Straight Talk: Posture For Whole Body Health 📐

Sit up and take note of some fungi facts and posture hacks

3-4 minute read

ICYMI

• A quick breath trick for instant stress relief

• Statins are getting a re-brand for healthy people

• 30 seconds of red light can improve your vision

THE SHROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED

🍄 If you know me, you know I’ve been a FunGal for some time now, and if you don’t know me, that means I specialize in mushrooms. I’ve long been a proponent of functional fungi like Lion’s Mane and Reishi for a range of health benefits, and I also work with folks 1:1 to help them get more comfortable with microdosing psilocybin for therapeutic use.

There is a LOT of confusion and fear-mongering out there around psychedelics, and my aim is to provide some comfort and clarity for folks to use mushrooms as a tool for incremental change: it’s not about leaving your body and staring into a black hole of self-exploration, it’s about sub-perceptual microprogress. But don’t just take it from me- here is one of the best accounts of the microdosing experience I’ve seen, written by a female veteran suffering from PTSD.

⭐️ Editor’s note: none of this is meant to be a plug for self-promotion so much as it’s a canapé to invite you to a fungi feast. For an entree-sized serving, check out my recent interview with Cori Sue Morris, Founder and CEO of Retreat Microdose.

CEREAL OFFENDER

Chalk another one up for Big Food pulling a fast one. General Mills and his Lieutenants Kellogg and Post have devised a real humdinger of a confusion campaign, by enlisting registered dietitians and nutrition experts to get on board with their “anti-diet” mission. You’re thinking: “well, maybe “anti-diet” culture is a good thing, it sounds healthy and body-positive, right?” But we’re not talking about promoting breakfast with balanced, nutritionally dense, real-food solutions and common sense. We’re talking about licensed nutrition experts encouraging people to stop feeling shame around food and dieting and instead enjoy Cocoa Puffs for better health: “In some videos made by anti-diet dietitians, creators say no foods should be labeled as “junk” or “unhealthy” because “all foods have value,” while showing snacks like Cheetos or candy brands like Reese’s and Twix.” This is why we can’t have nice things.

And so is this.  Just no. 

HERE’S A TIP, MAKE THE CHANGE

Show of hands from anyone who was ever told to sit up straight at the table? 🙋🏻‍♀️ Turns out your Nana was onto something: it’s not just good manners (but really, were you raised in a barn?), better posture leads to better health in the long run. Elongating your spine can have a meaningful impact on your breath, your circulatory system, your metabolism and your cardiovascular health, not to mention the obvious- avoiding back pain.

• A quick posture corrector: stop crossing your legs at the knee when you sit. It throws your alignment out of whack, and crossing with the same leg every time, tips the balance even more. It may look more appropriate but the dudes who are manspreading on the subway may have better circulation than those of us just trying to be “proper,” and maybe it’s time we’re done with that, yes? Straight talk from a lady who knows how to throw back her shoulders.

• 💫 Bonus: here’s a handy little chart with some suggestions on sitting better even without a desk.

Be well, have fun, and more straight talk ahead for paid subscribers only.

STRAIGHT UP NOW TELL ME

In this issue of Ask An Expert, I asked Patricia Ladis, Holistic Physical Therapist, Founder + CEO of WiseBody PT and Author of The Wise Woman’s Guide to Your Healthiest Pregnancy & Birth, for more intel on posture and she shared a rather shocking tidbit on what is known as “Tech Neck”: