May 13, 2025 • 15 mins
Welcome to the "You’re Not Gonna Make It" podcast, where I discuss topics that make you feel like humanity’s not gonna make it.
This episode: Posture check!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kevin Tejada:
Posture check. Are you slouching? Stop. I don't think you want to become a hunchback. (00:28):
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Kevin Tejada: That's the topic of this episode. Hunchbacks. Actually, it's bad posture. (00:35):
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Kevin Tejada: Posture in general, I guess. (00:39):
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Kevin Tejada: So there are a lot of reasons why most people's posture sucks. (00:41):
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Kevin Tejada: They don't exercise properly. They spend too much time on the computer. (00:46):
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Kevin Tejada: They spend too much time on their phone. (00:51):
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Kevin Tejada: They're leaning in too much because they forget their microphone is actually competent. (00:53):
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Kevin Tejada: Tons of reasons if you have bad posture not only is your skeleton basically (00:57):
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Kevin Tejada: collapsing on itself but you look like a loser you're probably going to feel (01:02):
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Kevin Tejada: like a loser too what's crazy is that about two-thirds of children and teenagers are showing signs, (01:05):
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Kevin Tejada: phone you're breaking your neck rather you're looking down you're causing your (01:19):
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Kevin Tejada: posterior chain the back half of your body to become looser because your head's just hanging there. (01:24):
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Speaker2: And it's not great, honestly. Ideally, if you, when you use your phone, (01:30):
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Speaker2: you look like a weird person, but (01:34):
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Kevin Tejada: Dumb? Probably. You know what looks dumber though? Being a hunchbacker. (01:44):
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Kevin Tejada: Now these kids and teenagers, they're having this bad posture so early on, (01:49):
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Kevin Tejada: But it's going to continue when they got to be on the computer all the time. (01:52):
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Kevin Tejada: Now, I say computer, maybe I mean tablet with the keyboard attached. (01:56):
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Kevin Tejada: I don't know what's going to happen with the computer market going forward because (02:01):
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Kevin Tejada: people love touch screens. They love phones. (02:04):
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Kevin Tejada: Kids can't type these days, so I don't know. But you know what I'm saying? (02:06):
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Kevin Tejada: A bigger screen that they do actual work on. (02:10):
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Speaker2: When they go to that, (02:12):
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Kevin Tejada: Their posture is going to continue to get worse. and the reason for that is (02:15):
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Kevin Tejada: is because the way that our desks and computers are set up is just is not optimal (02:20):
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Kevin Tejada: if you can find a chair that is at a perfect level with the desk that's at a (02:24):
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Kevin Tejada: perfect level with the monitor without adjusting it you're bullshitting it. (02:30):
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Speaker2: Just never lines up perfectly (02:34):
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Kevin Tejada: With your arms your vision anything like that i had to get a standing desk to (02:36):
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Kevin Tejada: adjust it so it can be a proper position when I'm sitting down. (02:40):
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Speaker2: This is where the typical male workout fucks you up. (02:45):
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Speaker1: So most men, just like most people, (02:51):
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Kevin Tejada: Are dumb. And when they go to the gym, they work out the mirror muscles, (02:52):
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Kevin Tejada: the ones you see in front, right? The chest, biceps, shoulders. (02:56):
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Kevin Tejada: And what this means is they often neglect their legs and their back. (02:59):
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Kevin Tejada: Maybe they don't completely ignore them, but goddamn, do they love their chest. (03:04):
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Kevin Tejada: So what happens is the anterior chain, the muscles in the front of your body (03:08):
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Kevin Tejada: become tighter, overactive, which means when you're slouching, (03:13):
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Kevin Tejada: you get the tight muscles. (03:18):
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Kevin Tejada: It just increases the chance of being a hunchback so what most people need to (03:19):
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Kevin Tejada: do obviously balance and, (03:24):
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Kevin Tejada: they're being retarded with just exercising their chest three times a week or (03:32):
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Kevin Tejada: whatever i mean i exercise chest three times a week but that's because i do (03:36):
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Kevin Tejada: full body three times a week but you know i'm saying you know you're you're (03:39):
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Kevin Tejada: doing bench press like six times a week. That's not helpful. (03:42):
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Kevin Tejada: So what most people need to do is work on their posterior chain, (03:46):
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Kevin Tejada: talking pulling, rows, pull-ups, deadlifts. (03:50):
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Kevin Tejada: Strengthen that up so it can support you. That part is probably underactive. (03:54):
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Kevin Tejada: If one part of you is overactive, the opposite part. (03:59):
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Speaker2: Will be underactive. So you need to counteract that. (04:01):
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Kevin Tejada: Most people don't. That's why a lot of people have text neck, (04:05):
