A HUNCH YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE

"What can I do to get my husband to stand up straighter? He's starting to look like an old man!"

These are the pleading words of my well-meaning, boomer-age-and-beyond female clients. They are wives, and they are on a mission. They have made the decision to strengthen their own bodies and improve their health. Now they are determined to get their husbands to follow suit - especially to straighten up their backs.

First, ladies, you need only encourage your husbands - not nag them. You can set the example, but exercise adherence is proportionate to a person's motivation and their readiness to take action. Complaining about your husband's posture may pressure him to exercise (just to keep the nagging at bay). But unless your husband is experiencing the inevitable neck and upper back pain, the lower back compression and discomfort, or the frustration of looking years older than he is, he's not likely to stick with the program. Maybe - just maybe - you can get him thinking about what lies ahead for him if he doesn't straighten up. Information is power, both for you and for him.

Now listen up. This upper back curvature, known as kyphosis, is not gender-specific. So please take a look in the mirror, ladies, first. This curvature is also NOT an inevitable part of the aging process. Older folks can stand tall, too. Assuming the spine is not curved due to a genetic or structural abnormality, that upper back hunch can be improved, if not corrected, before it is too late. Intervention, such as changing lifestyle habits and performing strengthening exercises is crucial, however.

Weakness in the upper and mid-back muscles can occur through repeated postural alignment patterns. For example, spending hours a day bent over a desk or a computer, or not pulling the shoulders back and sucking in the tummy when you walk, can help create this problem. Over time, those back muscles lengthen and weaken, and the chest muscles shorten and tighten. Being curved forward actually feels more comfortable than standing tall when the strength of both muscle groups is not equalized. If only the imbalance stopped there. Unfortunately, the neck is jutting forward now, and the lower back becomes compressed (curves the opposite way) to keep you from toppling over. Add to that tightened hip flexors that can no longer lift the leg fully and weak hamstrings and glutes that fail to straighten the leg optimally, and you now have additional lower body issues. The abdominal muscles, if weakened, protrude as the lower back compresses and no longer support the spine. Breathing can even become difficult if the diaphragm is squished by this hunched posture. The beautiful anatomical chain that the human body is becomes adept at compensating for these imbalances. Some muscles are carrying more than their load while others are slackers on the job. Your body is now a chain of weak links.

Ladies and gents, given enough time, your spines will no longer be able to straighten and progressive curvature will really start to get you down (no pun intended!). The good news is that intervention using resistance exercise and static stretching to bring balance back to these muscle groups, can bring you back up, literally. Practicing healthy posture (yes, walk while balancing a book on your head) and taking breaks from desk and computer work will also help.

So, to both the men and the women who love them, prevent the aging appearance and functional problems associated with kyphosis by beginning an exercise and stretching program now. Emphasize ALL of the major muscle groups to be sure that balance is restored. If you have a hunch that you or a loved one has a hunch, begin now to change it. And ladies, let's redirect the energy wasted on nagging and, gentleman, the energy you're expending to fend off the nagging, and use it at the gym instead!