Focus on aligning your posture to ensure healthy flow and reduce body aches and pains.

Do you look like a bent over old person?

Do you stand up straight or do you slouch? 

Have you ever noticed how many people have terrible postures? They may look hunched over with their shoulders rolled forwards and neck leaning down?  Are you like this?  

So much of your daily life may involve you sitting at your desk or looking at your phone.  You may have developed bad habits of sitting or standing with bad posture.

Did you know poor posture such as slouching can cause rounded shoulders, a pot belly, back pain, spinal dysfunction and joint degeneration.  You can lose strength and flexibility and make you more prone to injury and can restrict effective breathing from your diaphragm.

According to Harvard research “testosterone levels increased by 20% and cortisol levels (the stress hormone) dropped by 25% in people who adopted a good posture … and sitting slouched increases the harmful effects of stress on your mind and body, disrupts hormonal imbalance and strains your lungs”.

As you get older, if you don’t keep your muscles strong and active and tend to slouch, over time you can develop muscle weakness and imbalance which puts pressure on your neck, back and shoulders  which lead to poor posture. And you will look older. 

Better posture also has been proven to improve stress and anxiety.

Does your back ache?  Do you stoop over? Is your neck bent and your face leans forward?  Does your body feel old? Do you often feel stiff? … Your posture probably needs addressing. 

So has this made you think more about your posture and how you sit and stand?

Don’t you want to look younger, feel stronger and look more confident?  You can do it and it’s not hard.

Here’s a simple exercise to do which can help you straighten up:

  1. ALIGNMENT: Stand up straight -imagine you have hook in the top of your head and you are being pulled upwards.  Roll your shoulders back and open up your chest. This is a great way to help you stand up straight!
  2. RE-ADJUST: Be aware and re-adjust your posture when sitting or driving.  Train yourself to notice your posture then re-adjust to a better sitting or standing position.  The more you do it – the more often you’ll become aware of your bad posture habits and you can address them!
  3. SHOULDER / CHEST STRETCH: Stand in a doorway and arm stretch – in a doorway 
  4. NECK STRETCH
  5. BUM STRETCH: glute stretch – seated
  6. LEG STRETCH: Hamstring stretch
  7. HIP FLEXOR STRETCH  – kneeling