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Kevin Tejada: which as you can guess is, you know, you're texting, you're writing a message (04:09):
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Kevin Tejada: on your phone and your your head is just looking straight down your neck is (04:13):
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Kevin Tejada: at like a fucking 90 degree angle and, (04:16):
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Kevin Tejada: slouched out in some weird ass position because you're home right probably that's (04:50):
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Kevin Tejada: worse for for your posture so. (04:55):
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Speaker2: If you do (04:58):
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Kevin Tejada: This keep in mind that you don't want to be too relaxed you do want to be comfortable (04:58):
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Kevin Tejada: but don't let your body turn to a blob honestly i think most people especially (05:04):
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Kevin Tejada: going forward they're going to be using more their phone than the computer because (05:10):
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Kevin Tejada: everything's mobile these days, right? (05:14):
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Kevin Tejada: And that's worse because while you're using a computer, probably using a monitor, (05:16):
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Kevin Tejada: monitor is going to be in front of you, usually not under you, (05:20):
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Kevin Tejada: which is where your phone is. (05:25):
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Kevin Tejada: So it's going to be rough, especially for those of you who spend, (05:27):
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Kevin Tejada: you know, double digit hours on your phone. (05:30):
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Kevin Tejada: And believe it or not, people like that do exist. I've seen it before One time (05:35):
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Kevin Tejada: I saw 14 hours for someone's screen time And I'm like How? (05:39):
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Kevin Tejada: Literally how? But people find a way. (05:44):
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Speaker1: Let's throw some numbers your way. (05:48):
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Kevin Tejada: Like I said, about two-thirds of children and teens have bad posture. (05:50):
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Kevin Tejada: And in Europe and China, they're telling us that over half of early teens have (05:55):
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Kevin Tejada: postural abnormalities, which I'm assuming means a hunchback. (06:01):
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Speaker2: That's crazy. (06:06):
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Kevin Tejada: I think kids have it rough enough in school. So if you see your kid having a (06:07):
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Kevin Tejada: hunchback situation, correct that shit ASAP. (06:13):
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Kevin Tejada: You know part of it too is the backpack stuff now (06:17):
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Kevin Tejada: that those kids who wore the their backpacks on the front don't look (06:21):
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Kevin Tejada: so silly right now honestly but you know when you (06:23):
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Kevin Tejada: have a heavy backpack makes you stronger sure but then you have (06:26):
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Kevin Tejada: to lean forward and you kind of get used to it because you're supporting the (06:29):
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Kevin Tejada: backpack and not trying to fall backwards but what this causes is pain and dysfunction (06:32):
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Kevin Tejada: so for these people with incorrect posture these stats aren't very specific (06:39):
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Kevin Tejada: i don't know if we're still talking about kids or adults now, (06:44):
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Kevin Tejada: but about over 40% of these people report neck pain. Makes sense. (06:47):
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Kevin Tejada: Mostly comes from the phone, I assume. Although neck, shoulders, traps. (06:52):
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Speaker2: Back, all this stuff, they are connected. (06:57):
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Kevin Tejada: So it's not so much of a localized issue, but a holistic issue. (06:59):
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Kevin Tejada: Then half of these people experience lumbar pain, their lower back. (07:05):
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Kevin Tejada: And I believe this because no one uses that silly lumbar pillow. (07:09):
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Kevin Tejada: I do. And it's a fucking game changer. I recommend it. (07:13):
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Kevin Tejada: But most people don't do that, which means their lower back doesn't have quite that natural curve. (07:17):
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Kevin Tejada: They kind of start, it starts curving the other way. (07:23):
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Kevin Tejada: And then the curve begins at the top of their spine instead, (07:27):
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Kevin Tejada: even more so because of their fucked up neck. (07:30):
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Kevin Tejada: And one third of shoulder pain is linked to postural. (07:32):
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Speaker1: For more than three hours a day Increases the risk of elbow complaints I don't know why I (07:40):
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Speaker1: stats are counting complaints only, but I guess that's how you find out, right? (07:47):
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Kevin Tejada: Increases the risk of elbow complaints by about six times. (07:52):
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Kevin Tejada: That's crazy. And knee complaints by three times. I don't know how using a smartphone affects your knees. (07:56):
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Kevin Tejada: I know the body's connected, but I'm trying to think about it. (08:03):
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Kevin Tejada: Maybe when you're sitting down, you're leaning forward using your phone, (08:07):
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Kevin Tejada: there's extra weight going forward in your body, your knee supporting a bit more, maybe. (08:10):
