Live Whole Health #247: To-do lists and a healthy posture

We’re repeatedly trained to complete one job before starting another, beginning from the time we’re children (“Finish your chores and then you can play”) and continuing to education, military service, work, and home life. We learn that there’s an order to how we do things, that every item on a to-do list must be checked off before we move on, and that leaving a task half-finished is unacceptable.

This mindset of finishing one task before starting another shows up in other areas of our lives as well. We often have thoughts such as “Once I get through this month, things will slow down,” or “I can’t wait until he starts driving so I can have more time to myself,” or “Once I lose weight, I can get back to playing pickleball.” We put off doing what we enjoy until other things are completed, as though we’re looking for a reason to reward ourselves.

The challenge with this mindset is to-do lists are never done. You’ll never get to a place where there are no problems. There is no “perfect time” to do what you enjoy. This isn’t meant to be discouraging, as a life without things to do or problems to solve would be an empty one. But it hopefully helps us recognize that instead of waiting to do what makes us happy, we should go ahead and do that now. Our to-do list will still be there when we return.

One thing we can all do right now—without finishing something else first—is check our posture and sit or stand up a bit straighter. In this video, Dr. Jason Napuli, a Chiropractor Physician at the St. Louis VA, explains healthy posture, the “rule of 90s,” and shares some simple exercises you can do throughout the day.

Moving the body for Whole Health

Now that you have given yourself a posture check, how about considering more about the way you move your body? Moving the body can help prevent and treat dozens of diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. Learn more about healthy ways to get movement into your life.