I didn't realize I looked like that.

My head was jutting forward. My shoulders weren't where I thought they were. My posture looked like I was slowly folding in on myself.

I'm in my 60s. Maybe this was just aging...

But, I don't accept "that's what happens when you get older" without pushing back. 
​So I decided to see if I could change it.

There are lots of reasons we start leaning forward as we get older.

We lose muscle unless we work to keep it. Our spines can become less flexible. We may spend too much time sitting and looking down at screens. Osteoporosis and compression fractures can alter the shape of the spine. Changes in balance and vision can affect how we hold ourselves, too.

In other words, that increasingly stooped posture we associate with old age isn't caused by one thing.
​And it isn't always inevitable.

I'll admit it. I want to look good.  But that's not my biggest concern.

Poor posture can affect how we move, walk and balance. A forward head and rounded upper body can also change our center of gravity and pressure on our spine.
That's important to me.

I've studied falls prevention. I know how quickly one fall can change an older person's life. I want to keep hiking, biking, traveling and playing with my grandchildren for as long as possible.

​So, standing tall is much more than looking younger.

I had previously tried Network Spinal chiropractic and decided to start again.

Network Spinal uses very light contacts at specific areas along the spine. If you're picturing someone forcefully twisting my neck or cracking my back, that's not what happens during my sessions. The touches can seem almost ridiculously gentle.

Yet I started noticing changes.
I felt like I was standing differently. I had more energy. My posture seemed better.

Of course, "I feel better" isn't much of an experiment.
​Fortunately, I had pictures.

When I looked at my first visit photo (on the left), I couldn't tell that my posture needed to improve.

But when I compared it to the after photo, I could really see a difference. 

Then, the improvement in my tension scans was even more pronounced:

I knew I felt better, and was grateful it showed up in red and white.

But one of my favorite results didn't happen in the chiropractor's office.
It happened on my bicycle.
I started riding with no hands again. Like a kid.

That may seem like a silly accomplishment. To me, it's exactly what healthy aging is about.
I don't want to simply add years. I want to keep doing things.

"Fix" may be the wrong word.
One thing my Network Spinal chiropractor emphasizes is that she isn't doing something to me. She's working with me. That's an important distinction.

The light touches she makes along my spine are only part of the process. I found myself integrating those alignments even when I was nowhere near her table. My body seemed to recognize when I've slipped back into an old pattern and adjust.

And I'm certainly not her only client whose posture has changed. Her office has before-and-after posture photos of many clients, including some pretty dramatic transformations.
Those photos are impressive. They're also not a clinical trial.
Neither are mine.

I exercise, work on strength and mobility, and stay very active. I can't separate Network Spinal from everything else I'm doing and declare that it alone caused the changes you see in my pictures.
But something has changed.

And I find it especially interesting that I seem to be carrying those changes with me after I leave the table.

That's enough to keep me experimenting.

This was the question I really wanted answered.
And it's encouraging that at least some of the things affecting posture can be changed.

Strength matters. Strong back and core muscles help support us. Mobility matters. Balance matters. How much we move matters.

Research on exercise in older adults suggests that targeted exercise can improve aspects of posture and age-related "hyperkyphosis," the exaggerated rounding of the upper back that becomes more common with age.

That doesn't mean every curved spine can become straight again.

​Osteoporosis, vertebral compression fractures and other structural changes are different animals. If your posture has changed dramatically, especially if you've lost height or have pain, it's worth talking with a qualified healthcare professional rather than assuming you just need to "stand up straight."

I'm continuing Network Spinal.
I'm also continuing to exercise, work on strength, move my body and pay attention to what happens. And I'll keep measuring changes.

Because one of the most interesting things about being in my 60s is discovering how many things I thought were inevitable might not be.

Gray hair? I'm learning to live with it.

Getting weaker, losing my balance and slowly folding myself into a question mark? Those I'm willing to challenge.

​I'll let you know how the experiment goes.

Maybe your posture isn't the thing that's bothering you.

Maybe it's your strength. Your balance. Your energy. Or that nagging feeling that your body isn't working quite the way it used to.

That's why I created the 3-day Reboot.

It's a chance to take a closer look at what you want to change, and start experimenting with ways to age better.

I'm still experimenting on myself. ​You can, too.