'MRI scan showed my posture was killing my brain – here's how I improved it'
Many of us would agree we could do with improving our posture a little from time to time.
However, one man has claimed his was so bad that it was 'slowly killing his brain'.
Bryan Johnson, a 47-year-old centi-millionaire tech entrepreneur from California, US, is on a mission to live as long as he can. According to Time, he's spent $4 million (£3 million) developing a life-extension system called Blueprint.
This involves him "outsourcing every decision involving his body to a team of doctors, who use data to develop a strict health regimen to reduce what Johnson calls his biological age."
And it seems they found that his posture wasn't up to scratch at all. Bryan took to his @bryan_johnson X account to tell his 327,600 followers that an MRI scan found that his "terrible" posture was 'slowly killing his brain' – branding it a "ticking time bomb".
He claims that the MRI found that his posture was 'trapping blood in his brain', which was blocking it from flowing properly to his heart. He told fans: "Was I going to have a seizure? A stroke? I didn't know."
Bryan said most people 'slump in their chairs' all day and 'have a really bad habit of looking down at screens on our laps.' He said: "Poor posture is normalised and it has all kinds of negative health effects." However, he shared how he dramatically improved it by doing five things.
The first tip was to "imagine you have a string going through your spine up through your head, and it's pulled straight up", which helps you sit up straighter.
Meanwhile, the second was to "avoid things that invite bad posture", such as using your mobile phone. "
When I have my phone up, I hold it up," said Bryan. He admitted it can be "awkward and potentially embarrassing to hold your phone like this, however he added: "When I bend my head down 60 degrees, I can feel the pressure building in my brain from the lack of blood flow."
His third tip was to move every 30 minutes throughout the day. "Take a brisk walk, climb some stairs, do some stretches, break out into dance – anything active," he said, saying it "improves blood flow and is a nice reset for posture".
Next, Bryan shared two exercises his physical therapist told him to do. Explaining the first one, he said: "Keep your elbows back, your shoulders in this position, and weights in your hand. You want to bring your shoulders up and out."
He then described the second exercise, saying: "With your hands on your forehead, resist the pressure of your hands pushing your head back. When doing this, be very patient."
Bryan's last tip was to "expect initial soreness" when you are doing the tips as sometimes muscles have been "neglected". He added: "You will find out that it takes a lot of muscle to maintain proper posture."
Concluding his post, he told followers: "Improving my posture has been one of the most important things I've done in my wellness efforts at Blueprint. It doesn’t just benefit you; it creates a ripple effect that encourages those around you to be mindful of their own posture as well.
"In my family, whenever someone spots another person slouching, we make a 'zzzzzi' sound. Instantly, the person straightens up, often without even needing to say a word."
People were loving the tips, as one person gave their own tip, saying: "I avoid the chair whenever possible. It's not natural for our build."