Exercise
and Posture
Kate
Gonski, University of New South Wales
I
woke to the piercing sound of my alarm at 6: 45.
The clock was ‘snoozed’ multiple times.
9.00 am. Climbed the stairs to the fifth
floor of the Wallace Wurth building where my Physical Activity
and Health Class was about to begin. In the first half of
this class, we discussed self esteem, paraphrasing, positive
thinking, and goal setting. We then were taught how to analyse
a client’s posture. The lecturer emphasised that
sitting all day at a desk or in a lecture hall can damage
one’s posture and cause lower back pain.
10 am. I moved from level 5 of the Wallace
Wurth building to the Bio Med building in order to get to
my Functional Anatomy lecture. Today’s lecture was on the
Sternoclavicular Joint. We learnt about the axis of rotation
of the clavicle as well as the muscles and ligaments associated
with the sternum and the clavicle.
After a "long" 2hr day at university, I went to
the library to distract a friend before heading home.
After an extended lunch break at home, it
was time to head to my room and finish my skeletal muscle
lab report, which was due the next day.
At 10 pm, the 35 page report was completed.
I had a new understanding for the differences between slow
twitch and fast twitch skeletal muscles and the drugs that
can affect them. Unfortunately, as well as this in depth understanding
of skeletal muscle, I had also developed the fear that the
last 6 hrs of sitting at my desk had ruined my posture forever.
After the final stapling of the assignment, my day in science
was complete, and an exhausted health and exercise student
went to bed.
Two and half years ago, when I was in year twelve, I had no
idea what I wanted to do when I left school. I did work experience
with a physiotherapist, with a vet, and in a hospital with
a radiologist. I enjoyed each experience but did not know
which path to follow. It was obvious to me that I enjoyed
science; so I decided to start university in an advanced science
degree to see where it would take me.
2 months into my second year at university, I realised
that working in a laboratory, “pippetting” for hours, was
not for me. However, I really enjoyed my human physiology
class. After talking to my lecturers, I came to the decision
that I would swap courses to health and exercise science with
the final outcome of becoming an exercise physiologist.
I intend to finish this course in the next two years focusing
on muscular skeletal rehabilitation. My ideal job would be
to work in a hospital alongside doctors and physiotherapists
to change the lifestyles of unhealthy patients.
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