Imagery for better posture

Article JILL LISTER-MARTIN, The Fit Chick Health Coach

Good posture is something you always notice if it’s there. In an age where we’re all hunched over a keyboard, the posturally gifted are starting to become a rarity. When we see good posture we attach words like elegant, confident and graceful.

Many people want better posture so they stand taller. But the benefits go far beyond that. Superficially the waist looks thinner and you look more confident, but putting your skeleton into a better position allows blood and oxygen to flow the way your body is designed. It also eliminates tightness and pain connected with misalignment.

ALL BODIES ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT GOOD POSTURE WE ARE AIMING FOR:

• The head stacked over the torso and over the hips like 3 building blocks.

• Your chest is open and shoulders not hunched forward.

• Relaxed shoulders, not scrunched up towards the ears.

• The arms hang naturally at the side of the body with your palms facing inwards.

• A natural S curve in the spine without excessive curvature.

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF HAVING BETTER POSTURE:

• When your body stands tall it allows you to take more oxygen in, and carbon dioxide out. Improved breathing and blood and oxygen flow boost concentration and focus.

• When the spine is stacked correctly the shoulders and hips share their appropriate amount of the load, so no structure is over-stressed.

• Correct posture strengthens muscles. Poor posture further strains sensitive muscles and soft tissues. Sitting and standing correctly, strengthens your core, buttock muscles, and back extensions while relieving unnecessary tension.

• Your lymphatic and circulatory systems are free to flow with ease, allowing good blood flow and lymph drainage.

• Good posture makes you look good. It inspires confidence, as well as makes you appear slimmer and taller.

VISUALIZATION FOR BETTER POSTURE:

There are plenty of great exercises to help with posture, including core stability, building strength in the back muscles and mobility throughout the shoulders. But one of the best ways to improve posture isn’t necessarily done on a mat or in the gym. It’s done in your usual everyday life so there are no excuses for not implementing it. It’s just a matter of finding the right imagery that works for you.

VISUAL IMAGERY TO HELP YOU STAND UP TALLER:

• Imagine you’re hanging from a string from the top of your head like a puppet. Let everything else fall down from that point.

• Imagine you’re being sucked up a straw, like a chocolate milkshake.

• Tuck your shoulder blades into your back pockets.

• Visualize someone physically brushing your shoulder blades down and brushing your tummy muscles up at the same time. It helps to physically try this with your own hands to be able to understand the feeling.

• Imagine you’re wearing long dangly earrings. Be tall and show them off.

• Visualize there is a helium balloon attached to the top of your head, lifting you up.

• Imagine someone is picking you up by the ears.

Jill Lister-Martin can also provide physical exercises to assist with better posture if needed. www.thefitchickhealthcoach.com Email: info@fitchickchronicles.com