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Kevin Tejada: I don't That's kind of a stretch, but I don't know. That's a weird one. (08:15):
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Kevin Tejada: Apparently only about 20% of people maintain adequate posture while using a computer. (08:20):
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Kevin Tejada: And that rate drops over time because people just get lazy about it. (08:25):
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Kevin Tejada: I'll admit, I suffer from this sometimes. I'm at work, I'm doing computer shit, I'm dead inside. (08:29):
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Kevin Tejada: I'm slouching because it's like, do I really want to give it my all for this? For this? (08:36):
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Kevin Tejada: But you need to. Here's why. (08:42):
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Kevin Tejada: Bad posture can cause neck, back, and shoulder pain, headaches and stiffness. (08:45):
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Kevin Tejada: Spinal dysfunction and joint degeneration, poor sleep and fatigue, (08:51):
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Kevin Tejada: because if your spine's fucked up, your skeleton's fucked up, (08:55):
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Kevin Tejada: being in bed's not going to be that comfortable. (08:58):
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Kevin Tejada: Causes digestive issues and heartburn due to abdominal compression. (09:01):
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Kevin Tejada: So when you're leaning forward a bit, that's the compression, (09:04):
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Kevin Tejada: and your body doesn't like that apparently. (09:08):
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Kevin Tejada: Which makes a lot of sense because you stand upright you have a lot of room (09:25):
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Kevin Tejada: to breathe right into your stomach, (09:29):
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Kevin Tejada: I think it was a year, maybe two ago, where I started to change the way I breathe. (09:32):
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Kevin Tejada: A lot of people breathe into their chest a bit. I really have trouble actually (09:38):
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Kevin Tejada: doing that even to show someone. (09:42):
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Kevin Tejada: When I breathe, the air goes directly into my stomach, like just right down there. (09:45):
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Kevin Tejada: As a result, if the shirt fits me enough and I'm breathing, I do look fat half (09:50):
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Kevin Tejada: the time because there's air in there, but it works out a lot. (09:54):
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Kevin Tejada: And if you're leaning forward a lot, it's really hard to get the air in there (09:59):
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Kevin Tejada: because you're compressed like that. (10:04):
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Kevin Tejada: If you stand more upright, you have a lot of room for your stomach to stretch (10:06):
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Kevin Tejada: out for that air. So that makes total sense. (10:09):
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Kevin Tejada: So how can you avoid being a hunchback? How can you not look like a Quasimodo? (10:12):
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Speaker2: A couple of things. (10:18):
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Kevin Tejada: Sometimes you just need a cue. I've heard of some good cues before. (10:19):
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Kevin Tejada: One comes from Brian Johnson, famous guy who doesn't want to die. (10:23):
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Kevin Tejada: It says, imagine there's a string at the top of your head and the ceiling is (10:28):
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Kevin Tejada: pulling it up and then adjust your body as such. (10:32):
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Kevin Tejada: That's pretty good. Another one I heard is, pretend that there are two hooks (10:35):
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Kevin Tejada: in your nipples and someone's in front of you pulling you. (10:40):
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Kevin Tejada: How would you walk with those hooks in your nipples? (10:43):
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Kevin Tejada: Probably fairly upright, right? Now, my favorite one is to imagine that you're (10:48):
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Kevin Tejada: a superhero. Imagine you're Superman. (10:54):
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Kevin Tejada: You're wearing a cape. How are you wearing that cape? (10:56):
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Speaker2: I imagine if (11:00):
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Kevin Tejada: You had to be a hero and wear a cape, you would stand up properly. (11:01):
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Kevin Tejada: Your body knows what to do. (11:05):
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Kevin Tejada: My favorite one, but any of those cues are pretty good. Another way to combat (11:08):
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Kevin Tejada: bad posture is just getting ergonomic stuff. (11:13):
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Kevin Tejada: Get a chair that's good, has a little headrest, has a lumbar pillow that helps a lot. (11:15):
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Kevin Tejada: When I was flying to Italy and the plane ride was about, what, nine hours? (11:22):
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Kevin Tejada: 12 hours? I don't know. Let's say 10 hours. It was probably the most uncomfortable (11:29):
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Kevin Tejada: chair I've ever had the displeasure of sitting in. (11:34):
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Kevin Tejada: But once I used the neck pillow to support my lumbar, my lower back, (11:37):
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Kevin Tejada: it became so much more comfortable. (11:43):
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Kevin Tejada: And I was upset that I only found this out in the last two hours of the flight. (11:45):
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Kevin Tejada: Because when your lower back is not supported, your body just tends to hunch (11:50):
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Kevin Tejada: because that's how it can relax in that case. (11:54):
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Speaker2: And this can also (11:57):
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Kevin Tejada: Apply to keyboards and monitors as well. You can have a monitor that actually (11:58):
