Maintaining Proper Posture during Iftar

It’s not something most of us thing about when we are ready to open our fast in Ramadan, but there are some proper ways of sitting and eating that can help ensure optimal wellbeing.

1. Hold your posture the entire time: Proper digestion only occurs when we are sitting up straight. Good posture is defined as ears aligned with the shoulders and the “angel wings,” or the shoulder blades, retracted. In proper alignment, spinal stress is diminished. If you’re slouched over your plate, food cannot travel to the stomach in time for your body to tell your brain it’s getting full; it can take twice as long; thus causing you to eat twice as much leaving you full and tired.

2. A brief family meditation for peace and happiness: Coming back together as a family means leaving many personal worlds of happiness, sadness and development behind. Take time out to honor and recognize this transition and give thanks for the meal you are going to be consuming after a day of fasting.

3. Deep belly breathing: Deep belly breathing helps with digestion of food by enhancing motion of the belly and its food contents. Deeper yet though it serves to improve the motion of the spinal segments, spinal cord and nerve roots, and it increases the cerebrospinal fluid motion and distribution. Deep breathing might also decrease the swelling of the deranged spine joint and possibly the nerve root causing less pain. Deep belly breathing in itself will help you to feel better.

4. Small bites and small breaks will allow you to enjoy a steady-paced meal without needing to slow down or stop eating entirely. Take small bites of the highly caloric sides but load up your fork with protein and vegetables. Take a 5-minute break between each helping to allow your stomach to catch up with your eyes.

5. Take time out to engage in and enjoy the conversations around the table. When you are actively engaged and fully involved in a fulfilling conversation then you spend less time eating and more time feeling externally better. The craving for food and internal satisfaction diminishes. Ask each person how they are doing. Your family will manifest happiness, and then you become happier leaving you with less of a desire to binge.

6. Mini Chair Exercises (bends and twists) help you keep your blood pumping and metabolism working. Bending to the right or left (as if you were picking up a fork you dropped) and sideways twists (like you’re greeting a guest behind you) are two small, but effective ways to help your body digest.

(Credit: Dr. Kenneth K. Hansraj, M.D. is a spinal and orthopedic surgeon and the author of the internationally bestselling book, Keys to an Amazing Life: Secrets of the Cervical Spine)
www.realspinesurgery.com