Today, let’s take notice of our posture, it can tell us a lot about how other people see us as well as how we feel about and in ourselves.  There was a good reason our mothers always told us to “sit up straight” or “stop slouching”.  Our posture greatly affects our well-being.

Good posture makes us look slimmer, younger and more confident.  When our body is aligned properly we look taller and more at ease.  Try standing in front of a mirror and take a deep breath while standing up straighter.  Do you see the difference it makes in your face and body? Do you notice how much more air your lungs can take in?  Do you feel better mentally?  Compare that look and feeling to someone who is slumped over at their desk or slouched while standing and walking.  Do they come across as being confident to you? Do they tend to look a bit frumpy and older?

Having good posture isn’t only good for our appearance and confidence it plays a major role in our physical health.  When we have poor posture our spine is not aligned correctly.  Therefore, our muscles, organs, joints and bones are not where they should be.  Over time, the result will inevitably be strain issues such as neck, shoulder and back pain.  Having good posture also increases lung capacity.  This helps to transport oxygen and nutrition around the body.  When our posture is upright and open, there is more room in the abdominal cavity, which improves the health of our organs giving them more room to function properly in addition to making your belly look slimmer.

Physical Therapist Gloria Reyes of Action in Motion in Danville, California has spent her career teaching others how to realign their bodies through Pilates in order to achieve optimal physical health.  How do I know this?  I’ve been a client of Gloria’s less than a year and I went from chronic shoulder and neck pain for the last 20 plus years to virtually pain-free days and months.

To achieve proper posture, Gloria has some words of wisdom she graciously shared with us…

When we think of good posture we often engage the shoulders and point our chest forward, so we correct the “slouch”.  That’s a good start but very incomplete when I consider the main problems I treat as a Physical Therapist.

Tip: Be a fresh ice cream sundae.

Gloria likes to create a visual that is very easy to remember, an ice cream scoop served on a cute bowl topped with a cherry! The anatomy parts that correspond to the bowl is your pelvis, the ice cream is your body from belly to neck, and the cherry is your head.  You often see ice cream forward spilling in front of the bowl, and cherries even more forward spilled in front of the ice cream. So she’d like to propose to you to keep your cherry on top by minding your chin.

Our chin pokes forward while driving, doing computer work and while just listening closely to someone talking to us.  Keep three things in mind, your bowl, your ice cream and particularly your cherry on top.

Ask yourself: “Where is my chin?”

Want to read more?

Day 1: Motivation
Day 2: Just Breathe
Day 3: Back to Basics with Your Health
Day 4: Giving is Receiving
Day 5: Planning One Day at a Time
Day 6: Just A Spoonful of Sugar
Day 7: Positive Thoughts, Positive Outcomes
Day 8: Filter That Water
Day 9: Yoga At Your Computer
Day 10: Look Your Best, Feel Your Best, Be Your Best
Day 11: Be Alert and Stay Safe
Day 12: Giving Back To The Community Starts At Home
Day 13: Reach For That Pomegranate
Day 14: Breathing and Posture
Day 15:  Detox Your Finances
Day 16: Take Time For Entertainment
Day 17: Detox Your Skin
Day 18: Laugh It Up
Day 19: Live In The Moment