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Kevin Tejada: adjusts its height, which means you can, you know, have proper posture when (12:03):
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Kevin Tejada: you're looking at your monitor. (12:07):
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Kevin Tejada: You can have a keyboard that's maybe, I don't know, bigger, split keyboard so it can be wider. (12:08):
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Kevin Tejada: That way the front of your body isn't so tight, you can open it up by spreading out your hands more. (12:14):
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Kevin Tejada: You can have a standing desk, which I highly recommend. That shit's expensive (12:19):
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Kevin Tejada: as hell, but my goodness, medical bills cost more. (12:24):
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Kevin Tejada: Relatedly, I have to go to physical therapy as of recently because of, (12:28):
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Kevin Tejada: I'm assuming they're telling me it's tendonitis of some kind for my extensors, (12:33):
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Kevin Tejada: basically because I type too much. (12:37):
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Kevin Tejada: So yes, you can physical therapy for computering too hard. (12:39):
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Kevin Tejada: And because of thing that I bought and left on my computer chair for a few weeks (12:43):
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Kevin Tejada: because I was lazy, I just moved up. (12:48):
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Speaker2: My desk to a standing position. (12:50):
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Kevin Tejada: And I've been working with that for a couple of weeks. And due to everything (12:53):
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Kevin Tejada: being connected, I've been working, (12:57):
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Kevin Tejada: hand has actually been healing a bit more because if something is in your hand, (12:59):
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Kevin Tejada: that means it's already affecting your wrist, probably your elbow, (13:03):
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Kevin Tejada: maybe even your shoulder. It's all connected. (13:06):
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Kevin Tejada: So if you can afford it, get a standing desk. It'll solve so much of the hunchback dilemma here. (13:09):
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Kevin Tejada: Another thing to combat bad posture, get better phone habits. (13:16):
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Kevin Tejada: First of all, number one. (13:20):
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Speaker2: Use your phone less. (13:21):
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Kevin Tejada: That's key to all of this. You can use your phone in the worst posture possible, (13:23):
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Kevin Tejada: But if it's like 15 seconds per day, you'll be good, right? (13:28):
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Kevin Tejada: If you use your phone a lot in shit-ass posture, you're going to have a bad time. (13:32):
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Kevin Tejada: So try to be that weirdo. Hold your phone more in front of your face. (13:36):
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Kevin Tejada: If you're too embarrassed, just hold it up higher than normal. (13:40):
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Kevin Tejada: And another thing related to physical therapy, don't support the phone with (13:43):
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Kevin Tejada: your pinky like that. If you keep supporting electronics like that later on, (13:47):
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Kevin Tejada: you're going to have some not fun times with your hand later on. (13:51):
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Kevin Tejada: What's also helpful is using voice to text so you don't have to have your hands (13:55):
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Kevin Tejada: super close together and type something so much i've been using. (13:59):
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Speaker2: Because of the physical therapy voice to text a lot more and it's been great (14:02):
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Kevin Tejada: The relief is real i promise another thing to combat posture this is a this (14:06):
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Kevin Tejada: is a great one exercise like i said pulling the back half of your body the posterior chain. (14:13):
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Kevin Tejada: Improve the posterior chain and your posture will improve as well. (14:20):
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Kevin Tejada: That's what holds you up. (14:25):
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Kevin Tejada: You only focus on the front. You'll be leaning to the front. (14:26):
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Kevin Tejada: Focus on everything, especially the back with all the, you know, (14:29):
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Kevin Tejada: to counteract all the phone and tech usage. (14:32):
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Kevin Tejada: Your body will be pretty damn good at supporting itself and your spine will (14:34):
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Kevin Tejada: be protected too. And if all else fails. (14:39):
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Speaker2: I don't know, (14:43):
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Kevin Tejada: Get some surgeries. You have some surgery. I've heard mixed things about chiropractors (14:43):
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Kevin Tejada: i don't know but yeah talk to your doctor i guess maybe i, (14:49):
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Kevin Tejada: but honestly if you do all of the above i don't know if you'll need professional (15:04):
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Kevin Tejada: help unless you have something like scoliosis or whatever like there or something (15:09):
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Kevin Tejada: else that affects your spine from birth or whatever that i mean that's the separate issue, of course. (15:13):
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Speaker2: But for what you can do, (15:18):
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Kevin Tejada: Get better stuff, get more comfortable stuff, get slightly better habits, (15:20):
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Kevin Tejada: and that includes exercise. And, you know, just have posture checks too. (15:25):
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Kevin Tejada: Just try to be more aware of when you're slouching or being, you know, a blob. (15:28):
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Kevin Tejada: At least you're aware of it, and then you can change it, if you so choose, which you should. (15:34):
