challenging to change.  For the average person, it takes about 6 weeks, before the new habit becomes old habit.  When we ask our bodies to change, not only are we re-educating the muscles and soft tissue, but we are re-educating the central nervous system (CNS).  This takes time and patience.  Why extension?
Extension is the opposite of flexion.  Extension is vulnerable, extension is powerful, extension is counter to how the modern world is set up.  So, we have to work harder to make extension happen in our everyday lives.  How do we do this?
Stretch.  Strengthen.  Move.  Change.  As always, easier said than done.  There are so many great methods out there to relearn how to stretch and strengthen.  Pick what is right for you, select something that fits into your life style.  Go take a few classes, do some reading, find a buddy to do it with, but most of all...have fun!!!  Here in good ol' Minnesota metro area, one of current favorites is Restorative Exercise.  We have a few excellent trainers here who can meet with you one on one, or in a workshop setting.  They customize the routine for your body and habits, the rest is up to you.  You do your homework at home, and then if you want/need, come back and check in with your trainer.
Movement.  Movement is hard in our sedentary world.  It's a lot of hurry up and wait.  Drive and wait.  Walk and wait.  Well, while you are waiting, there are so many subtle and not so subtle things you can do to work out as you wait.

• Pelvic floor exercises in the car, standing in line, waiting in a office.
• Standup and stretch, your waiting buddies will be jealous and may join you.
• For the adventurous, why not some burpees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks (be fit enough to do these so you don't hurt yourself).

Fit4Mom  teaches really fun classes in public open air spaces that helps you get comfortable with movement in public.  It's worth checking out, plus, you can bring your little ones to the Stroller Strides classes :-)
Change is hard. You don't have to do something big, start small.  Get up from your desk every 45 minutes and reach for the sky, do a few lunges from your chair, walk around the office the long way, park farther out in the lot, instead of sitting down in front of Netflix - reach for your toes or try some gentle yoga.  There are a million ways to help your body out of flexion and back into it's upright posture.

I hope this was helpful.  Remember, nothing here replaces medical advice from your providers, and this is not medical advice.  The information here is from experience, education, and love of the human body.  Be smart.  Be safe.  And remember, extend yourself in a healthy way.

Adrienne