TRAIN YOUR POSTURE - Olivier Girard, ergonome et posturologue en Suisse
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    • Plein le Dos - le livre >
      • Le livre et ses vidéos
      • Acheter Plein le Dos
      • FAQ - presse
    • Programme postural en ligne
    • Posture et ergonomie à la maison
  • Entreprises
    • Formations et webinaires
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  • Enfants
    • Pourquoi faut-il agir?
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  • A propos
    • Olivier Girard
    • La méthode Mensendieck
    • Interviews et presse
    • Actualités
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Individuals
    • THE POSTURE MANUAL
    • Online posture programs
    • Posture at home
  • Companies
    • Trainings and webinars
    • Ergonomics
    • Occupational health policies
  • School children
    • Why act now?
    • Acting at school
    • Acting at home
  • About
    • The Mensendieck method
    • Who I am
    • In the media
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THE POSTURE MANUAL was first published in French in Oct. 2019, and then translated in English in January 2021. It has received great media attention in Europe, boosting sales up to 1000 copies per month. The book is meant as a self-help manual to improve one's posture and ergonomics in all daily life activities. Every week, a new goal and a new exercise are suggested.
​
e-book for ONLY $19, paperback for only $29.
​It's now time to feel better!

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Why did you write The Posture Manual?
Every year, 85% of the working population has pain somewhere: back, neck, shoulder, knees, etc. Far from getting better, the situation tends to get worse: 50% of the 10-19 years old now have neck pain. Clearly, the current paradigm is not working well... Hence, I wrote THE POSTURE MANUAL to propose another approach to muscle and joint pain: clear, logical and didactic so that everyone can become his / her own therapist.
 
How different is The Posture Manual?
On the internet and in many training courses, you will find "catalogs of advice": you should this, you should that, etc. Often imprecise, sometimes incorrect, they all have one thing in common: they do not allow you to develop a global understanding of how the body works. I've therefore developed a universal system, called the 3 Rules of Posture (chapter 5). I teach them to all my clients: firefighters, paramedics, office workers, early childhood professionals, gardeners, engineers, etc.
In the whole book, I use these 3 rules to propose a training plan that is relevant for everyone, which allows you to learn how to sit better, stand better, walk better, bend down better or carry yourself better. Each week, I suggest that you work on your new habits by setting a goal and an exercise. 
Is my health only a matter of my posture?
Let's start by agreeing on the definition of posture. Posture is everything that you do with your muscles and joints, consciously or not, voluntarily or not, 24 hours a day. It's a complex subject, so the goal is not to have a perfect posture, but simply to improve your posture and thereby to improve your health.
What's more, the risk is not just about posture: at every moment, it is related to what you do (the activity), in which posture, for how long (or how fast), and in which psychological state. In THE POSTURE MANUAL, we tackle posture as well as all other factors.
 
Should we eliminate all screens from our lives?
No, this would be an unrealistic recommendation. Let's also note that we didn't wait for the screens to feel pain. However, it is true that they aggravated and generalized the problem. A screen creates postural issues (all the more serious as the screen is small) combined with duration issues (all the more so as the user is young, since we look at the duration per session, per day and over a lifetime). Young children must therefore be prevented from using screens. For the rest of us, we need to control the conditions under which we use them and what we do with them, so that we can better control exposure times. In The Posture Manual, I offer duration benchmarks, as well as advice on ergonomics, both in the office and at home.

How much do I need to invest?
THE POSTURE MANUAL  is based on the Mensendieck method, which uses gravity as its main tool: nothing very expensive in that respect. The other cornerstone of the book is ergonomics, which sometimes requires some investment (chair, desk, etc.). However, I always show how to improve things without spending too much (e.g. by using cushions or by tinkering).  And above all, I show you how to stop losing money on useless or badly thought-out purchases: how to choose your sofa, your kitchen chair, etc. My goal is to make you autonomous, not poor.
 
 What if I'm already in pain?
THE POSTURE MANUAL is not here to compete with your doctor or therapist, but rather to help you complete their work. Show them the book, and discuss together the most relevant aspects of your pathology. In this way, you will prolong the effects of the treatment outside the office.
Also, don't be a fatalist. There is a saying that has never been contradicted: whatever your life, whatever your health, you will be better off if you use your body well than if you use it badly. We can't solve everything, but we all have something to improve...

Can following the advice of THE POSTURE MANUAL cause pain?
In order not to injure anyone, THE POSTURE MANUAL follows a very conservative approach, while insisting on two essential points: listen to yourself, and practice slowly and precisely. It is quite possible that some exercises will awaken muscles that are not used to working, and stretch others that would gladly remain shortened. However, these reconditioning aches are temporary. In case of doubt, talk to your therapist.
It is also true that everyone has his or her own abilities, due to his or her constitution, medical history, genetics, lifestyle, etc. Remember that we are not trying to compare you to me or any other trained professional: we are trying to compare you to yourself, i.e. to help you improve. Well-being comes well before perfection, in which I don't believe very much: everyone sometimes uses their body badly, incl. myself. THE POSTURE MANUAL teaches you to recognize what you do wrongly, and gives you the tools to improve. Little by little, you will do better and better, each one of us at his own pace.
 
So: is this a book to prevent or to cure?
Every health professional knows that we only treat after diagnosis. So it would have been irresponsible of me to pretend to write a book that treats people I've never met, and about whom I know nothing. Therefore, I concentrated on the "common core" of the posture: what everyone must know. So it's on one hand a book to prevent (i.e. for those who are not in pain), and on the other hand a book to help people who are in pain. It is necessary for your treatment (and often underestimated), but often it will not be enough: don't think that buying THE POSTURE MANUAL will save you from going to the doctor in case of severe or persistent pain.
That said, many of the exercises you find in the book are exercises that also provide relief if done well. In particular, all the exercises with a horizontal back (on all fours or lying down) help you to maintain the mobility of the spine without putting any weight on it: this is step 1 in case of pain, because the movement induces blood circulation and therefore oxygenation of the tissues. Relaxation exercises also serve this purpose, as long as you remain within your comfort zone (i.e. you do not hurt yourself: pain would generate a contraction reflex that you would like to avoid at all costs).
​
e-book for ONLY $19, paperback for only $29.
​It's now time to feel better!
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A Swiss expert for  posture therapy, ergonomics and occupational health. My clients are based in Lausanne, Geneva, Fribourg or Neuchâtel, as well as abroad (US, UK, France, etc.).

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