Good Posture ... Or How To Look 10 Years Younger!!!!

When working with a new client, the first thing that I always look at is their posture.

Benefits of good posture

• Good posture puts the least possible strain on your joints – meaning less pain in your neck, shoulders, back, knees, hips and less chance of injury
• Good posture makes you look instantly slimmer
• Good posture makes you look and feel more confident
• And last but not least, it really does make you look 10 year’s younger!!! Try it and see …

Posture check
Do this as many times as possible throughout day – whilst sitting at a desk, driving, standing in the queue at Tesco

• weight evenly distributed between heel, big toe, little toe
• knees soft
• hips, knees in alignment with feet
• *neutral spine (slight curve in spine, tuck in bottom)
• tummy muscles gently pulled in – imagine you’re trying to touch your spine with your tummy button
• shoulder blades pulled slightly together and shoulders relaxed
• chin parallel with ground and not sticking out (ear level with shoulder)
• lengthen through spine - imagine string pulling through top of head

* finding neutral spine: Lie down, legs bent, feet flat on floor. Place heel of hand on hip bones and fingertips on pubic bone. Gently roll pelvis forward so that back arches off the floor and fingertips lower. Gently roll pelvis the opposite way so that lower back presses into floor and fingertips lift. Neutral spine is the midway position where where the heel of hands and fingertips are flat

Karen Dawkins, Personal Trainer, Winchester