Everyday life is full of appointments and to-dos. You scramble and forget to keep your composure. The Quick Aid Reminder T-shirt is designed to remind you like an oversized post-it note.
Expectations
Unpacking
Everyday life
The good thing about this shirt is that it can be worn really discreetly under clothing. There are no strange bumps, nothing stands out. What I don't like is the way it feels on the skin. It reminds me of my bathing shirt. Nylon is not my best friend in everyday life and is a real deodorant test in the long term.
Cotton feels better, which is why I wear a normal T-shirt under the Quick Aid. I could almost forget about it if it weren't for the slight tugging that keeps reminding me to stand upright. However, I do get used to it over time. I've also had post-its with notes on the screen, which after a while became part of my inventory and were easy to overlook. Nothing happens on its own. I still have to react myself when the shirt starts to show up under my armpits.
Simple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
The decline comes gradually, but it does come. Then your back starts to ache, your neck is chronically tense and your shoulders ache from hours spent at your desk. You actually know that you're not doing your body any good. You already know it as a child when your parents say "sit up straight!" at the dinner table. But it's easy to throw caution to the wind. You don't get the receipt until a few decades later. So the usual carelessness continues. "One important reason for this is that people do not make many smaller and even larger decisions in everyday life completely rationally," writes the Federal Office of Public Health on the topic behavioural economics. "Preferences such as short-term benefits then prevail and influence our decisions - despite all good intentions."
Can this shirt support my good intentions?
It's human: we like to be comfortable and need a nudge to follow through on good intentions. When it comes to correct posture, there are a number of gadgets designed to provide support. Electronic and mechanical, visible and invisible. I have already stuck a kind of Tamagotchi on the back of my neck, "back straps" and lie on the blackroll pillow at night. Now I'm trialling the Quick Aid Shirt. The most inconspicuous way to wear a posture trainer in everyday life.
To be honest, I don't expect much. But even small improvements are worth something. I don't have chronic pain. But my midlife body is starting to grate. A hollow back, hunched back and a few other issues are demanding attention. I realise that no shirt in the world will be able to get me into perfect posture. It only works with targeted training and takes a lot of time. Over the years, I've even forgotten what the right posture feels like. Movement therapist Veronika Wanner showed me how to do it.
Background information
Running coaching: fighting your habits
by Michael Restin
That's the starting point. Now to the shirt from the brand Quick Aid, which is "designed and engineered by Swedish Posture". Just like the Blackroll Posture was also developed by the Swedes, who specialise in corresponding products. While you should only wear the variable back strap for hours at first, the shirt is designed to be worn permanently. It is not adjustable, so the possible effect depends on choosing the right size.
Be sure to measure! Source: Quick Aid
Smooth, cool and inconspicuous, the shirt slips out of its packaging. It's made from 23 per cent elastane and 77 per cent nylon. Somehow I imagined it would be thicker. Externally, it only stands out because of a few shiny stripes on the back, which are supposed to be above the shoulder blades and otherwise have no function. On the inside, the "Posture Alignment Technology" can be found at this point: A band that tightens as soon as I slump my shoulders and hunch my back. It then pinches under the armpits as a reminder. Otherwise, the shirt fits loosely. No press-fit effect. No magical extras. Just a giant black post-it between my shoulder blades to remind me of the correct posture. If I try to adopt it, various muscles have to work. This is training at a very low intensity.
The «Posture Alignment Technology» is nothing more than a stretchy band that stretches across the back.
Was what?
I find it easier when I'm doing sport, because then I'm focussing on my body anyway. At the moment, I'm sitting on the rowing trainer a lot and trying to improve my technique. It's not easy without a mirror or feedback. With my arms stretched forwards, the pull of the "posture alignment technology" is clearly noticeable and helps me to keep my shoulders in position to avoid a hunched back. I don't find the shirt annoying during training and, like other functional clothing, it comes out of the machine almost dry after washing.
As this shirt is designed to help people help themselves, my main aim is to manage expectations. Is it useful? A clear: yes, but. It only helps if you join in. Strengthen weak muscles, stretch shortened ones and keep pushing yourself to adopt posture. If the look doesn't matter and you only want to use the posture trainer occasionally, I would recommend a back strap such as the Blackroll Posture. This gives you more flexibility and allows you to adjust the tension as required. The Quick Aid Shirt can easily be worn all day without getting in the way. It has served me well, especially during sports, but it's really just a reminder. A rather expensive post-it. Nevertheless, it can be worth it. Otherwise your body will pay you back at some point.
