proper posture

My last post touched on the importance of posture in dance. It reminded me of the importance of posture in swimming. Which reminded me of the importance of posture in life.

There may exist debate on whether or not we as a human species ever walked hunched over, but there is no debate today regarding the proper way to stand erect. With the advent of computers and desk-bound careers, many of us spend the bulk of our days with our spines curved out and our heads forward. Dad was always onto me to keep my shoulders back. Later on my swim coach, knowing all the benefits of posture and how it can help in swimming, specifically taught the team on the correct way to stand.

If it is not essential for excellence in your sport, why bother?

improved health (elaboration coming in a future post)

• the appearance of confidence (sure, it might just look that way, but it's a start)
• beauty (yes, you look much better with good posture!)

Steps to improved posture:

1. lift your shoulders to your ears and then roll them back and down
2. lower your shoulders from the base of the shoulder blades
3. lift your chest
4. roll your pelvis forward and tuck your tailbone in
5. stretch your spine tall
6. look in the mirror to see how much better you look

Uncomfortable yet? No doubt, but with practice it will be natural and beautiful. (For those swimmers out there, these steps work for streamlining too, just lift your arms to squeeze the back of your head, one hand over the other, squeeze your legs together, and point your toes.)

Tip #3: Good posture! Keep your spine in line for health and appearances. Looking confident and attractive can help you get respect in the business world and invitations to dinner in the social world. And it's so simple! You probably usually work much harder for this.