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Kevin Tejada: Let me know in the comments how many times did you slouch during this episode. (15:39):
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Kevin Tejada: Was it zero times? I don't fucking believe you. (15:43):
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Kevin Tejada: Anyway, I hope you make it. See you next time. (15:47):
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Kevin Tejada: That's the topic of this episode. Hunchbacks. Actually, it's bad posture. (00:35):
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Kevin Tejada: Posture in general, I guess. (00:39):
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Kevin Tejada: So there are a lot of reasons why most people's posture sucks. (00:41):
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Kevin Tejada: They don't exercise properly. They spend too much time on the computer. (00:46):
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Kevin Tejada: They spend too much time on their phone. (00:51):
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Kevin Tejada: They're leaning in too much because they forget their microphone is actually competent. (00:53):
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Kevin Tejada: Tons of reasons if you have bad posture not only is your skeleton basically (00:57):
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Kevin Tejada: collapsing on itself but you look like a loser you're probably going to feel (01:02):
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Kevin Tejada: like a loser too what's crazy is that about two-thirds of children and teenagers are showing signs, (01:05):
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Kevin Tejada: phone you're breaking your neck rather you're looking down you're causing your (01:19):
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Kevin Tejada: posterior chain the back half of your body to become looser because your head's just hanging there. (01:24):
undefined
Speaker2: And it's not great, honestly. Ideally, if you, when you use your phone, (01:30):
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Speaker2: you look like a weird person, but (01:34):
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Kevin Tejada: Dumb? Probably. You know what looks dumber though? Being a hunchbacker. (01:44):
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Kevin Tejada: Now these kids and teenagers, they're having this bad posture so early on, (01:49):
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Kevin Tejada: But it's going to continue when they got to be on the computer all the time. (01:52):
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Kevin Tejada: Now, I say computer, maybe I mean tablet with the keyboard attached. (01:56):
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Kevin Tejada: I don't know what's going to happen with the computer market going forward because (02:01):
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Kevin Tejada: people love touch screens. They love phones. (02:04):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: Kids can't type these days, so I don't know. But you know what I'm saying? (02:06):
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Kevin Tejada: A bigger screen that they do actual work on. (02:10):
undefined
Speaker2: When they go to that, (02:12):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: Their posture is going to continue to get worse. and the reason for that is (02:15):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: is because the way that our desks and computers are set up is just is not optimal (02:20):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: if you can find a chair that is at a perfect level with the desk that's at a (02:24):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: perfect level with the monitor without adjusting it you're bullshitting it. (02:30):
undefined
Speaker2: Just never lines up perfectly (02:34):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: With your arms your vision anything like that i had to get a standing desk to (02:36):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: adjust it so it can be a proper position when I'm sitting down. (02:40):
undefined
Speaker2: This is where the typical male workout fucks you up. (02:45):
undefined
Speaker1: So most men, just like most people, (02:51):
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Kevin Tejada: Are dumb. And when they go to the gym, they work out the mirror muscles, (02:52):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: the ones you see in front, right? The chest, biceps, shoulders. (02:56):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: And what this means is they often neglect their legs and their back. (02:59):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: Maybe they don't completely ignore them, but goddamn, do they love their chest. (03:04):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: So what happens is the anterior chain, the muscles in the front of your body (03:08):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: become tighter, overactive, which means when you're slouching, (03:13):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: you get the tight muscles. (03:18):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: It just increases the chance of being a hunchback so what most people need to (03:19):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: do obviously balance and, (03:24):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: they're being retarded with just exercising their chest three times a week or (03:32):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: whatever i mean i exercise chest three times a week but that's because i do (03:36):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: full body three times a week but you know i'm saying you know you're you're (03:39):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: doing bench press like six times a week. That's not helpful. (03:42):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: So what most people need to do is work on their posterior chain, (03:46):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: talking pulling, rows, pull-ups, deadlifts. (03:50):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: Strengthen that up so it can support you. That part is probably underactive. (03:54):
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Kevin Tejada: If one part of you is overactive, the opposite part. (03:59):
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Speaker2: Will be underactive. So you need to counteract that. (04:01):
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Kevin Tejada: Most people don't. That's why a lot of people have text neck, (04:05):
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Kevin Tejada: which as you can guess is, you know, you're texting, you're writing a message (04:09):
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Kevin Tejada: on your phone and your your head is just looking straight down your neck is (04:13):
