16/07/2017
How to Look Like You Dropped a Dress Size in 33 Seconds!
What am I talking about? Posture....or as physical therapists like me call it, alignment.
Poor alignment restricts your blood flow & can have a long term detrimental impact on your spine. Plus, holding yourself well has a positive psychological effect and is a great confidence booster.
Ready? Try this...
Step 1
Stand with your feet firmly on the ground, anchoring yourself to the floor with your big toes, little toes and holding most of your weight through your heels.
Step 2
Pull your sit bones (and bottom) back to line up above your heels.
Do you know where your sitting bones are? This is always a fun one to ask in class. You can find them by placing your hands with palms facing up under your buttocks. You can feel a bony bit in each cheek. (And yes, even if your derriere is well padded, you’ll be able to locate your sit bones)!
Step 3
Now, draw your ribs back until they’re over your sit bones and lift them up away from your hips. Feel that stretch through the sides of your waist as you ‘grow’ an inch or so taller.
Step 4
Exhale and draw your belly button in and up towards the back of your waist. Avoid sucking it in hard as this is difficult to maintain but gently draw your navel in and up and feel your tummy flatten and lift up away from your knicker line.
Step 5
Keep your chest open and wide by pulling your shoulder blades back and sliding them down your back. Aim to draw the bottom of your shoulder blades down towards your hip pockets. This helps to show off your collar bones (décolletage) and lift your breasts.
Step 6
Finally, imagine that your chin is a filing cabinet drawer and slide it ‘in and out’ a few times until you feel the back of your neck lengthening and drawing backwards. (Avoid making a double chin it won’t make you look slimmer and it puts strain on the neck muscles). This elongates your neck but more importantly takes unnecessary strain off your cervical (neck) spine. For every inch that your head pokes forwards you are adding roughly three kilos more weight onto your cervical spine. Oof!
