I recall this quote “I want to get old gracefully. I want to have good posture, I want to be healthy and be an example to my children.” – Sting
Rounded shoulders and a hunched stance may seem like they’re set in stone by the time we reach a certain age, but it doesn’t have to be that way!
There’s still a good chance you can stand up taller.
It’ll take some awareness to begin with and some habitual changes.
Better posture is often just a matter of changing your activities and strengthening your muscles. As a physiotherapist and pilates / yoga teacher, I have encountered a great deal of clients suffering with pain, headache and stiffness due to poor posture.
Thanks to gravity, our feet are well-grounded. But the efforts of not wilting, falling or completely face planting?
We owe that to our postural muscles.
When our muscle’s work efficiently and in unison they prevent our bones and ligaments from being stressed, strained, and jutting out of alignment.
So what our postural muscles are responsible for?
Keeping our heads upright, our shoulders in line with our hips, a healthy spinal curve (mild lordosis in neck and lower back) and good alignment of hip, knee and ankle, they have a lot of work to do!
But between binging on Netflix, slumping in comfy couches, time on phones and digital devices, prolonged sitting and less incidental exercise, the relationship we have with postural muscles may have flickered out over time leaving our bodies at risk for spinal wear and tear, neck, hip, knee problems and chronic pain.
Fixing poor posture
The key to fixing poor posture is strengthening and stretching the muscles in the upper back, chest, and core.
They must work in unison to prevent pulling the skeletal framework out of line.
Yogalates and postural specific sequences help – see the postural exercises in the workouts page or on my FB.
We also have to be mindful of our posture in everyday activities – I know I love a flop on the couch after a busy day!
A simple trick when you’re sitting (even watching TV is to choose a slightly firmer chair, put a rolled towel behind your shoulders and aim to have the TV screen directly in front. You’ll then have good spinal support and neck/ shoulder alignment.
An upright posture and ease of movement enhances our self esteem and confidence and also promotes a perception of confidence and grace to others.
Activate postural muscles
Try for a moment working from toe to head to gently activate our chain of postural muscles and see how you feel:
- Get even and firmly grounded
- Knee caps slightly pulled up ( by tightening thigh muscles)
- Gently lift through pelvic floor
- Tighten butt muscles ( you may see the thighs roll out slightly)
- Draw in lower belly and lengthen spine ( grow taller)
- Subtly squeeze shoulder blades together ( without shrugging shoulders)
- Tuck in chin
Stand tall and feel the amazing benefits!
It takes time to make this a habit but practice makes all the difference!
“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.” – Helen Keller