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Kevin Tejada: at like a fucking 90 degree angle and, (04:16):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: slouched out in some weird ass position because you're home right probably that's (04:50):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: worse for for your posture so. (04:55):
undefined
Speaker2: If you do (04:58):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: This keep in mind that you don't want to be too relaxed you do want to be comfortable (04:58):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: but don't let your body turn to a blob honestly i think most people especially (05:04):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: going forward they're going to be using more their phone than the computer because (05:10):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: everything's mobile these days, right? (05:14):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: And that's worse because while you're using a computer, probably using a monitor, (05:16):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: monitor is going to be in front of you, usually not under you, (05:20):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: which is where your phone is. (05:25):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: So it's going to be rough, especially for those of you who spend, (05:27):
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Kevin Tejada: you know, double digit hours on your phone. (05:30):
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Kevin Tejada: And believe it or not, people like that do exist. I've seen it before One time (05:35):
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Kevin Tejada: I saw 14 hours for someone's screen time And I'm like How? (05:39):
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Kevin Tejada: Literally how? But people find a way. (05:44):
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Speaker1: Let's throw some numbers your way. (05:48):
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Kevin Tejada: Like I said, about two-thirds of children and teens have bad posture. (05:50):
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Kevin Tejada: And in Europe and China, they're telling us that over half of early teens have (05:55):
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Kevin Tejada: postural abnormalities, which I'm assuming means a hunchback. (06:01):
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Speaker2: That's crazy. (06:06):
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Kevin Tejada: I think kids have it rough enough in school. So if you see your kid having a (06:07):
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Kevin Tejada: hunchback situation, correct that shit ASAP. (06:13):
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Kevin Tejada: You know part of it too is the backpack stuff now (06:17):
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Kevin Tejada: that those kids who wore the their backpacks on the front don't look (06:21):
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Kevin Tejada: so silly right now honestly but you know when you (06:23):
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Kevin Tejada: have a heavy backpack makes you stronger sure but then you have (06:26):
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Kevin Tejada: to lean forward and you kind of get used to it because you're supporting the (06:29):
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Kevin Tejada: backpack and not trying to fall backwards but what this causes is pain and dysfunction (06:32):
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Kevin Tejada: so for these people with incorrect posture these stats aren't very specific (06:39):
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Kevin Tejada: i don't know if we're still talking about kids or adults now, (06:44):
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Kevin Tejada: but about over 40% of these people report neck pain. Makes sense. (06:47):
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Kevin Tejada: Mostly comes from the phone, I assume. Although neck, shoulders, traps. (06:52):
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Speaker2: Back, all this stuff, they are connected. (06:57):
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Kevin Tejada: So it's not so much of a localized issue, but a holistic issue. (06:59):
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Kevin Tejada: Then half of these people experience lumbar pain, their lower back. (07:05):
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Kevin Tejada: And I believe this because no one uses that silly lumbar pillow. (07:09):
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Kevin Tejada: I do. And it's a fucking game changer. I recommend it. (07:13):
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Kevin Tejada: But most people don't do that, which means their lower back doesn't have quite that natural curve. (07:17):
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Kevin Tejada: They kind of start, it starts curving the other way. (07:23):
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Kevin Tejada: And then the curve begins at the top of their spine instead, (07:27):
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Kevin Tejada: even more so because of their fucked up neck. (07:30):
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Kevin Tejada: And one third of shoulder pain is linked to postural. (07:32):
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Speaker1: For more than three hours a day Increases the risk of elbow complaints I don't know why I (07:40):
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Speaker1: stats are counting complaints only, but I guess that's how you find out, right? (07:47):
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Kevin Tejada: Increases the risk of elbow complaints by about six times. (07:52):
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Kevin Tejada: That's crazy. And knee complaints by three times. I don't know how using a smartphone affects your knees. (07:56):
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Kevin Tejada: I know the body's connected, but I'm trying to think about it. (08:03):
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Kevin Tejada: Maybe when you're sitting down, you're leaning forward using your phone, (08:07):
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Kevin Tejada: there's extra weight going forward in your body, your knee supporting a bit more, maybe. (08:10):
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Kevin Tejada: I don't That's kind of a stretch, but I don't know. That's a weird one. (08:15):
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Kevin Tejada: Apparently only about 20% of people maintain adequate posture while using a computer. (08:20):
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Kevin Tejada: And that rate drops over time because people just get lazy about it. (08:25):
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Kevin Tejada: I'll admit, I suffer from this sometimes. I'm at work, I'm doing computer shit, I'm dead inside. (08:29):
