How many times have you heard your mother order you to stand up straight? She may have warned you that if you kept on slouching, you’d get a hump in your back. This is a maternal truth, just like “If you cross your eyes, they’ll stay that way.” You won’t really end up looking like Quasimodo if your posture is bad, but you may look quite a bit heavier than you have to. If you’re aiming for perfect standing posture, here are some guidelines:
Your weight should be concentrated on the balls of your feet, not your heels.
Your knees should be slightly apart, approximately the width of your shoulders.
Your arms should hang naturally at your sides.
You should avoid locking your knees; keep them “soft.”
Keep the head level by tucking in your chin a little bit.
Make sure that your head isn’t pushed forward or leaned backward, but square atop your neck.
Stand as straight and tall as you can, with your shoulders pushed back.
To check yourself, stand against a wall with your shoulders and butt touching it. If your posture is good, the back of your head should also touch the wall in this position. If it doesn’t, you’re carrying your head too far forward.
Proper posture is crucial for more reasons than just looking slimmer. It can say a lot about your attitude and your confidence level. It also makes you feel more energetic, makes deep breathing easier, and helps prevent back pain. According to the experts at the American Council on Exercise, “Correct posture and body mechanics play a vital role in preventing back pain because pressure on the discs and strain of the muscles, ligaments and back joints is aggravated by incorrect posture and body mechanics. At the same time, when your posture is good and you move your body correctly, you reduce strain on the lower back.”
To improve your posture, you should start by strengthening your core. “Core” refers to the abdominal and back muscles that attach to the spine or pelvis, and they’re responsible for keeping us stable. Pilates and yoga are excellent methods for strengthening and toning these muscles.
What – you’re not running directly to the gym to sign up for those Pilates classes? Well, here is a simple exercise you can do to help improve your posture in the meantime:
Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart.
Tighten your abs, making sure not to lean forward or backward – your head should be directly over your shoulders, and your shoulders should be over your pelvis.
Tighten your butt.
Hold this position for ten seconds, breathing naturally.
Repeat it twice.
Bring the feet together a little bit so that now they’re just under shoulder-width apart, and repeat everything.
No matter what kind of exercises you do – or whether you do any at all – the most important thing to remember about posture is that you must always be aware of it. Awareness is crucial … if you don’t realize you’re slouching, you won’t do anything about it, right? For the next week, commit yourself to staying posture-conscious. If you find yourself out of alignment, correct it. You’ll be surprised at how much leaner you’ll look when you’re not allowing yourself to slump!