“Shark Tank” Posture Correction Tool: PostureNow Review
PostureNOW Review
As the leading expert on posture, I’ve had tons of emails about a posture corrector product called PostureNow on Shark Tank. It’s a great show where entrepreneurs pitch ideas and inventions to a panel of hyper-successful business people like Mark Cuban and FUBU’s Damon John. I record the show so was really excited to see the problem of posture getting more airtime on national network television.
Unfortunately on the episode of Shark Tank that aired the Posture Now device, instead of a big fish, the sharks swallowed an old shoe… literally!
Posture Support or Posture Crutch?
The gadget being pitched was purporting to improve slumping posture with a strap velcro’d between both upper arms to pull them back. Now these kinds of restraining supports have been around for years, and it makes sense that a kludgy strap pulling the upper arm back and into external rotation will, for the moment, help slumping posture. So if the goal is getting slumping suckers (I mean customers) to buy a $40 strap, they may make some fast money.
The biggest problem: Shoulder issues. In the unlikely event people wear it on an ongoing basis, the muscles which SHOULD be pulling the arms back and into external rotation are getting a permanent vacation. Like an old person with a cane, the supported muscles will weaken. The muscles being braced, infraspinatus and teres minor, are part of the rotator cuff, and functional imbalance of these muscles is a big factor in many of the shoulder problems I’ve treated.
Just as the ancient technique of foot-binding can make a person’s foot stay unnaturally tiny, shoulders can be pulled back to look better — but it’s a bad idea to unnecessarily inhibit motion. The 1st Posture Principle is “Your Body is Made to Move.” Functionally strengthening posture takes restoring motion and then retraining the weakest link(s)… not creating new ones.
“Posture develops over the years, but is strengthened in many moments.” Dr. Steven Weiniger, posture expert
Just like you can’t get rid of back pain by spending a week relaxing by the pool at a St. George Island rental, changing posture for the good requires focused exercise, because it takes exercise to strengthen muscles that have become overly weak due to habits or injury. Following a posture improvement program, you’ll then need to focus on creating new habits and adapting your environment to maintain great posture habits.
Tips to Improve Posture:
- We recommend the self help 7 Steps to Strong Posture program to improve posture because it addresses all elements of posture improvement success in a step-by-step format including: self check, focused posture program, new habits and environment changes.
- You can also read Stand Taller Live Longer – Posture & Anti Aging Strategy for a DIY program.
- To get a great baseline posture picture assessment, check out the Self Assessment Ideas on StrongPosture.com
- Checkout the Free PostureZone App
Professionals, learn through video-based online continuing education courses.