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Kevin Tejada: I'm slouching because it's like, do I really want to give it my all for this? For this? (08:36):
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Kevin Tejada: But you need to. Here's why. (08:42):
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Kevin Tejada: Bad posture can cause neck, back, and shoulder pain, headaches and stiffness. (08:45):
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Kevin Tejada: Spinal dysfunction and joint degeneration, poor sleep and fatigue, (08:51):
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Kevin Tejada: because if your spine's fucked up, your skeleton's fucked up, (08:55):
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Kevin Tejada: being in bed's not going to be that comfortable. (08:58):
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Kevin Tejada: Causes digestive issues and heartburn due to abdominal compression. (09:01):
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Kevin Tejada: So when you're leaning forward a bit, that's the compression, (09:04):
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Kevin Tejada: and your body doesn't like that apparently. (09:08):
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Kevin Tejada: Which makes a lot of sense because you stand upright you have a lot of room (09:25):
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Kevin Tejada: to breathe right into your stomach, (09:29):
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Kevin Tejada: I think it was a year, maybe two ago, where I started to change the way I breathe. (09:32):
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Kevin Tejada: A lot of people breathe into their chest a bit. I really have trouble actually (09:38):
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Kevin Tejada: doing that even to show someone. (09:42):
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Kevin Tejada: When I breathe, the air goes directly into my stomach, like just right down there. (09:45):
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Kevin Tejada: As a result, if the shirt fits me enough and I'm breathing, I do look fat half (09:50):
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Kevin Tejada: the time because there's air in there, but it works out a lot. (09:54):
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Kevin Tejada: And if you're leaning forward a lot, it's really hard to get the air in there (09:59):
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Kevin Tejada: because you're compressed like that. (10:04):
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Kevin Tejada: If you stand more upright, you have a lot of room for your stomach to stretch (10:06):
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Kevin Tejada: out for that air. So that makes total sense. (10:09):
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Kevin Tejada: So how can you avoid being a hunchback? How can you not look like a Quasimodo? (10:12):
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Speaker2: A couple of things. (10:18):
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Kevin Tejada: Sometimes you just need a cue. I've heard of some good cues before. (10:19):
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Kevin Tejada: One comes from Brian Johnson, famous guy who doesn't want to die. (10:23):
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Kevin Tejada: It says, imagine there's a string at the top of your head and the ceiling is (10:28):
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Kevin Tejada: pulling it up and then adjust your body as such. (10:32):
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Kevin Tejada: That's pretty good. Another one I heard is, pretend that there are two hooks (10:35):
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Kevin Tejada: in your nipples and someone's in front of you pulling you. (10:40):
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Kevin Tejada: How would you walk with those hooks in your nipples? (10:43):
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Kevin Tejada: Probably fairly upright, right? Now, my favorite one is to imagine that you're (10:48):
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Kevin Tejada: a superhero. Imagine you're Superman. (10:54):
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Kevin Tejada: You're wearing a cape. How are you wearing that cape? (10:56):
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Speaker2: I imagine if (11:00):
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Kevin Tejada: You had to be a hero and wear a cape, you would stand up properly. (11:01):
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Kevin Tejada: Your body knows what to do. (11:05):
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Kevin Tejada: My favorite one, but any of those cues are pretty good. Another way to combat (11:08):
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Kevin Tejada: bad posture is just getting ergonomic stuff. (11:13):
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Kevin Tejada: Get a chair that's good, has a little headrest, has a lumbar pillow that helps a lot. (11:15):
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Kevin Tejada: When I was flying to Italy and the plane ride was about, what, nine hours? (11:22):
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Kevin Tejada: 12 hours? I don't know. Let's say 10 hours. It was probably the most uncomfortable (11:29):
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Kevin Tejada: chair I've ever had the displeasure of sitting in. (11:34):
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Kevin Tejada: But once I used the neck pillow to support my lumbar, my lower back, (11:37):
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Kevin Tejada: it became so much more comfortable. (11:43):
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Kevin Tejada: And I was upset that I only found this out in the last two hours of the flight. (11:45):
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Kevin Tejada: Because when your lower back is not supported, your body just tends to hunch (11:50):
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Kevin Tejada: because that's how it can relax in that case. (11:54):
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Speaker2: And this can also (11:57):
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Kevin Tejada: Apply to keyboards and monitors as well. You can have a monitor that actually (11:58):
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Kevin Tejada: adjusts its height, which means you can, you know, have proper posture when (12:03):
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Kevin Tejada: you're looking at your monitor. (12:07):
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Kevin Tejada: You can have a keyboard that's maybe, I don't know, bigger, split keyboard so it can be wider. (12:08):
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Kevin Tejada: That way the front of your body isn't so tight, you can open it up by spreading out your hands more. (12:14):
