Sit up Straight! New Postural Self-analytic Device May Replace Mom

Move over, Fitbit, there's  more competition coming in the self-analytics market.  Lumo Bodytech Inc. http://www.lumobodytech.com/lumolift/ has  created Lumo Lift,  a small gizmo that you can clip onto your clothes on your upper body.  If and when you slouch (Who doesn't?) the device will vibrate, triggering  you to sit  up or stand up straight.  Like Fitbit, Lumo Lift will also measure the number of steps you take and  your caloric  burn.  

Last year Lumo Bodytech  released Lumo Back, for people with lower back problems. Most reviewers of that product found it annoying owing to its cumbersome design and the necessity of wearing it on the lower back.  The  new Lift isn't even on the market yet but if you are an early adopter, you can order one now for $69.   Perhaps they have worked out some of the kinks for this one.

If you round your shoulders and want to improve your upper back posture,  you might find Lumo Lift helpful.  Caveat emptor: the device itself isn't going to improve your posture.  The device is only going to alert you when you have slumped into your customary position.  To improve your posture you have to stretch the tight parts of your front body and strengthen the weak parts in your back body. Without a strategy  to make postural change, I can imagine that  Lumo Lift might quickly begin to terrorize.  I round  my shoulders.   I am intrigued.  I may just order one.  

In the meantime, if you have a pear shaped body, (That is, your lower body is wider than your upper body), there's a good chance you need to strengthen your shoulders and arms more than someone with an apple, hourglass, or  rectangular shaped body.  Here is a fabulous sequence by yoga teacher Sarah Guglielmi that will help you counteract rounded shoulders.

http://yogainternational.com/article/view/asana-anatomy-trapezius-and-serratus-anterior

Practicing  dolphin  and dolphin pushup is another way to strengthen your shoulders.  Get  on the floor on your hands and knees on your yoga mat.  Wrap each of your hands around the opposite elbow to be sure your elbows are squarely under your shoulders.    Then bring your hands together and interlace your fingers,  palms together. Press your the pinky side edge of your hands, wrists, elbows,  and forearms into the floor and turn your toes under. 

Inhale deeply, then exhale as you lift your buttocks up while you straighten yours legs. Breathe consciously here for several rounds.  The crown of your held will lengthen toward the floor between your arms. Engage your core.  Draw your scapulae toward your spine while you broaden your collarbones.  Observe your breath as you continue to push the floor with your hands, wrists, forearms, and elbows.  When you are tired, or, when you have lost sight of your breath, rest in child's pose. This version of dolphin prepares you for headstand.

If you wish, repeat dolphin, increasing the length of the hold yet still remaining aware of the breath. Interlace your fingers the awkward way the second time you do the pose.   Notice how and where the body has to adjust to  just that slight difference.  You can also play with moving your feet further apart, which should make the pose easier.   Now try  moving your feet closer and then further from your elbows.  How do the various stances change the intensity of the posture for you?

Adding movement by practicing dolphin pushup increases the challenge. Go back up into dolphin, being sure to engage the core and the scapulae and to press the arms and hands into the floor. With an exhalation, shift your body and its weight forward, so that your chin will come just over your fingers and your body will be  parallel to the floor. With the inhale, lift the hips high up again. The more fluidly you move, the more fun this will be.  It might help you to think of yourself as a dolphin moving through water.  Exhale forward, inhale on the buttocks upward movement.  Do 8 or fewer repetitions.  Rest in child's pose.  Do another set if you like, again changing how you interlace the fingers.

Never overdo if you are new to any physical activity.  The body takes time to adjust.  If you are patient and practice with care and awareness, the body will respond to the new love you are showing to it.

Let me know what you experience.