“The 5-Step Method To Correct Bad Posture and Movement Habits – Permanently!”

One of the most common questions I get from patients and online course students is:

 

“When will this new way of breathing/moving/ standing/walking/ squatting/etc feel NATURAL to me?”

 

In today’s episode I share a short case study from an online student along with a 5-step framework you can use to rewire good, functional, pain free, strain free patterns of posture and movement into your natural, subconscioius “autopilot”.

 

Put these principles into action and, as always, if you have any questions just leave a comment on the post! Thanks!

 

Dr. Steve

 

P.S. If the woman from the case study can wake up movements that have been asleep for 20 plus years and become independent from her wheelchair, certainly it’s possible for you, too!

 

Comments

  1. Dr Hoffman,

    I am a level 1 & 2 FMS certified coach. My first screening is on breathing and posture. I was surprised you did not mention the quality of good breathing pattern in your video ?  knowing how much you value good breathing . 

    Then i screen on mobility and stability first ( FMS ) 

    All of this  with total awareness .

     

    what do you think of this approach ?

    ps  i love all your video's, 

     

    kind regards,

    BO de la Haye

     

    • Hey Bo, yes you're exactly right to always check breathing and posture first.  The main message of this video was how to take ANY new movement program and drop it into autopilot.  Could be breathing, could be walking, could be sitting, could be reaching…all the 5 steps apply.

      That's awsome that you did FMS.  Great construct for fitness evaluation.  Are you trainer or practitioner?

       

      • Hi Dr. Hoffman,

        thank you for your comment. I appreciate this very much. The FMS screening and Gray Cook's simple and logical solutions / corrective exercises makes training and coaching people almost like fun because of the direct feedback / improvements. Maybe it sounds rediculous, but it has made me even more humble towards my clients ? Most of my clients are desk jockey's.  i work together with mental coaching organisations ( a healthy mind in a healthy body right ?).

        No, i'm not a practioner, but usually i sent the majority of my clients to the fysio or manual therapist or ostheopath, just to get a clear view on the functionality of their frame.

        especially ofcourse when they mention pain with the FMS screening.

        kind regards,

        BO

         

         

  2. For those looking for a summary of the five techniques:

    * Awareness: know what the problem is

    * Consistent attention: when practicing, use 100% of your attention on the problem spot identified in step 1.

    * Quality not quantity: Practice with perfection. You're done as soon as you lose perfect form

    * Cintration: Keep alignment of the torso

    * Integration: Practice the movements as part of your daily life, e.g., when sitting down, using toilet, etc.

  3. Just a lay person, who reads and tries to "rehab" his own issues.

    I find your work so accessible — i.e., so understandable that I am able to execute your concepts and movements without a lot of misunderstanding, confusion, or error. Thanks so much.

    I just finished reading Dr Evan Osars, "Corrective Exercise Solutions."  He also speaks of the same 5 key concepts.  However, as stated in the above post, Dr Osar also begins with breathing as the first step.

    Do you both share a similar philosophy?  Or did you both graduate from a similar school of practice?

     

    Looking forward to your course.

     

     

     

    • Glad you find the information accessible, Jim.  Yes, Evan Osar and I have learned from similar teachers and schools of thought…especially the neurodevelopmental model that has come out of Prague.  If you want to learn ideal human movement, what better way than to watch and learn from a baby!

  4. I was hoping to see the case study in the video?  How do we access that?  Is that only for enrolled members?

    Thanks,

    Wayne

    • Hi Wayne, it was a partial case study / example of a real student who presented with a motor control / stability problem instead of a mobility problem.    The take home study with her case is that I was wrongly assuming she was restricted or stuck in the capsule of the back of her hip or her hamstrings were horribly tight.

      But when she sat with her legs straight out in front of her I saw that she had plenty of mobility to stick her tail out to squat correcty…she had simply developed an "amnesia" of the functional movement pattern.

      The bottom line and I suppose, more complete case study is that since re-wiring functional movement patterns, she has gone from grossly dysfunctional assisted walking and spending most of her time in a motorized wheelchair to walking more independently and getting up and down off the floor (which she had not done for 20+ years), and singing again (her diaphragm was too weak to push enough air), among many other simple breakthroughs.

      So waking up pathways that have been "covered up" by stress, pain, and illness is possible. 

      Thanks for your comment and giving me a chance to clarify, Wayne! 

       

       

  5. Dr. Steve

    Lots of great information in this video. It is always so helpful to be able to watch over and over a movement that you are working on. Each time I watch I have new thoughts. You stated that it is important to focus on the movement 100%. I have always had learning disabilities. Focusing has not been a natural or easy thing for me. As I pondered on child development I wondered, is it possible that learning disabilities are a product of misaligned development. Babies are exposed to the same toxic environment that adults are, even before they are actually born. In fact due to their small body mass, they are even more vulnerable. The possibilities  for environmental factors to cause a glitch in how the brain is wired are innumerable. My ability to focus has improved since I signed up for this course. I had attributed that improvement to better nutrition. However, I am now wondering if that improvement is also due to my brain being rewired, so that it has more capability to focus. It will be very intersting to see if my learning disabilities improve, as I rewire. My physical improvement has been very exciting. It never occured to me that my learning disabilites would be improved by these exercises as well, but I think it is happeneing. Thank you so much for teaching me these exercises that are haveing such a quality impact on my life.

    •  Yes, Carol…it is quite possible and probable that your focus is improving because you are placing lots of focus and attention on learning something new.  (or RE-learning something inborn, however you want to say it!).  When you use intense focus and attention on a new task it switched on the control system for neuroplasticity and neurotransmitters like acetylcholine and dopamine are released.  Acetylcholine for memory and dopamine for focus. 
       
      ALWAYS keep learning!
  6. Hi Dr. Steve,

    instead of listening … why don’t you let your client feeeeel ;

    i would use RNT , to improve her movement pattern
    we ” feed ” the mistake !

    As Gray Cook often says, “Does turning on your glute give you a better squat, or is giving you a better squat a better way of teaching you to fire your glute?”

    thank you for all your vids.

    BO

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