Posture Challenge
Your posture has a VERY powerful impact on how you act and feel – how deeply you breathe, your energy levels, and believe it or not….. even your level of confidence! (and the list goes on.)
This week, we’re going to hone in on our posture and pay attention to any bad habits we’ve picked up over the years.
When you were a teenager, did you have a “helpful” adult constantly nagging at you to stand up or sit up straight? Well as adults, we might need that helpful voice even more!
Pretty much everything we do (from sitting at the computer, to driving in a car) works AGAINST us when it comes to having good posture – if we’re not VERY careful.
It’s too easy to lose focus on your posture…. and before you know it, your shoulders start rounding forward, your lower back starts to ache, and your hips start to get tight. Nothing positive can ever come out of this.
When circulation is decreased, you start to experience back and neck pain and lose the ability to stay focused and motivated. You’ll experience higher levels of stress, your mood will be negatively affected, digestion will suffer…. and the list goes on and on.
Try this: “Good” posture means that you stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, pelvis in neutral position – i.e., neither pushing front nor back. Your core should be gently braced, with your chest tall and your shoulders slightly back, chin in neutral position (not jutting your chin forward).
Below is a quick guide from the National Academy of Sports Medicine:
How did you do? It’s trickier than you think! If you have an imbalance, it can be really hard to get everything all lined up the way it is supposed to be – changing one part of the equation can throw off the others. Getting it right can require time, paying ATTENTION to your posture, and patience.
So, your challenge this week is to work to improve your posture!
—-> How about this: Whenever you CHECK THE TIME, do a quick posture check. What do you think!? 🙂
Are you in? Let us know in the comments below!