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Kevin Tejada: You can have a standing desk, which I highly recommend. That shit's expensive (12:19):
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Kevin Tejada: as hell, but my goodness, medical bills cost more. (12:24):
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Kevin Tejada: Relatedly, I have to go to physical therapy as of recently because of, (12:28):
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Kevin Tejada: I'm assuming they're telling me it's tendonitis of some kind for my extensors, (12:33):
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Kevin Tejada: basically because I type too much. (12:37):
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Kevin Tejada: So yes, you can physical therapy for computering too hard. (12:39):
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Kevin Tejada: And because of thing that I bought and left on my computer chair for a few weeks (12:43):
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Kevin Tejada: because I was lazy, I just moved up. (12:48):
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Speaker2: My desk to a standing position. (12:50):
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Kevin Tejada: And I've been working with that for a couple of weeks. And due to everything (12:53):
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Kevin Tejada: being connected, I've been working, (12:57):
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Kevin Tejada: hand has actually been healing a bit more because if something is in your hand, (12:59):
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Kevin Tejada: that means it's already affecting your wrist, probably your elbow, (13:03):
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Kevin Tejada: maybe even your shoulder. It's all connected. (13:06):
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Kevin Tejada: So if you can afford it, get a standing desk. It'll solve so much of the hunchback dilemma here. (13:09):
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Kevin Tejada: Another thing to combat bad posture, get better phone habits. (13:16):
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Kevin Tejada: First of all, number one. (13:20):
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Speaker2: Use your phone less. (13:21):
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Kevin Tejada: That's key to all of this. You can use your phone in the worst posture possible, (13:23):
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Kevin Tejada: But if it's like 15 seconds per day, you'll be good, right? (13:28):
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Kevin Tejada: If you use your phone a lot in shit-ass posture, you're going to have a bad time. (13:32):
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Kevin Tejada: So try to be that weirdo. Hold your phone more in front of your face. (13:36):
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Kevin Tejada: If you're too embarrassed, just hold it up higher than normal. (13:40):
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Kevin Tejada: And another thing related to physical therapy, don't support the phone with (13:43):
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Kevin Tejada: your pinky like that. If you keep supporting electronics like that later on, (13:47):
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Kevin Tejada: you're going to have some not fun times with your hand later on. (13:51):
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Kevin Tejada: What's also helpful is using voice to text so you don't have to have your hands (13:55):
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Kevin Tejada: super close together and type something so much i've been using. (13:59):
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Speaker2: Because of the physical therapy voice to text a lot more and it's been great (14:02):
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Kevin Tejada: The relief is real i promise another thing to combat posture this is a this (14:06):
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Kevin Tejada: is a great one exercise like i said pulling the back half of your body the posterior chain. (14:13):
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Kevin Tejada: Improve the posterior chain and your posture will improve as well. (14:20):
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Kevin Tejada: That's what holds you up. (14:25):
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Kevin Tejada: You only focus on the front. You'll be leaning to the front. (14:26):
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Kevin Tejada: Focus on everything, especially the back with all the, you know, (14:29):
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Kevin Tejada: to counteract all the phone and tech usage. (14:32):
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Kevin Tejada: Your body will be pretty damn good at supporting itself and your spine will (14:34):
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Kevin Tejada: be protected too. And if all else fails. (14:39):
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Speaker2: I don't know, (14:43):
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Kevin Tejada: Get some surgeries. You have some surgery. I've heard mixed things about chiropractors (14:43):
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Kevin Tejada: i don't know but yeah talk to your doctor i guess maybe i, (14:49):
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Kevin Tejada: but honestly if you do all of the above i don't know if you'll need professional (15:04):
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Kevin Tejada: help unless you have something like scoliosis or whatever like there or something (15:09):
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Kevin Tejada: else that affects your spine from birth or whatever that i mean that's the separate issue, of course. (15:13):
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Speaker2: But for what you can do, (15:18):
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Kevin Tejada: Get better stuff, get more comfortable stuff, get slightly better habits, (15:20):
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Kevin Tejada: and that includes exercise. And, you know, just have posture checks too. (15:25):
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Kevin Tejada: Just try to be more aware of when you're slouching or being, you know, a blob. (15:28):
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Kevin Tejada: At least you're aware of it, and then you can change it, if you so choose, which you should. (15:34):
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Kevin Tejada: Let me know in the comments how many times did you slouch during this episode. (15:39):
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Kevin Tejada: Was it zero times? I don't fucking believe you. (15:43):
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Kevin Tejada: Anyway, I hope you make it. See you next time. (15:47):
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